According to Vygotsky’s Sociocultural theory, learning has its foundation in interaction with other people, thus focusing on the values, customs, skills, beliefs, culture. Moreover, the approach focuses on how various aspects are transmitted from one generation to another, making it easy to relate certain behaviors with a particular group since cognitive capabilities are socially guided and carried. Sociocultural theory clarifies how an individual’s mental functioning is identified with the historical, cultural, and institutional setting; subsequently, the focal point of the sociocultural viewpoint is on the roles that participation in social connections and cultural exercises play in affecting psychological development. Regarding this, an individual’s mental functioning is not just gotten from social cooperation; instead, the particular structures and procedures uncovered by people can be followed to their collaboration with others. The sociocultural hypothesis additionally proposes that human learning is, to a great extent, a standard procedure. Therefore, it centers not just how grown-ups and peers impact singular learning, yet additionally on how cultural attitudes and beliefs influence how learning happens.
Setting and People
A park is the setting that I visited with children interacting with adults since individuals from different tribes visit the place as a way to break home routine. The area included people of all ages, including children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly, although the majority was adults, followed by children. In the setting, people were interacting were the notable interactions were between children and adults, and I observed the following behavior.
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Behaviors Observed and Analysis
Considering that the park had people from different cultures, the mode of interaction differed from one social group to another. Depending on Vygotsky's Sociocultural theory, values, customs, skills, beliefs, and culture play a significant role in influencing cognitive development ( Scott & Palinscar, n.d ). In this respect, the different interaction styles justified different traditions, beliefs, and cultural backgrounds. If culture, ideas, and values do not play a significant role in cognitive development, all persons would be behaving the same justifying social interactions have minimal impact on individual’s behavior. For instance, the majority group used utilized facial expressions while interacting with the children, whereas another group concentrated on activities without using any other aiding tools. This example sets that the groups in the park mode of interaction differed significantly as a result of different social interactions while they were children. In this respect, people in part exhibited different interaction styles since they were brought up in different cultural settings justifying differences in customs, values, and beliefs.
The children were replicating what adults were doing, justifying how various aspects are transmitted from one generation to another. According to Vygotsky’s Sociocultural theory, an individual’s mental functioning relates to the institutional, historical, and cultural context ( Daneshfar & Moharami, 2018 ). This assertion implies that an individual’s behavior and way of thinking depend on social interactions that are majorly influenced by people’s culture. Relating to the children’s behavior replicating what adults were doing justifies this approach since adult’s actions are majorly affected by the cultural setting. Concerning this, as children grow up, they will be enumerating the acts, and ways of doing this learned from their social interactions. The style of doing things mainly reflects an individual’s way of thinking; thus, justifying that mental functioning relates to person’s institutional, historical, and cultural context.
Moreover, individuals in the park tended to stay depending on their social groups, justifying the impact of culture on social interactions. Vygotsky emphasized that sure signs and tools, such as language, play a significant role in influencing individuals' social interactions ( Marginson & Dang, 2017 ). Concerning this, individuals in the park were interacting with persons with similar cultural settings since their cognitive systems were likely to be related. Relating to Vygotsky, the fact that social interactions play a primary role in influencing cognitive development, people sharing the same culture, beliefs and values are likely to exhibit the same behaviors due to the similarity in social interactions during childhood. Relating this to the practice shown in the park where people from the same social groups interacted freely justifies that these people were likely having a common way of thinking.
Influence of Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory on Children’s Development
More Knowledgeable Other (MKO)
The concept of More Knowledgeable Other (MKO) relates to an individual who has more skills and knowledge than the learner. In Sociocultural theory, children learn through the help of others, individuals having more capabilities and acquaintance than them (Eun, 2019). Concerning this, an MKO refers not only to an adult but also to a peer who has more knowledge than the learner, child.
Social interactions
Social interactions involve the relations and exchanges between a child, learner with the More Knowledgeable Other (MKO). Social interaction in Sociocultural theory allows learners to practice and observe skills from their skillful tutors ( Karimi-Aghdam, 2017 ). This assertion implies that there must be interactions between a learner and a more knowledgeable other for learning to take place.
Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)
The zone of Proximal Development involves the difference between potential development through guidance and the actual construction by utilizing independent problem-solving mechanisms. According to Vygosky’s Sociocultural theory, individuals can achieve more through encouragement and advice from a more knowledgeable other as compared when they perform tasks independently ( Horner, 2017 ). This allegation implies that children gain competence through social interactions with the More Knowledgeable Other (MKO).
Conclusion
According to Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory, mental functioning is related to the values, customs, skills, beliefs, and cultural context, since interactions play a significant role in influencing cognitive development. To justify this, I visited a park where adult interaction styles differed as a result of cultural differences, and the children were replicating their parents' or guardians' way of doing things. Moreover, persons interacted freely with people that exhibited similar aesthetic characteristics. Children's cognitive development is influenced by social interactions with the More Knowledgeable Other, which helps in gaining competence in a particular skill.
References
Daneshfar, S., & Moharami, M. (2018). Dynamic assessment in Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory: origins and main concepts. Journal of Language Teaching and Research , 9 (3), 600-607. http://academypublication.com/ojs/index.php/jltr/article/view/jltr0903600607
Eun, B. (2019). The zone of proximal development as an overarching concept: A framework for synthesizing Vygotsky’s theories. Educational Philosophy and Theory , 51 (1), 18-30.
Horner, J. M. (2017). Rejecting dialogue for perspective: Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development and John Calvin’s divine pedagogy. Religious Education , 112 (2), 96-109.
Karimi-Aghdam, S. (2017). Zone of proximal development (ZPD) as an emergent system: A dynamic systems theory perspective. Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science , 51 (1), 76-93.
Marginson, S., & Dang, T. K. A. (2017). Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory in the context of globalization. Asia Pacific Journal of Education , 37 (1), 116-129.
Scott, S, & Palinscar, A. (n.d.) Sociocultural Theory. http://dr-hatfield.com/theorists/resources/sociocultural_theory.pdf
