Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory

Paper Summary:

The paper focuses on Lev Vygotsky's theory of child development that examines the relationship between the child and his social environment and how they collaborate to mold cognition in culturally adaptive ways. The paper discusses two important concepts of Vygotsky's theory; the zone of proximal development and scaffolding. The paper discusses the importance of young children's interactions with adults and more competent peers in the development of cognition and the relationship between thought and language. The paper also looks at the implications for educators of young children.

From the Paper:

"Vygotsky's theory of child development, often referred to as sociocultural theory, examines the relationship between the child and his social environment, and how they collaborate to mold cognition in culturally adaptive ways (Berk, 1997). While Vygotsky held similar views of Piaget's theory of development, in which children are active seekers of knowledge, Vygotsky did not view them as the sole constructivists of their own learning. Rather he stressed the importance of sociocultural factors on a child's learning and development. Three basic principles underlying Vygotsky's sociocultural theory examine the influences of social context on learning, the acquisition of language in context to the social environment, and the relationship of language on cognitive development."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Berk, L.E. (1985). Why children talk to themselves. Young Children, 40, (5), 46- 52.Berk, L E. (1997). Child development. Massachusettts: Allyn and Bacon.
• Berk, L. E. & Spuhl, S. T.( 1995). Maternal interaction private speech, and task performance in preschool children. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 10, 145-169.
• Black, J. & Puckett, M. (1996). The young child: Development from prebirth through age eight. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
• Blanck, G. (1990). Vygotsky: the man and his cause. In L. C.Moll (Ed.), Vygotsky and education (pp 31-58). New York: Cambridge University Press.
• Bodrova, E. and Leong, D. (1996). Tools of the mind : The Vygotskian approach to early childhood education. Columbus, Ohio : Prentice Hall.

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