Vygotsky's Socio-Cultural Theory: Prepared by

Module 9
Vygotsky’s
Socio-Cultural
Theory
Prepared by:
Ayag, Jocel Anne P.
“What a child can do in cooperation
today, tomorrow she/he will be able
to do alone.”
-Lev Vygotsky
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
At the end of this module, you should be able to:

• Explain why Vygotsky’s theory called “Socio-cultural” theory
• Differentiate Piaget and Vygotsky’s views on cognitive development.
• Explain how scaffolding is useful in teaching a skill
Lev Semyonovich Vygotsky
• was born on November 1896 in Orsha -a city in the western region of Russian
Empire.
• a soviet psychologist.
• known for his work on psychological development in children.
• his work began when he was studying learning and development to improve his own
teaching.
• he graduated with a degree in law in 1917 at Moscow State University.
• Vygotsky’s theory believes that social interaction
plays a vital role in cognitive development.
• his ideas about language, culture, and cognitive

development have become major influences in
psychology and education today.
Scaffolding
• Refers to the support or assistance that lets the child
accomplish a task he/she cannot accomplish independently.
• Not about doing the task for the child while he/she
watches.
• Not about doing short cuts for the child.
• Should involve the judicious assistance given by the adult
or peer so that the child can move from the zone of actual
to the zone of proximal development.
Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory
• Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of human learning describes learning as a

social process and the origination of human intelligence in society or culture.
The major theme of Vygotsky’s theoretical framework is that social
interaction plays a fundamental role in the development of cognition.
(http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.phpURL_ID=26925&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECT
ION=201.html)
Two particular insights drawn from Vygotsky’s work have had an
important influence on childcare:
• Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development

This "zone" is the area of exploration for which the student is cognitively
prepared, but requires help and social interaction to fully develop (Briner,
1999). A teacher or more experienced peer is able to provide the learner
with "scaffolding" to support the student’s evolving understanding of
knowledge domains or development of complex skills. Collaborative
learning, discourse, modelling, and scaffolding are strategies for
supporting the intellectual knowledge and skills of learners and facilitating
intentional learning.
Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development
• He described ZPD as the distance between the actual development level as
determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential
development as determined through problem-solving under adult guidance or
in collaboration with more capable peers.
• Part of his sociocultural theory accounts for children who appear to lack certain
skills when tested yet often perform more competently in the presence of
someone who has the necessary knowledge. Skills displayed in this social
context, but not in an isolated setting, fall within the zone of proximal
development. This concept underpins the notion of ‘scaffolding’ in which a more
knowledgeable other provides support to promote a child’s cognitive
development.
Two particular insights drawn from Vygotsky’s work have
had an important influence on childcare:
• Vygotsky’s Thinking and speech

• examined the inter-relationship between language development and the
thinking process.
• He believed younger children primarily used speech to think ‘out loud’, but
then gradually evolved a silent ‘inner speech’ as they acquired mental
concepts and cognitive awareness.
• According to Vygotsky, inner speech – though derived from oral language –
develops as concepts are internalised and is a more condensed version of
normal speech.
Piaget Vygotsky
1. Social Interaction 1. Social Interaction

-More individual in focus -More social in focus
2. Cultural factors 2. Cultural factors
-believed that there are universal -did not give propose stages but
stages of cognitive development emphasized on cultural factors in
cognitive development
Piaget Vygotsky
3. Language 3. Language
- Minimal -Major
language provides labels for language plays a powerful role in
children’s experiences (egocentric shaping thought
speech) 4. Teaching implications
4. Teaching implications -establish opportunities for children
-support children to explore their to learn with the teacher and skilled peers
world and discover knowledge
Piaget Vygotsky
5. Key processes in development and • 5. Key processes in development

learning and learning
- equilibration; schema; - Zone of proximal development;
adaptation; assimilation; scaffolding; language/dialogue;
accommodation tools of the culture
Exercises:
1. His theory declares that social interaction within the family and with knowledgeable
members of the community is the primary means by which children acquire behaviours
and cognitive processes relevant to their own society.
A. Lev Virosky
B. Lev Vygotsky
C. Jean Piaget
2. He believes that as the child develops and matures, he goes to universal
stages of cognitive development that allows him to move from simple
explorations with senses and muscles to complex reasoning.
A. Lev Virosky
B. Lev Vygotsky
C. Jean Piaget
3. A development that refers to a child which attempts to preform a
skill alone, she may not be immediately proficient at it?
a. Zone of actual development

b. Zone of Proximal Development
c. Socio-cultural theory of development
4. His theory focuses more on social?
a. Piaget
b. Vygotsky
c. Kohlberg
5. Refers to the support or assistance that lets the child accomplish a task
he/she cannot accomplish independently
a. Scaffolding
b. Zone of Proximal Development
c. Zone of actual development
THANK YOU!

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Module 9

At the end of this module, you should be able to:

• his ideas about language, culture, and cognitive

• Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of human learning describes learning as a

• Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development

• Vygotsky’s Thinking and speech

1. Social Interaction 1. Social Interaction

5. Key processes in development and • 5. Key processes in development

a. Zone of actual development

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