Producing transformations to study them
concept development in activity clinics
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23925/2175-3520.2022i54espp62-78Keywords:
Concept, Concept formation, Cultural-historical psychology, Adult development, Methodology – PsychologyAbstract
Concepts are at the core of human psychological experience. By means of them, we can communicate, understand and collaborate with each other. Within each community, concepts have been learned and can be taught. They are of capital importance for education in every level and for work activities. Concepts have been the object of study of different disciplines and in different contexts for many years. Despite their importance and the attention they have received, both common sense and psychological science understand concepts in an oversimplified way that has consequences for research and teaching. Early in the past century, Vygotsky studied the phenomena of concepts and their development in what ended up addressing most of the loose ends that remain in current dominant psychological and educational perspectives. In this article, we review the main, hegemonic perspectives on concepts in psychology, particularly one of the mayor research fields in educational psychology (Research on Conceptual Change), to present later some cross-cutting criticisms to those approaches that will become our touchstone for a sound theory of concepts. Then we present the Vygotskian approach to concept development, and the methodological implications derived from the dialectical framework in which it is inscribed. Finally, extending the Vygotskian approach beyond child development, we present a method developed in French work psychology, the Activity Clinics approach, and its potential for studying the development of concepts in work activities.
References
Amin, T. G., & Levrini, O. (2018). Introduction. In T. G. Amin, & O. Levrini (Eds.). Converging perspectives on conceptual change: Mapping an emerging paradigm in the learning sciences. (pp. 1-5). London & New York: Routledge.
Blunden, A. (2012). Concepts: A critical approach. Leiden, the Netherlands: Koninklijke Brill NV.
Brown, S., Lutz, B., Perova-Mello, N., & Ha, O. (2019). Exploring differences in Statics Concept Inventory scores among students and practitioners. Journal of Engineering Education, 108. 119–135. https://doi.org/10.1002/jee.20246
Carey, S. (1985). Conceptual Change in Childhood. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Carey, S. (2004). Bootstrapping and the origin of concepts. Doedalus, Winter, 59-68.
Carey, S. (2011). Concept Innateness, Concept Continuity, and Bootstrapping. Behavioral and Brain Sciences. 34(3). 152-162.
Castorina, J. A. (2005). Bootstrapping. Una teoría explicativa del cambio conceptual. [Bootstrapping. A theory for conceptual change]. Anuario de investigaciones. Universidad de Buenos Aires, 12, 43-52.
Castorina, J. A. (2006). El cambio conceptual en psicología: ¿Cómo explicar la novedad cognoscitiva?. [Conceptual Change in Psychology of Development: How to Explain Cognitive Novelty?] Psykhe, 15(2), 125-135.
Castorina, J. A. (2010). Los modelos de explicación para las novedades del desarrollo. [Explanation models for developmental novelties]. Revista de Psicología, 11, 13-25.
Castorina, J. A. (2020). The importance of worldviews for developmental psychology. Human Arenas, 4. (153-171). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42087-020-00115-9
Castorina, J. A. & Baquero, R. (2005). Dialéctica y psicología del desarrollo, [Dialectics and developmental psychology]. Buenos Aires: Amorrortu.
Castorina, J. A. & Carretero, M. (2012). Cambio conceptual [Conceptual change]. In M. Carretero, y J. A. Castorina (Eds.). Desarrollo cognitivo y educación: Procesos de conocimiento y contenidos específicos (2) (pp. 73-96). Buenos Aires, Argentina: Paidós.
Chi, M. T. H. (2005). Commonsense Conceptions of Emergent Processes: Why Some Misconceptions Are Robust. The Journal Of The Learning Sciences, 14(2), 161–199.
Clot, Y. (1995). Le travail sans l’homme: pour une psychologie des milieux de travail et de vie. [Work without man: for a psychology of work and life environments]. Paris, La Découverte.
Clot, Y. (1999). La fonction psychologique du travail. [The Psychological Function of Work]. Paris, Presses Universitaires de France.
Clot, Y. (2008). Travail et pouvoir d’agir. [Work and power of acting]. Paris, Presses Universitaires de France.
Clot, Y. (2014). Travail et pouvoir d’agir. [Work and power of acting]. Paris, Presses universitaires de France.
Clot, Y. (2015). Le travail à cœur: pour en finir avec les risques psychosociaux. [Work at heart: to put an end to psychosocial risks]. Paris, La Découverte.
Clot, Y. (2020). Éthique et travail collectif: controverses. [Ethics and collective work: controversies]. Toulouse, Erès.
Clot, Y., Bonnefond, J. Y., Bonnemain, A., & Zittoun, M. (2021). Le prix du travail bien fait: La coopération conflictuelle dans les organisations. La Découverte.
Clot, Y., Magnier, J., & Werthe, C. (2000). La validation des acquis professionnels. Deuxième partie: Les accompagnateurs entre concepts quotidiens et concepts scientifiques. [The validation of professional experience. Part Two: Coaches between everyday concepts and scientific concepts]. Revue des Commissions Professionnelles Consultatives, 4, 71-137.
Collins, A., & Greeno, J. G. (2011). Situative view of learning. In V. G. Aukrust (Ed.), Learning and cognition in education (pp. 64–68). Oxford, UK: Elsevier.
DiSessa, A. (2013). A bird’s-Eye View of the “Pieces” vs. “Coherence” Controversy (from the “Pieces” side of the Fence). In Vosniadou, S., (Ed.) International handbook of research on conceptual change (2nd ed., pp. 31–48). London & New York: Routledge.
DiSessa, A. (2018). Knowledge in pieces. An evolving framework for understanding knowing and learning. In Amin, T. G., & Levrini, O. (Eds.). Converging perspectives on conceptual change: Mapping an emerging paradigm in the learning sciences. (pp. 225–250). London & New York: Routledge.
Duit, R., Roth, W-M., Komorek, M., & Withers, J. (1998). Conceptual change cum discourse analysis to understand cognition in a unit on chaotic systems: towards an integrative perspective on learning in science, International Journal of Science Education, 20(9), 1059–1073. https://doi.org/10.1080/0950069980200904
Dunsmore, K., Turns, J., & Yellin, J. M. (2011). Looking Toward the Real World: Student Conceptions of Engineering. Journal of Engineering Education 100(2), 1-20.
Fleer, M., & Veresov, N. (2018). A Cultural-Historical Methodology for Researching Early Childhood Education. En M. Fleer, & B. van Oers (Eds.), International Handbook of Early Childhood Education (pp. 225-250). Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-0927-7_9
Greeno, J. G., & van de Sande, C. (2007). Perspectival understanding of conceptions and conceptual growth in interaction. Educational Psychologist, 42(1), 9–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/00461520709336915
Greeno, J. G. (1997). On claims that answer the wrong questions. Educational Researcher, 26, 5–17.
Greeno, J. G. (1998). The Situativity of Knowing, Learning, and Research. American Psychologist, 52(1), 5–26.
Greeno, J., Collins, A., & Resnick, L. (1996). Cognition and learning. In D. Berliner, & R. Calfee (Eds.), Handbook of educational psychology (Vol. 1968, pp. 15-46). New York, NY: Macmillan.
Hampton, J. (1999). Concepts. In R. A. Wilson, & F. C. Keil (Eds.), The MIT Encyclopedia of the cognitive sciences (pp. 176-179). Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Henderson, J. B., Langbeheim, E., & Chi, M. T. H. (2018). Addressing robust misconceptions through the ontological distinction between sequential and emergent processes. In T.G. Amin & O. Levrini, (Eds.). Converging perspectives on conceptual change: Mapping an emerging paradigm in the learning sciences. (pp. 26-33). London & New York: Routledge.
Inagaki, K. & Hatano, G. (2013). “Conceptual Change in Naïve Biology”. In S. Vosniadou, (Ed.) International handbook of research on conceptual change (2nd ed., pp. 195–219). London & New York: Routledge. (Original work published 2002).
Ivarsson, J., Schoultz, J., & Säljö, R. (2002). Map Reading Versus Mind Reading. Revisiting children’s understanding of the shape of the earth. In M. Limón & L. Mason (Eds.), Reconsidering Conceptual Change. Issues in Theory and Practice, pp. 77–99. Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Keil, F. (1999). Conceptual Change. In R. A. Wilson & F. C. Keil (Eds.), The MIT Encyclopedia of the cognitive sciences (pp. 179-182). Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Kloetzer, L. (2013). Development of Professional Concepts through Work Analysis: Tech Diving Under the Loop of Activity Clinic. Mind, Culture, and Activity, 20(4), 318–337. https://doi.org/10.1080/10749039.2012.688087
Kloetzer, L. (2020). Concrete Psychology and the Activity Clinic Approach: Implications for Interventionist Research in the XXIst Century. Cultural-Historical Psychology, 16(2), 45–50. https://doi.org/10.17759/chp.2020160206
Kostulski, K., & Prot, B. (2004). L’activité conversationnelle d’un jury de validation d’acquis: analyse interlocutoire de la formation d’un concept potentiel. [The conversational activity of a validation jury: interlocutory analysis of the formation of a potential concept]. Psychologie française, 49(4), 425-441.
Larraín, A. (2017). Argumentation and concept development: the role of imagination. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 32(4), 521-536. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-016-0316-7
Larraín, A., & Haye, A. (2014). A dialogical conception of concepts. Theory & Psychology, 24(4), 459–478. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959354314538546
Laurence, S. & Margolis, E. (1999). Concepts and Cognitive Science. In E. Margolis & S. Laurence (Eds.), Concepts. Core Readings (pp. 3–81), Cambridge, MA: MIT Press
Levin. M., Levrini, O., & Greeno, J. (2018). Unpacking the nexus between identity and conceptual change: Perspectives on an emerging research agenda. In T.G. Amin & O. Levrini, (Eds.). Converging perspectives on conceptual change: Mapping an emerging paradigm in the learning sciences. (pp. 313–333). London & New York: Routledge.
Löhr, G. (2020). Concepts and categorization: do philosophers and psychologists theorize about different things?. Synthese 197, 2171–2191 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-018-1798-4
Machery, E. (2010). Précis of Doing without Concepts. Behavioral and Brain Sciences,33(2–3), 195–244 https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X09991531
Machery, E. (2013). Concepts, Philosophical Issues. In H. Pashler (Ed.), Encyclopedia of the Mind (Vol. 1, pp. 171-176). SAGE Publications.
Marin, A., Medin, D., & Ojalehto, B. (2018). Conceptual change, relationships, and cultural epistemologies. In T. G. Amin & O. Levrini, (Eds.). Converging perspectives on conceptual change: Mapping an emerging paradigm in the learning sciences. (pp. 43–50). London & New York: Routledge.
Mason, L. (2007). Introduction: Bridging the cognitive and sociocultural approaches in research on conceptual change: Is it feasible?. Educational psychologist, 42(1), 1-7.
Ministère du Travail, du Plein emploi et de l’Insertion. (n.d.). Le portail de la validation des acquis de l’expérience. [Portal for the validation of acquired experience]. Retrieved December 05, 2022.
Pastré, P. (1999). La conceptualisation dans l’action: Bilan et nouvelles perspectives [Concepts in action: state-of-the art and new perspectives]. Education Permanente, 139, 13-35.
Pintrich, P. R., Marx, R. W., & Boyle, R. B. (1993). Beyond cold conceptual change: The role of motivational beliefs and classroom contextual factors in the process of conceptual change. Review of Educational Research, 63, pp. 167-199.
Posner, G. J., Strike, K. A., Hewson, P. W., & Gertzog, W. A. (1982). Accommodation of a scientific conception: Toward a theory of conceptual change. Science education, 66(2), 211-227.
Prot, B. (2012). Former un concept potentiel pour valider les acquis de l’expérience. [Forming a potential concept to validate the experience gained]. Éditions universitaires européennes.
Roth, W. M., Lee, Y. J., & Hwang, S. (2008). Culturing conceptions: From first principles. Cultural Studies of Science Education, 3(2), 231-261. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11422-008-9092-2
Roth, W. M. (2008). The nature of scientific conceptions: A discursive psychological perspective. Educational Research Review,3(1), 30-50. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2007.10.002.
Säljö, R. (2018). Conceptual Change, Materiality and Hybrids Minds. In T. G. Amin, & O. Levrini, (Eds.). Converging perspectives on conceptual change: Mapping an emerging paradigm in the learning sciences. (pp. 17–25). London & New York: Routledge.
Schoultz, J., Säljö, R., & Wyndhamn, J. (2001). Heavenly talk: discourse, artifacts, and children’s understanding of elementary astronomy. Human Development, 44, 103-118.
Sfard, A., (1998). On two metaphors for learning and the danger of choosing just one. Educational Researcher, 27(2), 4-13.
Sinatra, G. M. (2005). The “Warming Trend” in Conceptual Change Research: The Legacy of Paul R. Pintrich, Educational Psychologist, 40(2), pp. 107-115, https://doi.org/10.1207/s15326985ep4002_5
Smith, C. (2018). Conceptualizing the interactions among epistemic thinking, metacognition, and content-specific conceptual change. In T. G. Amin, & O. Levrini, (Eds.). Converging perspectives on conceptual change: Mapping an emerging paradigm in the learning sciences. (pp. 268-286). London & New York: Routledge.
Stevens, R., Johri, A., & O’Connor, K. (2014). Professional engineering work. In A. Johri, & B. M. Olds (Eds.), Cambridge handbook of engineering education research (pp. 119–137). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
Streveler, R., Litzinger, T., Miller, R. L., & Steif, P. S. (2008). Learning conceptual knowledge in the engineering sciences: Overview and future research directions. Journal of Engineering Education, 97(3), 279–294. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2168-9830.2008.tb00979.x
Veresov, N. (2004) Zone of proximal development (ZPD): the hidden dimension? In A. Ostern & R. Heila-Ylikallio (Eds.), Sprak som kultur–brytningar I tid och rum. [Language as culture–tensions in time and space] (pp. 13–30). Vasa: Pedagogiska fakulteten. [English version shared by the author].
Veresov, N. (2010a). Introducing cultural-historical theory: Main concepts and principles of genetic research methodology. Cultural-Historical Psychology, 4, 83–90.
Veresov, N. (2010b). Forgotten methodology: Vygotsky’s case. In J. Valsiner, & A. Toomela (Eds.). Methodological thinking in psychology: 60 years gone astray?. (pp. 267–295). Charlotte: IAP.
Veresov, N. (2014). Refocusing the lens on development: Towards genetic research methodology. In M. Fleer, & A. Ridgway (Eds.), Visual methodologies and digital tools for researching with young children. International perspectives on early childhood education and development series (pp. 129-149). Cham: Springer.
Volet, S. (2004). Understanding learning and motivation in context: What do alternative research traditions have to offer?. In M. Wosnitza, A. Frey, & R. S. Jäger (Eds.), Lernprozess, Lernumgebung und Lerndiagnostik. Wissenschaftliche Beitrage zum Lernen im 21 Jahrhundert [Learning Process, Learning Environment and Learning Diagnostics. Scientific contributions to Learning in the 21st century] (pp. 276–293). Landau: VEP.
Vosniadou, S. (2008). Conceptual Change Research: An Introduction. In. S. Vosniadou, (Ed.) International handbook of research on conceptual change (1st ed., pp. xiii- xxviii). New York & London: Routledge.
Vosniadou, S. (2013a). Conceptual Change Research: An Introduction. In S. Vosniadou, (Ed.) International handbook of research on conceptual change (2nd ed., pp. 1-7). London & New York: Routledge.
Vosniadou, S. (2013b). Conceptual Change in Learning and Instruction. The Framework Theory Approach. In S. Vosniadou, (Ed.) International handbook of research on conceptual change (2nd ed., pp. 11-30). London & New York: Routledge.
Vosniadou, S. (2018). Initial and scientific understandings and the problem of conceptual change. In T. G. Amin, & O. Levrini, (Eds.). Converging perspectives on conceptual change: Mapping an emerging paradigm in the learning sciences. (pp. 17-25). London & New York: Routledge.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1987). Thinking and Speech. In The Collected Works of L. S. Vygotsky: Volume 1: Problems of General Psychology. New York & London: Plenum Press. Original work published in 1934.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1997). Pensée et langage. [Thinking and Speech]. La Dispute, Paris. (Original work published in 1934)
Vygotsky, L. S. (1997). The Collected Works of L. S. Vygotsky: Volume 4: the History of the Development of Higher Mental Functions. New York: Springer Science+Business Media. Original work published in 1931.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1999). La signification historique de la crise en psychologie. Lausanne: Delachaux et Niestlé. Original work published in 1927.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1999). Tool and Sign in the Development of the Child. In The Collected Works of L. S. Vygotsky: Volume 6: Scientific Legacy. (pp. 1–78). New York: Springer Science+Business Media. Original work published in 1930.
Vygotsky, L. S. (2007). The problem of higher intellectual functions in the system of psychotechnical research. Cultural-Historical Psychology, 3(3), 105–111. (Abstract in English). Original work published in 1930.
Vygotsky, L. S. (2017). Conscience, inconscient, émotions (textes choisis par Y. Clot). La Dispute, Paris.
Yvon, F. (2011). Penser la formation professionnelle avec Vygotsky. [Thinking vocational training with Vygotsky]. In F. Yvon, & Y. Zinchenko (Eds.). Vygotsky, une théorie du développement et de l’éducation. (pp. 379-396). Moscow: Faculty of Psychology, Moscow State University.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Os autores concedem à revista todos os direitos autorais referentes aos trabalhos publicados. Os conceitos emitidos em artigos assinados são de absoluta e exclusiva responsabilidade de seus autores.