Vygotsky's theory of cognitive development

• Vygotsky's assumptions

  • agreed with Piaget that children develop reasoning skills sequentially but believed that this process was mainly dependent on social processes
  • he claimed knowledge is:
  • first intermental = between someone more expert and someone less expert
  • then intramental = within the individual
• cultural differences in cognitive abilities

  • reasoning abilities are acquired via contact with those around us and as a result there will be cultural differences in cognitive development
  • because we all grow up and learn about the world surrounded by cultural values and beliefs
  • children pick up the mental 'tools' that are most important for life from the world they live in
• zone of proximal development (ZPD)

  • ZPD = the gap between what a child knows/can do alone and what the child is capable of, following interaction with someone more expert
  • the gap between current and potential capabilities
  • the role of the teacher/MKO (more knowledgeable other) is to guide the child through this gap to as full a level of understanding as the child's developmental ability will allow
• advanced reasoning ability

  • cognitive development not just about acquiring more facts but about becoming more skilled at reasoning
  • the most advanced (formal) reasoning can only be achieved with the help of experts, not simply through exploration
• scaffolding

  • the process of helping a learner cross the ZPD and advance as much as they can, given their stage of development
  • typically the level of help given declines as the learner crosses the ZPD
• progressive scaffolding strategies

  • wood et al identified progressive strategies that can be used to scaffold learning
  • eg prompts might be from most to least helpful:
  • demonstration, preparation for child, indication of materials, specific verbal instructions, general prompts
• strength = support for ZPD

  • Roazzi and Bryant
  • asked one group of 4-5 yr olds to estimate the number of sweets in a box = most failed to give close estimate
  • a second group of 4-5 yr olds were guided by older (expert) children = most of them mastered task
  • => children can develop more advanced reasoning with help from a more expert individual
• strength = support for scaffolding

  • Conner and Cross
  • observed 45 children (age 16, 26, 44, 54 months) = found mothers used less direct intervention as children developed
  • mothers also increasingly offered help when it was needed rather than constantly
  • => adult assistance with children's learning is well-described by the concept of scaffolding
• strength = RWA

  • educational techniques (eg group work/peer tutoring) are based on Vygotsky's ideas and increasingly used in 21st century
  • Van Keer and Verhaeghe = found that 7 yr olds tutored by 10 yr olds (in addition to their whole class teaching) processed further in reading than control group who only had class teaching
  • => Vygotsky's ideas have real world value in education
• counterpoint to RWA

  • Liu and Matthews
  • in china classes of 50 children learn effectively in lecture-style classrooms with few individual interactions with peers or tutors
  • V may have overestimated the importance of scaffolding in learning
• extra evaluation = Vygotsky vs Piaget

  • evidence to support V's idea that interaction with a more experienced other can enhance learning (Conner and cross)
  • BUT = if V was right about interactive learning, we would expect children learning together to learn the same thing - BUT it varies a lot
  • => Piaget might have described learning better