Access Denied: Preservice Teachers' Integration of Technology for Teaching Writing

Theoretical Perspectives And Related Literature

Cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) is a framework that examines “the interaction of human activity and cognition within relevant environmental contexts” (Leko & Brownell, 2011, p. 230). This theoretical stance takes into consideration people’s beliefs, thoughts, actions, and also the context where the activity takes place. Rooted in Vygotsky’s theories (1978) about how knowledge is acquired, this perspective views learning as “intimately connected to human activity, which is socially situated in one or more activity systems” (Brayko, 2013, p. 48). Activity is mediated by elements in the system and is in relationships with particular communities (Engestrom, 2001); therefore, it is “shaped and constrained by cultural factors” (Brayko, 2013, p. 49). Because schools are sites where preservice teachers are engaged in significant learning about teaching, researchers have drawn on activity theory to investigate the ways teachers transfer their learning in university methods courses to how they enact this learning and instructional practices in school settings (Grossman, Smagorinsky, & Valencia, 1999; Grossman, et al., 2000; Smagorinsky, 2011).