Activity theory
Activity theory (AT; ) is an umbrella term for a line of eclectic social sciences theories and research with its roots in the Soviet psychological activity theory pioneered by Lev Vygotsky , Alexei Leont'ev and Sergei Rubinstein. These scholars sought to understand human activities as systemic and socially situated phenomena and to go beyond paradigms of reflexology (the teaching of Vladimir Bekhterev and his followers) and classical conditioning (the teaching of Ivan Pavlov and his school), psychoanalysis and behaviorism. It became one of the major psychological approaches in the former USSR, being widely used in both theoretical and applied psychology, and in education, professional training, ergonomics, social psychology and work psychology.
Living educational theory
The idea of action research as a living practice entered the mainstream of action research from the book, "Action Research as a Living Practice" by Terrance Carson and Dennis Sumara in 1997. The term "educational theory" originated with the work of Jack Whitehead, a former lecturer at the University of Bath, and it was further developed and greatly improved methodologically by Jean McNiff in 2009. Whitehead's main emphasis for conducting research is to promote the individual under the guise of collaboration and research outcomes must be captured on video for authentic validation. Whitehead's view of action research promotes that living educational theory (he uses living theory and living educational theory interchangeably so it is difficult for a reader to know what he is writing about) should be aimed at the bringing of energy-flowing values as explanatory principles and standards of judgments into the Academy for the legitimation of living educational theories (Whitehead 2008). In the eyes of Whitehead, radical constructivism is at the core of living educational theory research.