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Internet and World Wide Web Usage in an Institution of Higher Learning
Published in Cleborne D. Maddux, D. LaMont Johnson, The Web in Higher Education: Assessing the Impact and Fulfilling the Potential, 2021
A key point in Soviet psychology, attributed to Vygotsky, is the emphasis on the use of tools in the development of human mental processes. "The tool is not simply added on to human activity; rather, it transforms it" (Tikhomirov, 1981, p. 270). Engestrom expands Vygotsky's notion to conceptualize human activity as an interdependent system that ties the individual to a larger cultural context. In Engestrom's (1996, 1998) conceptual framework, known as Activity Theory, the activities in which an individual engages tend to connect six elements, namely: (a) the individual subject or actor, (b) the object of action together with an intentional outcome, (c) the tools or instruments used to carry out the activity, (d) the community of which the subject is apart, (e) the norms and conventions of use of those tools, and (f) the division of labor that characterizes individual actions within local collaborative activities. These elements-tools, rules, roles, and relationships-are all interrelated. Changing one will invariably affect the rest of the system.
A Communication-Based Approach to Safeguarding Against Medical Errors
Published in Fritz Allhoff, Sandra L. Borden, Ethics and Error in Medicine, 2019
Part of this issue may stem from the fact that medical education does not provide adequate training on the complexities of teamwork. Without discussion of the fluidity of team roles, rotation, and adept use of communication, new medical providers are ill-equipped to work well collaboratively. Scholars have suggested Activity Theory and its extension, Knotworking, as helpful ways to conceptualize transdisciplinary communication (Varpio, Schryer, and Lingard 2009; Engestrom 2000). The researchers use the theories as a way to illustrate that each medical professional should see him/herself as a defense against errors and can use multiple forms of communication (e.g., electronic medical records, text messages, routine team meetings, hallways conversations) as means to ensure that every provider has access to all relevant information.
Medical work in transition
Published in Alan Bleakley, Routledge handbook of the medical humanities, 2019
In activity theory, a collective, artefact-mediated and object-oriented activity system, seen in its network relations to other activity systems, is taken as the prime unit of analysis. Goal-directed individual and group actions and action clusters, as well as automatic operations, are relatively independent but subordinate units of analysis, eventually understandable only when interpreted against the background of entire activity systems. Activity systems realise and reproduce themselves by generating actions and operations. Figure 3.1 above is built on a general model of the structure of an activity system (Engeström 2015: 63).
Application of activity theory to examine the implementation of e-health in Namibia
Published in International Journal of Healthcare Management, 2023
Laizah Sashah Mutasa, Tiko Iyamu
Activity theory ‘is a socio-technical theory or concept concerned with the development of social activities’ ([27]: 165). Social activities that occur in a social system are analysed in a framework-like concept in order to understand why certain things happen in a certain way. The AT and IS research have a relationship in that IS operate within a social system, with actors/subjects (human beings) involved where they interact with information systems. In other words, there is always a relationship between information system/technology and human activity in a social system (environment). According to Mursu et al. [28], IS facilitates work or human activities and activity theory develops these activities. This therefore means that IS development, such as e-health systems, can be better explained by theories such as the AT.
The Role of Solitary Activity in Moderating the Association between Social Isolation and Perceived Loneliness among U.S. Older Adults
Published in Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 2022
According to the activity theory of aging, activity participation is positively associated with well-being among older adults (Lemon et al., 1972). However, solitary activity, as a type of activity commonly performed by older adults, its association with well-being remains unclear. Previous studies found that solitary activity has no or even negative effects on well-being (Lam et al., 2020; Lemon et al., 1972; Litwin & Shiovitz-Ezra, 2006), whereas some studies indicate that solitary activity is related to a higher level of happiness and reduced risk of mortality (Lennartsson & Silverstein, 2001; Menec, 2003; Walter-Ginzburg et al., 2005). Even though solitary activity is often performed alone and may reflect the status of social isolation (Lam et al., 2020), it is important to understand its potential positive effects on well-being among socially isolated older adults, particularly during the pandemic when frequent social interactions and group-based activities are restricted.
Active Aging In Long-Term Care Facilities In Korea : Beyond The Lexical Meaning
Published in Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 2022
Hyun-Jeong Kim, Yumi Shin, Jung-Hwa Ha, Yaeji Kim-Knauss
The WHO defines active aging as a process in which society provides its members with “opportunities for health, participation, and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age” (World Health Organization, 2002). The term “active”, as per the definition of the WHO, refers not merely to physical activeness or labor force participation but also encompasses a wider range of participation in social, civic, cultural, and spiritual affairs (World Health Organization, 2002). It reflects that the discourse of active aging is based on the activity theory that emphasizes the relationship between activity and well-being in old age (Walker, 2002). Unlike the arguments of the disengagement theory (Henry & Cumming, 1959), the activity theory highlights the importance of having a social role in older adults’ well-being (Havighurst & Albrecht, 1953), which is in contrast with the existing negative and passive perspectives on old age. According to the principles of active aging, the term activity should “embrace all meaningful pursuits which contribute to individual well-being” and it must “encompass all older people, even those who are, to some extent, frail and dependent” (Walker, 2002).