Cultural-Historical Activity Theory Approaches to Design-Based Research

Name: Cultural-Historical Activity Theory Approaches to Design-Based Research
Brand: Taylor & Francis

Taylor & Francis

Cultural-Historical Activity Theory Approaches to Design-Based ResearchAuthor(s): Mike Cole, William Penuel, Kevin O'Neill\nFormat: Paperback\nPublisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd, United Kingdom\nImprint: Routledge\nISBN-13: 9780367892500, 978-0367892500\nSynopsis\nMost intervention research in education aims to demonstrate the efficacy of specific programs and practices. The assumption is that if researchers can produce evidence-based programs that work in a variety of settings, educators will take them up on a large scale. Unfortunately, this approach largely neglects the role that out-of-school experiences can and do play in learning, and assumes that contexts are peripheral to intervention success. However, we know from decades of research that contexts profoundly shape the nature and effects of interventions. Further, researchers may produce interventions that are not usable or sustainable when they do so without incorporating the voices of educators, community members, and fami.