Module IX

VYGOTSKY’S SOCIO-
CULTURAL
THEORY

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 Module IX
VYGOTSKY’S SOCIO-CULTURAL THEORY

“By giving our students practice in talking with others, we give them frames for thinking on their
own”.
-Lev Vygotsky

Welcome to another school of thought of Education! You will

learn here that there is a special person in your life who
taught you to become what and who you are now. That’s
exactly the theory of Vygotsky. Read on!

OBJECTIVES: At the end of the module, you must have:

1. Explained why Vygotsky’s theory is called “Socio-cultural”
theory;
2. Differentiated Piaget and Vygotsky’s views on cognitive
development;
3. Explained how scaffolding is useful in teaching a skill.

INTRODUCTION:
Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) was a Russian psychologist who argued that
culture has a major impact on a child’s cognitive development. Piaget and Gesell
believed development stemmed directly from the child, and although Vygotsky
acknowledged intrinsic development, he argued that it is the language, writings, and
concepts arising from the culture that elicit the highest level of cognitive thinking
(Crain, 2005). He believed that the social interactions with adults and more learned
peers can facilitate a child’s potential for learning. Without this interpersonal
instruction, he believed children’s minds would not advance very far as their
knowledge would be based only on their own discoveries.

ACTIVITY:
1. As a child, recall a skill that you wanted to learn and eventually learned well,
through the help of another person. (like swimming, riding a bike, playing the
guitar, skating, singing, dancing, etc.)

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 2. What made you interested to learn the skill?

3. Who taught or assisted you?

4. Describe how you went about learning the skill. Describe what steps or
actions the person did in order to help you learn.

ANALYSIS:
1. How did you feel now that you have mastered the skill that you want to
learn?

2. What factors in the environment influenced you to learn the skill?

3. Did the person who taught or assisted you make use of scaffolding? If yes,
How?

ABSTRACTION:
Zone of Proximal Development and Scaffolding: Vygotsky’s best
known concept is the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). Vygotsky stated
that children should be taught in the ZPD, which occurs when they can almost
perform a task, but not quite on their own without assistance. With the right
kind of teaching, however, they can accomplish it successfully. A good teacher
identifies a child’s ZPD and helps the child stretch beyond it. Then the adult

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(teacher) gradually withdraws support until the child can then perform the task
unaided. Researchers have applied the metaphor of scaffolds (the temporary platforms
on which construction workers stand) to this way of teaching. Scaffolding
is the temporary support that parents or teachers give a child to do a task.

More Knowledgeable Other

The more knowledgeable other (MKO) is somewhat self-explanatory; it refers
to someone who has a better understanding or a higher ability level than the learner,
with respect to a particular task, process, or concept. Although the implication is that
the MKO is a teacher or an older adult, this is not necessarily the case. Many times, a
child's peers or an adult's children may be the individuals with more knowledge or
experience.

Social Interaction
According to Vygotsky (1978), much important learning by the child occurs
through social interaction with a skillful tutor. The tutor may model behaviors and/or
provide verbal instructions for the child. Vygotsky refers to this as cooperative or
collaborative dialogue.
The child seeks to understand the actions or instructions provided by the tutor (often
the parent or teacher) then internalizes the information, using it to guide or regulate
their own performance.

Cultural factors
Vygotsky believed in the crucial role that culture played on the cognitive
development of children. Piaget believe that as the child develops and matures, he
goes through universal stages of cognitive development that allows him to move from
simple explorations with senses and muscles to complex reasoning. Vygotsky, on the
other hand, look into the wide range of experiences that a culture would give to a
child. For instance, one’s culture view education, how children are trained early in life
all can contribute the cognitive development of the child.

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Language
Language opens the door for learners to acquire knowledge that others already
have. Learners can use language to know and understand the world and solve
problems. Language serve a social function but it also has an important individual
function. It helps the learner regulate and reflect on his own thinking. Children talk to
themselves. Observe preschoolers play and you may hear, Gagawin koi tong
airplane (holding a rectangular block), tapos ito ang airport (holding two long
blocks).” For Vygotsky, this “talking-to-oneself” is an indication of the thinking that
goes on in the mind of the child. This will eventually lead to private speech. Private
speech is a form of self-talk that guides the child’s thinking and action.

An exercise in scaffolding:
1. Choose a skill you are good in.
2. Identify an individual to whom you can teach this skill. Somebody who will
benefit from scaffolding.
3. Break down the steps you will take in teaching the skill.

4. Determine how you will use scaffolding. Describe the specific actions you
will do to scaffold.
5. Teach the skill to the individual.
6. Describe how the learning activity went.

Vygotsky always emphasize the role of cultural factors in cognitive development. He

also identified intellectual tools of adaption which enable individuals to acquire
cognitive skills depending on what tools their culture has made available for them.
Read more about this and write a reaction paper.

RESEARCH CONNECTION
Read and research that is related to Vygotsky’s Theory. Fill out the
matrix below.

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 Problem Research Methodology

Source: (bibliography entry

format)

Findings Conclusions

How are the findings of the research useful to teacher?

REFERENCES:
1. Corpuz, Brenda B., Ph. D., (2018) Lucas, Ma. Rita D., Ph. D., Borabo, Heidi Grace
l., Ph. D., Lucido, Paz I., Ph. D. The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning
Principles
2. Acero, Victorina D., Ph. D., (2014) Javier, Evelyn S., Ph. D., Castro,
Herminia O., M.A., Child and Adolescent Development
3. Ariola, Mariano M. (2009), General Psychology

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-
lifespandevelopment/chapter/vygotskys-sociocultural-theory-of-cognitive-
development/
https://www.simplypsychology.org/Zone-of-Proximal-Development.html

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