Sociocultural

Theory
by
Lev Vygotsky

 November 17, 1896- June 11, 1934

Born in Orsha, Russia
Graduated at Moscow State University,
degree in Law
Attended in Institute of Psychology in Moscow, 1924
Completed a dissertation in 1925 on psychology of art but
was award his degree in absentia due to an acute
tuberculosis
A prolific writer, publishing six books on psychology

https://www.verywell.com/lev-vygotsky-biography-2795533

INTRODUCTION
The key theme of this theory is that social interaction
plays a very important role in cognitive development
Focuses not only how adults and peers influence
individual learning, but also on how cultural beliefs and
attitudes impact how instruction and learning take place
Suggests that development depends on interaction with
people and the tools that the culture provides to help form
their own view of the world
Suggests that social interaction leads to continuous stepby-step changes in children's thought and behavior that
can vary greatly from culture to culture

PIAGET AND VYGOTSKY

PIAGET

VYGOTSKY

MORE INDIVIDUAL IN
FOCUS

MORE SOCIAL IN FOCUS

BELIEVED THAT THERE

ARE UNIVERSAL STAGES
OF COGNITIVE
DEVELOPMENT

DID NOT PROPOSE STAGES

BUT EMPHASIZED ON
CULTURAL FACTORS IN
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

DID NOT GIVE MUCH

EMPHASIS ON
LANGUAGE

STRESSED THE ROLEOF

LANGUAGE IN COGNITIVE
DEVELOPMENT

4 BASIC PRINCIPLES UNDERLYING THE

VYGOTSKIAN FRAMEWORK
1.Children construct their knowledge.
2.Development cannot be separated from its
social context.
3.Learning can lead to development.
4.Language plays a central role in mental
development.

CHILDREN CONSTRUCT THEIR

KNOWLEDGE
Knowledge is not transferred passively, but is personally
constructed.
ELEMENTARY MENTAL FUNCTION
ATTENTION
SENSATION
PERCEPTION
MEMORY
HIGHER MENTAL FUNCTION
INDEPENDENT LEARNING AND THINKING

DEVELOPMENT CAN NOT BE SEPARATED

FROM ITS SOCIAL CONTEXT
The context needed for learning is that where the learners can
interact with each other and use the new tools. This means that
the learning environment must be authentic, that is, it must
contain the type of people who would use these types of tools
such as concepts, language, symbols in a natural way.
MKO- MORE KNOWLEDGEABLE OTHERS
Refers to someone who has better understanding or a higher
ability level than the learner, with respect to a particular task,
process and concept

LEARNING CAN LEAD TO DEVELOPMENT

ZPD- Zone of Proximal Development
-Difference between what the child can actually accomplished
alone and what the child can accomplish with MKO
-It represents a learning opportunity where a knowledgeable
adult/peer can assist the childs development
Subjectivity- term to describe the process of two individuals
begin a task with a different understanding and eventually arrive
at a shared understanding
Scaffolding- refers to a change in the social support over the
course of a teaching session

LANGUAGE PLAYS A CENTRAL ROLE IN

MENTAL DEVELOPMENT
The most significant sociocultural tool is language, as it is
used to teach tool use and is vital in the process of developing
higher psychological functions.
Vygotsky differentiates between three forms of language;
1. Social Speech- external communication used to talk to others ( usually ages 2)
2. Private Speech- directed to the self and serves an intellectual function (usually
ages 3)
3. Silent Inner Speech- when private speech goes underground, diminishing
audibility as it takes on a self-regulating function ( usually 7 years old)

End of Presentation
Thank you.
Eilyn Isip
Chris Mirador
University of Makati
TCP-D
2016