Lev Vygotsky's Social Interaction Theory

Vygotsky proposed that children’s development is affected by their culture and social interaction. He also suggested that children are not born with knowledge but they gain it through their social interactions with peers and adults; he does not rule out the importance of biological processes but proposes an interdependent relationship between biological development alongside social activity and cultural interaction.

A second strength of the sociocultural perspective is the emphasis on the role of adults in childhood cognitive development through guided participation. Vygotsky introduced the idea that children learn in a zone of proximal development. Meaning the distance between what an individual can do alone and what they can do with guidance and assistance from a capable member of society (Mcleod, 2010). Any skills outside the zone would be already mastered or still too difficult to attempt alone. “To Vygotsky, learning in collaboration with more knowledgeable companions drives cognitive development (Sigelman).” This is true throughout the world. Children in many cultures learn from a teacher, from family members, and many others. In other cultures, children learn skills from relatives, members of their village or tribe, or from other skilled members in their group. This perspective satisfies the need to recognize the role of adults in

Jean Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development was one of the first steps in understanding how children become who they are as adults. In early childhood, children begin to understand symbols and representations (Berk, 2014, p. 227). Their learning shifts from sensing the world as in the sensorimotor stage to trying to find commonalities like symbols. According to Berk (2014), Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory focused on “social context of cognitive development” (p. 234). Vygotsky incorporated social context and social interactions into childhood development; in other words, who, how, and what children interact with in their everyday social environment contributes to their mental and emotional development. When it comes to both of these cognitive theories, there are many similarities and differences between Piaget and Vygotsky.

Lev Vygotsky believed that social and cognitive development work simultaneously to build and evolve on one another. He believed that social, cultural and personal experience cannot be detached from each other and many things influence the way children learn and develop, not just their own experiences, thus Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory. Vygotsky’s ideas were and remain controversial as he had no specific training in psychology or children’s development. His preeminent contribution to children’s development is his recognition of the value of progressing knowledge by means of interaction with educators, peers and family (Mooney, 2000, p. 83). The major ideas of Vygotsky’s theory are scaffolding and the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). Scaffolding is a process Vygotsky described as the framework or temporary support for children’s learning. In order for scaffolding to be beneficial, it must be responsive to the child’s needs (Coon & Mitterer, 2013, pp. 106-107).

Examine the view that Erving Goffman’s work focuses on forms of social interaction but ignores social structure.

The approach is based on the idea that an individual’s activities occurs in a cultural context and can be best understood in their historical development (Kagitcibasi, 2012). Vygotsky developed this theory with the intent of coming up with a way to explain human behavior. The theory examined various subjects including the psychology of art, thought and language; and also focused on education of students with special needs. Vygotsky believed that caregivers, parents, peers, and culture at large play an important role in developing an individual’s higher order functions. There are various modern time interpretations of this theory with one focused on explaining human development. In this context, the sociocultural theory explains that learning is a social process and the society makes a significant contribution to individual development. The theory states that learning is based on interactions with other people and once this has happened, the information is then incorporated on a personal level (Hutchison,

The sociocultural theory is a psychological theory that explores the relationships between external and internal processes. The theory is about how creating and using mediating tools plays a role in how humans think. It helps create a framework to systematically investigate cognition keeping in mind the social context. In this theory, human development is viewed as a socially mediated process that varies from culture to culture.

This essay will describe child and adolescent behaviours reported in the media and will examine the link to development theories, learning styles and sociocultural influences on child and adolescent development. As a developing secondary school preserve teacher, my focus will be mainly on adolescent behaviours and development. I will be examining an article from a media how these developmental theories analyses and helps us to understand the behaviour of child and adolescents. I will also try to explain about the domain of development such as physical, cognitive, emotional and social.

There are some similarities between Bandura’s another theory which is social learning theory with Urie Bronfenbrenner‘s ecological model of individual development. As they both give clear explanation and emphasize on how children’s all area of development and behaviour can be influence by others and the whole environment surrounding them. They also both agree that children’s social interactions with others and culture are important and can affect their learning, education and development. Learning Theories in Childhood (2015). There are others theories who have some view that are similarity to them, who are Les Vygotsky, who suggested the essential and influences of families, communities and other children in a child’s life. How Children Learn (2006). Vygotsky also suggested that the historical, culture and institutional context can make influences on their development and view of the world. (Stating from the child p142).

Vygotsky 's Sociocultural Theory explains the interaction between the cultural and historical facts. There are three different theories that Vygotsky 's uses which are : matching, zone of proximal development and scaffolding. Matching is based of the child’s culture. Zone of proximal development has three different components the role played by culture, the use of language and the child’s zone of proximal development. This development shows what the children can accomplish independently and potentially depending if they received guidance along the way. Scaffolding is apart of learning, in the beginning parents’ are there too hold your hand and provide for you. When you get old enough parents let go and let you figure out life on your own.

Social interaction occurs between all individuals in society and can be studied through the use of the sociological imagination. A sociological imagination allows one to link their everyday activities and situations to society as a whole. I can study my own personal social interactions and the situations I encounter by applying concepts, theories, and perspectives that sociologists have developed for analyzing society and social situations. Although I encounter situations on a day-to-day basis, one notable example would be when I volunteered at the soup kitchen, where I had to control my emotions and play a specific role as part of my volunteer position.

The sociocultural theory was developed by a theorist named Lev Vygotsky. Vygotsky was born in 1896 and was from the former Soviet Union. He was a psychologist who had an abundance of ideas and put them into many theories and writings. Although Vygotsky died from tuberculosis at the young age of thirty-eight, his most prominent work was done in a short period of ten years. When he died in 1934, the Soviet Union held most of his work and it was not until about 1960 that his work was translated into English. Currently in the education field, Vygotsky’s main work on the sociocultural theory is getting a lot of attention.

Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of development suggested that to develop cognitively, children must have social interaction. He also “believed that this lifelong process of development was dependent of social interaction and that social learning actually leads to cognitive development” (Riddle, 1999). Vygotsky believed that children 's social learning must come before social development. Vygotsky also believed that "human activities take place in cultural settings and cannot be understood apart from these settings" (Woolfolk, 2004). Therefore, our culture helps shape our cognition.

In social environment, the social cultural impact of each person, the each person also creates the new social cultural. Vygotsky was a famous Former Soviet Union psychologist, he emphasized the social cultural has more influence than other factors to children development, children has a dramatic increases of study skills, in their cultural context where of people living. The important elements of children cognitive development that is: society and cultural environment .Because in a fundamental way ，children cognitive function from cultural products、social actives and concepts. Language、belief、history、and environment are invisible textbook of children，among language is major course, which is necessary section of survival, they can throughout simple

In Vygotsky’s theory of social and cultural influences, he emphasized his theory through three important themes: Culture, Language and Zone of Proximal Growth (ZPG). With culture, adolescents in the fourth division of education begin to integrate with people of different cultures. It gives them the advantage to listen to different beliefs, values, norms and attitudes of other people. It will have the student thinking and how he or she can understand a given theory. Second is language, the main component when it comes to communication. Similar to culture except learning through symbols, logic and sign language. For example: Janice is deaf, she may be unable to hear but can communicate with sign language and gestures. In the Zone of Proximal Growth, the student cannot do a task without the guidance of a supporter.