PHUV9350 Cultural-Historical Activity Theory – CHAT Course description

Approved by the Doctoral Committee 24 May 2018. Minor changes approved 27.04.2020.

This PhD-course is open for candidates at the PhD Program in Educational Sciences for Teacher Education, other PhD candidates and academic employees.

Language: English (and Norwegian, dependent on the language of participants).

This course introduces Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) as an epistemological and methodological framework for conducting action research in social, work-based and/or educational settings. Action research is broadly defined as research and development work in which researchers and practitioners jointly investigate work activities and analyze empirical data in order to design a new or improved model of the activity. 

On completion of the course, the candidate will have achieved the following learning outcomes:

Knowledge

The candidate:

• has knowledge of historical and contemporary perspectives on Activity Theory, related to philosophy of science and theories of knowledge
• has knowledge of key questions related to research and ethics in activity theoretical action research

Skills

The candidate:

• can explain key concepts of Activity Theory
• can analyze relationships between theories of knowledge and Activity Theory
• can discuss epistemological, methodological, and ethical problems in activity theoretical action research
• can give academically competent oral presentations of action research projects guided by Activity Theory

General competence

The candidate:

• can use Activity Theory as a theoretical framework for action research

Organized tuition is given in the form of digital lectures and seminars. Candidates are expected to actively participate in all the teaching activities.

Students are expected to read the syllabus before the course to be able to participate actively in discussions.

The candidate prepares a fifteen minutes oral presentation of aspects of Activity theoretical action research that the candidate finds particularly interesting and relevant. The presentation can be in Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or English. Following the presentation there will be a 10 minutes sequence in which the candidate responds to questions from the examiners. 

New and postponed examination

In case of failed exam/legal absence, the student can have a new exam under the same conditions when a new/postponed exam is arranged.

Regulations

Regulations for new or postponed examinations are available in Regulations relating to studies and examinations at OsloMet. Students must register for a new or postponed examination. More detailed information about registration and times for new or postponed examinations is available on the web site.

The learning outcomes serve as criteria for assessments. The grades are "pass" or "fail".

The presentation will be assessed by the course coordinator and a member of the academic staff involved in the PhD program.

Target Group

The target group is PhD candidates/students and others who want to learn about how Activity Theory can be used as a theoretical and methodological framework in educational intervention research.

Admission requirements

The requirements for admission include completing a five-year master's program (integrated or consisting of a three-year bachelor's program and a two-year master's program, in total 300 ECTS) in the fields of teacher education, other pedagogical disciplines, educational science, development studies, social sciences, or other relevant areas related to the PhD programme. The master's degree should include a substantial independent project equivalent to a master's thesis (minimum 30 ECTS). An internationally completed master's degree that corresponds to at least four years in the Norwegian education system may also be considered for admission (please check the grounds for enrollment on the website of the Directorate for Higher Education and Skills). https://hkdir.no/en/foreign-education/lists-and-databases/higher-education-entrancequalification-gsu 

In case of a large number of applicants, PhD-students enrolled in the PhD programme in Educational Sciences for Teacher Education will be prioritized, then students in other PhD-programmes, then academic employees at the Faculty of Teacher Education and International Studies.

Those applicants who are not enrolled in the PhD Programme in Educational Sciences for Teacher Education will have to send a summary of max. one A4 sheet with relevant information about their own ph.d. project or other project/sphere of interest containing the topic, methodology, theoretical approach, how far they are in their ph.d. work and why this particular subject is relevant for their project.