Concept Formation in the Wild - Introduction

Research Project - Concept formation and Volition

Special guest - Professor Nessessian

Special issue on Concept formation on the Wild

References

Introduction

Concept formation and conceptual change are central topics in studies of human cognition and learning. Hower, these topics are studied predominantly in laboratory and classroom
contexts in which the focus is on individual learners and the concepts to be acquired are well known and defined by the researchers or instructors ahead of time. There is relatively
little research on collective concept formation 'in the wild' (Hutchins, 1995), that is, in social practices outside formal education. This gap has been aptly recognized by Hall and
Greeno (2008, p. 213) who point out that "concepts and their meanings develop and evolve in settings of practice and are maintained in practices because they are useful in conducting the community's activities." Also Vosniadou (2007, p. 61) agrees that concept formation must be "put back in the social and cultural world."

Concept formation is commonly regarded as a relatively self-sustained process. However, recent research shows that concepts are inherently projective (Fauconnier & Turner, 2002) and concept formation involves imaginative innovation (Nersessian, 2008). The idea of 'conceptual agency' has been put forward (Pickering, 1995; Greeno & van de Sande, 2007) and preliminary studies of future-oriented 'perspectival concepts' or 'possibility concepts' have been conducted
(Engeström & al., 2005; Engeström, 2007; 2009). These qualities point toward an important, yet practically unexplored connection between concept formation and volition. Volition is here understood as capacity to form and implement intentions that go beyond and transform the accepted routines and given conditions of the work activity in which the subjects are involved.
Future-oriented concepts and volitional action to construct future in practice seem to go hand in hand.