Mastery and Appropriation as Means to Understand the Interplay of History Learning and Identity Trajectories

Abstract

Abstract This article uses a sociocultural approach to analyze how trajectories of identity development and learning intersect in actions carried out in a community of learners. The approach utilizes a framework for analysis with 5 aspects: the action, the agents, the goals, the cultural tools, and the scene. The study posits a distinction between mastery of the cultural tools of a discipline—in this case history—and the appropriation of those tools to relate to learners' identities and the likelihood for learners to use tools outside the context in which they are learned. The study uses the framework to analyze 2 particular moments of action within a set of project-based, after school clubs inquiring into the history of resistance to slavery. One action, which advanced a youth's identity as a history learner and participation in practices of historical inquiry, was enabled by successfully building on his identity and expertise as a computer "gamer." Another youth's school identity and the norms of his school constrained his action during the after school club in important ways, limiting his opportunities for learning and identity development. Implications of these findings for educators wishing to design "hybrid" learning environments incorporating disciplinary thinking and learner interests are discussed.