The Change Laboratory in Higher Education: Research-Intervention using Activity Theory

Abstract

In this chapter, we discuss the Change Laboratory as an intervention-research methodology in higher education. We trace its theoretical origins in dialectical materialism and activity theory, consider the recommendations made by its main proponents and discuss its use in a range of higher education settings. We suggest that the Change Laboratory offers considerable potential for higher education research, though tensions between Change Laboratory design recommendations and typical higher education contexts require consideration.

Citation

Bligh, B. and Flood, M. (2015), "The Change Laboratory in Higher Education: Research-Intervention using Activity Theory", Theory and Method in Higher Education Research (Theory and Method in Higher Education Research, Vol. 1), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 141-168. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2056-375220150000001007