Students from cultural minorities in the United States often struggle academically due to the cultural differences with their peers and teachers. My experience with a 13-year old girl of Mexican origin learning English as a Second Language highlighted the importance of culture in learning. The English tutor was of Mexican descent, and he used the student's first language to explain English concepts when the learner struggled to understand them in English. After three weeks of tutoring, the learner had achieved competency in essential English language skills. For learners from a different culture, attending education programs that help them understand the English language is necessary because conventional classrooms may not cater for their unique language needs. Teaching foreign students English language skills provides them with the foundation for attaining competency in English. The student had difficulties with English language skills such as vocabulary, spelling, grammar, reading, and writing. Learning and understanding these skills are vital for gaining competency in the English language. Vygotsky's sociocultural theory is suitable for teaching English as a Second Language because it incorporates culture into learning.
The cultural background of an English as a Second Language learner influences his/her ability to comprehend the second language. According to Dongyu, Fanyu, & Wanyi (2013), students from a different culture and language face the challenge of deciding whether to assimilate into the new culture or not. They are pressured to learn English because it is the common language used in settings such as school. However, their social circle may not support their participation in English classes due to cultural reasons (Dongyu et al., 2013). Learning English may lead to feelings of isolation from their culture. Therefore, support from their social environment comprising peer, organizational, and family support is vital for success in learning a new language (Amerian & Mehri, 2014). Learners of English as Second Language succeed when their peers share the same cultural background. However, it is impossible to provide such an environment because learners in most schools in the United States come from diverse cultural backgrounds. Using tutors familiar with the first language of the learner is also crucial because they can provide real-world learning examples (Dongyu et al., 2013).
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Using a tutor familiar with the cultural background of the student enabled her to understand the essential English language skills. The cognitive development of the learner was mediated by the interaction between him and the tutor because cultural and social interaction facilitates cognitive development. The tutor played a key role in guiding the learner in a task that she could not have completed alone. Since the tutor was knowledgeable in the English language and understood the cultural background of the learner, he provided the learner with the framework to broaden her knowledge of the English language. This process is known as scaffolding, and it involves creating situations that allow the learner to broaden his/her knowledge (Dongyu et al., 2013). The tutor used English words and phrases relevant to the Mexican culture context to teach vocabulary and spelling. Amerian & Mehri (2014) notes that scaffolding enables the learner to connect old and new knowledge in a socially active environment. It also stimulates interest and simplifies tasks. I noted that when the tutor used phrases and words relevant to Mexican culture, the student showed interest and participated in learning.
The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) is another element of sociocultural theory that occurred during the social interaction between the leaner and the tutor. ZPD is beneficial since it incorporates all features of the learning context. These features comprise the learner, the instructor, their shared experiences and relationship, and the learning resources (Peer & McClendon, 2002). Although students have the intellectual ability to learn new ideas, they seldom realize this potential. An instructor can enable students to understand and use this intellectual potential by guiding them and using effective learning materials. Establishing a healthy relationship with a learner is necessary because it provides a supportive social element for learning. Instructors and learners from the same cultural background use their shared cultural experiences to establish healthy social relationships that support learning. The Zone of Proximal Development supports language learning because the corrections of learning mistakes rely on the interaction between the instructor and the learner (Bricker & Bell, 2014). Without the Zone of Proximal Development, a learner is less likely to seek assistance when faced with difficulties during learning.
My experience with the 13-year old girl learning English as a Second Language highlighted three critical themes pertinent to sociocultural theory. These themes include the learner-instructor relationship, interactive learning, and cultural sensitivity. Building a relationship with the learner is important because she was hesitant to approach the instructor during the first days. I realized that the instructor initiated regular conversations with the learners and used icebreaker and introduction games to connect with the learner. After a few days, a relationship between the instructor and learner had developed, which was evident through less formal conversations, the use of the instructor's first name, and more approaches for assistance.
The social relationship between an instructor and a learner supports learning because the instructor is able to determine the needs of the learner, and know when he or she is struggling to understand specific concepts. Other than helping the learner advance her knowledge, the relationship makes it easy for the learner to approach the instructor for assistance. A social relationship with the learner also enables the instructor to put into consideration the social and cultural background of the learner (Amerian et al., 2014). The learner becomes not only an ordinary student but an individual with previous learning experiences that can promote or undermine learning.
Cultural sensitivity is another factor critical to the success of using sociocultural theory in learning. When the instructor is sensitive to the cultural background of the learner or shares the same language, he/she can develop a relationship quickly. A learner is more responsive when the instructor understands his/her cultural perspective. It was evident that sharing the same cultural background with the learner was useful because the instructor used Hispanic to explain some concepts. However, an instructor should be careful when using the learner's First Language because it may discourage learning of the Second Language (Bruner, 1997). Balancing the two languages is crucial when teaching English as a Second Language (Amerian & Mehri, 2014). Furthermore, balancing the old culture with the new one prevents conflict between the two learning experiences because culture shapes experience.
Based on my experience, the sociocultural theory offers an adequate description of learning a new language. Cultural sensitivity is necessary when teaching a new language because culture influences the learning experience. Integrating previous knowledge helps the learner to incorporate new knowledge. The relevance of sociocultural theory to learning cannot be disputed due to the influence of the social and cultural context to learning. However, the approach focuses only on sociocultural factors and does not explain how other factors influence learning. Factors such as cognitive ability, which is independent of the social environment also affect learning of new concepts (Ameridian et al., 2014). Despite its effectiveness in explaining the learning process, the theory is insufficient due to its focus on social and cultural factors only.
References
Amerian, M., Ahmadian, M., and Mehri, E. (2014). Sociocultural Theory in Practice: The Effect of Teacher, Class, and Peer Scaffolding on the Writing Development of EFL Learners. International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature, 3 (5).
Bricker, L., and Bell, P. (2014). “What Comes to Mind When You Think of Science? The Perfumery!” Documenting Science-Related Cultural Learning Pathways across Contexts and Timescales. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 51 (3).
Bruner, J. (1997). Celebrating divergence: Piaget and Vygotsky. Human Development ; 40-63-73.
Dongyu, Z., Fanyu, B., & Wanyi, D. (2013). Sociocultural Theory Applied to Second Language Learning: Collaborative Learning with Reference to the Chinese Context. International Education Studies, 6 (9), 165-174.
Peer, K., and McClendon, R. (2002). Sociocultural Learning Theory in Practice: Implications for Athletic Training Educators. Journal of Athletic Training, 37 (4).
