Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory

This essay will outline and explain Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory. Sociocultural means ‘relating to both social and
cultural matters. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language n.d). ‘Vygotsky claimed that children’s
cognitive development is best identified by the manner in which they think, rather than by what they know.’
(Woolfolk & Margetts 2016, p.94). Vygotsky outlined some key ideas in his theory, these include the Zone of
Proximal Development, Scaffolding and cultural tools. This essay outlines the key concepts and how they relate to
young people’s development and learning, a critical reflection on how educational pedagogy relates to the key
concepts and the strengths and limitations.

Key Concepts -
Three of Vygotsky’s key concepts include, the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), scaffolding and cultural tools.
Vygotsky’s key concept of ZPD, is when a task is too hard for a child to do alone but is possible with the help of a
more knowledgeable adult or peer (Agheshteh 2015, p.193). Another way of explaining ZPD is that it is the
distance between the students’ current knowledge and what they can achieve with the assistance from a more
knowledgeable adult or peer (Woolfolk & Margetts 2016, p.97).

Scaffolding is where a more knowledgeable adult or peer helps a child to successfully complete a task in which
they find too difficult to successfully complete on their own. For example, this can be done by giving cues,
breaking down the problem, encouragement and by showing them how to use different strategies (Woolfolk &
Margetts 2016, p.98). Scaffolding allows the student to move through their ZPD.

Every culture is different; therefore, they all have their own cultural tools allowing them to learn, problem solve,
communicate and think (Woolfolk & Margetts 2016). For example, physical tools (such as rulers, pencils, books,
smartboards, computers, the internet), symbolic and psychological tools (such as language, numbers,
mathematical systems, signs) and conceptual tools (such as theories, scientific models, art, literature). These
cultural tools are used by ‘more knowledgeable others’ to help scaffold the child through their ZPD, which plays a
very important role in cognitive development (Woolfolk & Margetts 2016, p.95).
Development and Learning of Young people
There are two levels associated with ZPD, Zone of actual development (ZAD) and ZPD. The ZAD is a range of tasks
that an individual can complete without any assistance (Agheshteh 2015, p.191).
According to Vygotsky, ZPD is a developmental zone within which learners are collaboratively
enabled to do something they would not otherwise be able to do on their own. There is therefore
a difference between a learner’s actual level of development as determined by autonomous task
performance and the same person’s potential level of development as indicated by assisted and
collaborative performance (Rassaei 2014).
Vygotsky believed that it was important to know about the students’ ZAD and ZPD to make sure that they are
doing the correct level of work for them and to avoid misplacements into the wrong levels of courses as it is in the
ZPD which learning occurs (Agheshteh 2015). ZPD and scaffolding work together where scaffolding is used to
provide assistance allowing the learner to move through their ZPD, where learning occurs. It is possible for a
student’s ZAD to expand as they acquire new knowledge, skills and abilities and therefore create opportunities for
new learning and hence further scaffolding. For a child to move through their ZPD they need the guidance of a
more knowledgeable other (scaffolding). They can scaffold the child by using cultural tools.

Vygotsky believed that cultural tools play very important roles in cognitive development and they are also very
important when it comes to the development and learning of young people as they enable people to
communicate, learn and solve problems (Woolfolk & Margetts 2016, p.95). According to Frederick Erickson (1999,
p.129), ‘in school learning environments, people use cultural tools in uniquely adaptive ways as they engage one
another in the work of learning at the zone of proximal development.’ The way in which teachers and learners use
these cultural tools within their own culture is what shapes schools and schooling as an institution (Erickson 1999,
p.129). ‘In Vygotsky’s theory, language is the most important symbol system in the tool kit, and it is the one that
helps to fill the kit with other tools’ (Woolfolk & Margetts 2016, p.96). According to Vygotsky, one of the most
important symbolic tools is language as it helps all other tools. ‘Language is a shared social symbolic system for
human communication’ (Woolfolk & Margetts 2016, p.96). ‘It provides a means for expressing ideas and asking
questions’ (Woolfolk & Margetts 2016, p.96).

There are three main types of speech: Social speech, private speech and inner speech. Social speech would be
used to help a child to solve a problem using verbal prompts. Gradually this support can be reduced as children
recall previously given information and self-direct their actions which is known as private speech. Moving forward,
the child may internalise their thoughts and process the required task through inner speech (Woolfolk & Margetts
2016, p.97).

Critical Reflection
As an educator it will be difficult and challenging to know and find a student’s ZPD. As a primary school educator,
it will be especially challenging to discover every child’s ZPD as they will need a lot of testing to find their level of
knowledge and their Zone of Actual Development (ZAD), to in turn find where there ZPD lies. Placing students in
either a higher or lower level course of education, which is beyond or below their ZPD, will result in students
facing serious learning and development problems. Placement in a level which deals with their ZAD, will mean
students will be unable to develop and move ahead. When placed in a level or course which deals with something
beyond their ZPD, again students will not be able to benefit from the course. In both cases, the students may lose
interest, become demotivated and experience stress and anxiety (Agheshteh 2015, p.191). Learning occurs when
children are in their ZPD and therefore must move beyond their current understanding and ability into their ZPD
through scaffolding. They need direct instruction and role modelling of a concept before being able to do it on
their own.
Strengths and Limitations
Vygotsky’s Sociocultural theory has some strengths and limitations. A strength of Vygotsky’s theory is that his
research is inclusive of a variety of cultures. Children from Western industrialised societies and children from
Villages or tribal cultures do not learn the same way and they both have their own priorities with what is essential
for children to learn. For example, in a Western industrialised society, parents are focused on preparing the child
to succeed at school whereas in a Village, children are already beginning to work like the adults in their
community. Another strength is that Vygotsky recognised the social and cultural influences on children’s cognitive
development; such as their environment, the roles and interactions of parents, teachers, peers and the
community because of the cultural diversity. The main limitation of Vygotsky’s Sociocultural theory is that it was
underdeveloped because of his premature death. This meant he was not able to expand upon all of his ideas and
complete his work, leaving it mostly consisting of general ideas. Even though his students continued working on
his ideas, most of the applications have been created by others therefore, it is not possible to know if Vygotsky
would have come to the same conclusions (Woolfolk and Margetts 2016, p.99). Another limitation of this theory is
that it places emphasis on the actual role of the ‘more knowledgeable other’, teaching the children hence
suggesting that children cannot learn independently. This can be seen through two of his key ideas of ZPD and
scaffolding. These processes largely revolve around having a ‘more knowledgeable other’ in order for the child to
complete the required task.

Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory is showing the importance of moving the child beyond their ZAD into their ZPD
through scaffolding by a ‘more knowledgeable other’, for the child to get the most out of their education. Cultural
tools are important throughout the process of scaffolding, the symbolic and psychological tool of language in
regards to the child’s learning. Private speech is especially important as it ‘has been found to increase children’s
focus and task performance’ (Berk 2013).

References
Agheshteh, H 2015, ‘Dynamic Assessment for Better Placement: Implications of Vygotsky’s ZAD and ZPD,
International Journal of Applied Linguistics & English Literature, Vol. 4, no. 5, pp.193
Berk, L 2013, Child development, 9th edn, Pearson. Boston.
Erickson, F 1999, ‘Histories, Cultural Tools, and Interactional Co-Construction in the Zone of Proximal
Development,’ Human Development, Vol. 42, pp.129-133
Rassaei, E 2014, ‘Scaffolded Feedback, Recasts, and L2 Development: A Sociocultural Perspective,’ The Modern
Language Journal, Vol. 98, no. 1, pp.417-431
Woolfolk, A & Margetts, K 2016 Educational psychology, 4th edn, Pearson, Frenchs Forest.