Investigating Personal Inquiry: An Activity Theory Approach

This paper concentrates on how the technological mediation of a GCSE Geography investigation using a location-based inquiry learning toolset, undertaken by students in a UK secondary school can be analysed using an Activity Theory approach. This investigation forms part of the Personal Inquiry (PI) project, one of whose aims is to help 11-14 year olds children to use personal and mobile technologies to make their science learning more accessible and more effective. The GCSE investigation consisted of a number of stages of inquiry into urban heat islands. For further details see Collins et al., 2008.