An interview with Yrjö Engeström and Annalisa Sannino on activity theory

Abstract

More and more researchers in the teaching and learning of language and\nliterature are turning to activity theory as a theoretical framework. The Center\nfor Activity, Development and Learning (CRADLE, see:\nhttp://www.helsinki.fi/cradle/info.htm), earlier called Center for Research on\nActivity Theory and Developmental Work Research, at the University of\nHelsinki, is a center of reference for theoretical and methodological development\nof activity theory, and has pursued ground-breaking research based on culturalhistorical\nactivity theory (CHAT) since 1994. This multi-disciplinary research\nunit, under the guidance of Yrjö Engeström, has significantly contributed to the\ndevelopment of CHAT-based research as a globally highly regarded\nparadigm. CRADLE is oriented toward the creation of a strong research\ncommunity with high international impact, forming both a national and\ninternational hub of activity-theoretical and socio-cultural research. Research in\nCRADLE is focused on reciprocal interaction between theory and practice, and\nmuch of its investigation includes formative interventions that use, among others,\nthe Change Laboratory method, also developed in CRADLE. CRADLE works in\nclose collaboration with work organizations, educational institutions, and social\nmovements pursuing investigative developmental efforts aimed at transforming\ndysfunctional activities.\nYrjö Engeström, Professor and founder of the CRADLE research center, has\ndeveloped cultural-historical activity theory as a framework to study\ntransformations and learning processes in work activities and organizations, and\nis known for his theory of expansive learning and for the interventionist method\nof the Change Laboratory.\nAnnalisa Sannino is Academy Research Fellow at CRADLE. Her research is\nfocused on communication, cognition and learning in educational institutions and\nwork organizations. Her previous work deals with the connection between\ndiscourse and activity, and with the interventionist nature of cultural-historical\nactivity theory, exploring how specific emerging forms of agency can be\ndiscursively identified, supported and enhanced in transformation efforts within\neducational and work activities. Her current work focuses on developing\nbuilding blocks of a theory of transformative agency based on Vygotsky’s\nprinciple of double stimulation.\nJoan Ploettner and Eva Tresseras, PhD candidates in the departments of\nEducation at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and the Universitat de \nBarcelona, both participated in research stays at CRADLE as part of their\ndoctoral training. They have collaborated in preparing this interview with Yrjö\nEngeström and Annalisa Sannino. The interview published in this issue was\nconducted in March, 2016.\nIn this interview, current applications of activity theory in education are\ndiscussed and future directions for activity theory based research are presented.

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