EVSU-CC

VYGOTSKY:
SOCIOCULTURAL
THEORY
 LEV SEMENOVICH VYGOTSKY
He proposed the sociocultural theory
Born in Russia
His work began when he was studying learning and development
to improve his own teaching
He wrote on language, thought, psychology of art, learning and
development, and educating students with special needs
He died at the age of 38 from tuberculosis
 Three Factors

01 03

Social
Language
Interaction
 01
SOCIAL
INTERACTION
Social Interaction

Effective learning happens through

participation in social activities
 Social Interaction
PARENTS

TEACHERS PEERS
 ZPD
 It refers to the difference between what a learner can do
without help and what he or she can achieve with guidance
and encouragement from a skilled partner.
 Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)
ZPD =
Potential
Level – Actual
Level Learner can
Learner can do
unassisted do with
(ACTUAL LEVEL) assistance
Learner (ZPD)
cannot (or
will not) do

POTENTIAL LEVEL
ZPD = Potential Level – Actual Level
POTENTIAL LEVEL – level that the learner achieves with
the assistance of the teacher or a more advanced peer

ACTUAL LEVEL – level that the learner achieves alone

Scaffolding
- The support or assistance that lets the child accomplish
a task he cannot accomplish independently
When the MKO scaffolds, the process
moves in four (4) levels

1. I do, you watch.

2. I do, you help.
3. You do, I help.
4. You do, I watch.
 Learning will depend on:

1. Skill of MKO
2. Learner’s readiness
3. Difficulty of skill being
learned
 02
CULTURE
 CULTURE
 Vygotsky assumes cognitive
development varies across cultures
 He looked into the wide range of
experiences that a culture would give to
a child
 03
LANGUAGE
 LANGUAGE
• Language opens the door to acquire knowledge that
others already have
• Language serves a social function but it also has an
important individual function
• It helps the learner regulate and reflect on his own
thinking

PRIVATE SPEECH – a form of self-talk that guides

the child’s thinking and action
DO YOU QUESTIONS?
Quiz
1. This is the support or assistance that
lets the child accomplish a task he
cannot accomplish independently.

a. scaffolding
b. prior knowledge
c. schema
d. schemata
2. Ms. Pruel always gives clues,
example, and any form of
encouragement to make his students to
grow as independent learner.

a. motivation
b. assimilation
c. integration
d. scaffolding
3. Vygotsky claimed that social interaction is
important for learning. What does this imply?
a. Since they are not capable of interaction, children
in the crib have no learning yet.
b. Children learn well by passive presentation of
information.
c. Children learn from adults and other children.
d. Children are independent problem solvers.
4. This is referred to by Vygotsky as the difference between what an
individual can learn unassisted and the learning that could be
achieved with support from a more knowledgeable person.

a. Scaffolding
b. Transductive reasoning
c. Zone of Proximal Development
d. All of the above
5. Which is essential in the cognitive
development of persons according to
Vygotsky?

a. Independent thinking
b. Social Interaction
c. Individual mental work
d. Scientific thinking
6. Teacher K begins a lesson on tumbling by demonstrating
front and back somersaults in slow motion and physically
guiding her students through the correct movements. As her
students, become more skillful, he stands back from the mat
and gives verbal feedback about how to improve. With
Vygotsky’s theory in mind, what did teacher K do?

a. Guided participation
b. Peer interaction
c. Apprenticeship
d. Scaffolding
7. Which of the following is TRUE according to Lev
Vygotsky?

a. Knowledge is individually constructed

b. knowledge is constructed between people as
they interact
c. knowledge is gained through reinforcement
d. knowledge is gained in a passive manner
8. One learns Science by building on Science lessons
previously learned. This is an application of the
____________ theory.

a. Physiological
b. S-R
c. Constructivist
d. Humanist
9. The theme of Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory emphasizes the
role of appropriate assistance given by the teacher to accomplish a
task. Such help enables the child to move from zone of actual
development to a zone of proximal development. Such assistance
is termed _______.

a. competency technique
b. active participation
c. scaffolding
d. collaboration
Thank
you!
PREPARED BY:
MS. KATHLENE JOY E. CABANTOC BSED-SCI 4B.