Working with Cultural-Historical Activity Theory and Critical Realism to Investigate and Expand Farmer Learning in Southern Africa

Autor/inn/en	Mukute, Mutizwa; Lotz-Sisitka, Heila
Titel	Working with Cultural-Historical Activity Theory and Critical Realism to Investigate and Expand Farmer Learning in Southern Africa
Quelle	In: Mind, Culture, and Activity, 19 (2012) 4, S.342-367 (26 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1074-9039
DOI	10.1080/10749039.2012.656173
Schlagwörter	Agriculture; Rural Extension; Foreign Countries; Realism; Research Methodology; Case Studies; Sustainability; Agricultural Occupations; Agricultural Education; Transfer of Training; Educational Change; Cultural Influences; Theories; History; Justice; Educational Innovation; South Africa + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Landwirtschaft; Ausland; Realismus; Research method; Forschungsmethode; Case study; Fallstudie; Case Study; Nachhaltigkeit; Agriculture; Occupation; Beruf; Landwirtschaftlicher Beruf; Education; Landwirtschaftliche Ausbildung; Ausbildung; Training; Transfer; Bildungsreform; Cultural influence; Kultureinfluss; Theory; Theorie; Geschichte; Geschichtsdarstellung; Gerechtigkeit; Instructional innovation; Bildungsinnovation; Südafrika; Süd-Afrika; Republik Südafrika; Südafrikanische Republik
Abstract	This article uses the theoretical and methodological tools of cultural historical activity theory and critical realism to examine three case studies of the introduction and expansion of sustainable agricultural practices in southern Africa. The article addresses relevant issues in the field of agricultural extension, which lacks a theoretical "bridge" between top-down knowledge transfer and bottom-up participatory approaches to learning. Further, the article considers the learning environments necessary for sustainable agriculture. Such environments provided research participants with encounters with "postnormal" scientific practices that recognise and engage plural ways of knowing. Our research explored why farmers learn and practise sustainable agriculture, how they learn and practise it, the contradictions they are facing, and how these contradictions can be overcome in a context of change-oriented learning. (Contains 4 figures, 5 tables and 4 footnotes.) (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10