The mutual shaping of human action and institutional settings: a study of the transformation of children's services and professional work

Abstract

This paper is concerned with the way we understand and investigate the relationship between human functioning and social setting. The central argument draws on the work of Bernstein and Vygotsky. A novel approach to the study of the mutual shaping of human action and institutional settings is developed and an empirical example of its application is presented and discussed. The research reported here is drawn from a four‐year ESRC‐TLRP‐funded study of professional learning in and for interagency working in children's services in England.

Keywords:

• Vygotsky
• Bernstein
• children's services
• interagency
• professional learning

Notes

1. TLRP‐ESRC study ESRC RES‐139‐25‐0100, ‘Learning in and for Interagency Working’, was co‐directed by Harry Daniels and Anne Edwards. The research team included Paul Warmington, Deirdre Martin, Jane Leadbetter, David Middleton, and Steve Brown.

2. I am grateful to David Middleton for permission to draw on project notes for this section.