Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory 

Lev Vygotsky, a Russian psychologist, developed a theory of cognitive development known as the Sociocultural Theory of Cognitive Development in the early twentieth century.

The main assertion of the Vygotsky theory is that the cognitive development of children is advanced through social interaction with other people, particularly those who are more skilled. In other words, Vygotsky believed that social learning comes before cognitive development, and that children construct knowledge actively.

Zone of Proximal Development

Vygotsky is most recognized for his concept of Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) pertaining to the learning process of children. According to the Vygotsky theory, children who are in the zone of proximal development for a particular task can almost perform the task independently, but not quite there yet. They need some help in order to perform the task successfully.

For example, a five-year-old child knows how to ride a tricycle. However, she can’t ride a bicycle (with two wheels) without his grandfather holding onto the back of her bike. With his grandfather’s help, this little girl learns to balance her bike. With some more practice, she can ride the bike on her own. In this scenario, we can say that the child is in the zone of proximal development for riding a bike.

The concept of Zone of Proximal Development underscores Vygotsky’s conviction that social influences, particularly getting instructions from someone, are of immense importance on the cognitive development of children.

As children are given instructions or shown how to perform certain tasks, they organize the new information received in their existing mental schemas. They use this information as guides on how to perform these tasks and eventually learn to perform them independently.

More Knowledgeable Other

According to Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development, children learn through social interaction that include collaborative and cooperative dialogue with someone who is more skilled in tasks they’re trying to learn. Vygotsky called these people with higher skill level the More Knowledgeable Other (MKO). They could be teachers, parents, tutors and even peers.

In our example of a five-year-old girl learning to ride a bike, her grandfather not only holds onto the back of the bike, but also verbally teaches the little girl how to balance her bike. From the little girl’s point of view, her grandfather is a More Knowledgeable Other.

Scaffolding

Vygotsky’s concept of scaffolding is closely related to the concept of the Zone of Proximal Development. Scaffolding refers to the temporary support given to a child by a More Knowledgeable Other that enables the child to perform a task until such time that the child can perform this task independently.

Scaffolding entails changing the quality and quantity of support provided to a child in the course of a teaching session. The MKO adjusts the level of guidance in order to fit the student’s current level of performance.

For novel tasks, the MKO may utilize direct instruction. As the child gains more familiarity with the task and becomes more skilled at it, the MKO may then provide less guidance.

In the example of the five-year-old learning to ride a bike, her grandfather (MKO) may begin by holding onto the back of her bike the whole time that she is on the bike. As the little girl gains more experience, her grandfather may release his hold intermittently. Eventually the girl’s grandfather only grabs the bike when he needs to correct her balance. When the girl finally masters the skill, her grandfather no longer needs to hold onto her bike anymore. In other words, the scaffolds can be removed.