Sociocultural theory was created by Lev Vygotsky as a response to Behaviorism. The main idea of the theory is that the ways people interact with others and the culture they live in shape their mental abilities. Vygotsky believed that parents, relatives, peers and society all have an important role in forming higher levels of functioning. Sociocultural theory, as stated by Cole, John-Steiner, Scribner, and Souberman, is the belief that "every function in the child's cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level." This means that the skills children learn first are related to interactions with others and they then take that information and use it within themselves.
Lev Vygotsky
Lev Vygotsky was born in 1896 in Russia. He graduated from Moscow University in 1917 and started his career as a psychologist during the Russian Revolution. He taught literature and psychology for seven years. Vygotsky went against the leading scientists of his time by suggesting that scientific psychology should not ignore the role of consciousness. Most scientists at the time disagreed with his ideas, however, he was still offered a job at the Institute of Psychology in Moscow. There he worked on his new ideas of psychology.
On June 11, 1934, Vygotsky died from an illness. Although his work did get some attention during his lifetime, it was not until the 1960s when Joseph Stalin died and politics did not have a large role in academics, that his views were widely known in Russia. Vygotsky's ideas did not gain fame in the United States until around twenty years later.
Sociocultural theory
The main desire of Vygotsky was to design a new way to look at and come up with a solution to educational and social problems of the time. He believed other factors, besides biological instincts, caused humans to act the way they do. He was the first modern psychologist to suggest a way in which culture plays a part in each person's nature. Vygotsky believed the inclusion of sign systems from a child's culture changes behavior and connects early and later forms of individual development. Vygotsky was a strong supporter of the idea that what children learned from other people in their own culture helped them develop. He considers human thought processes to be based on social interactions and language. Three key areas of sociocultural theory are the zone of proximal development, private speech and make-believe play.
Psychological Tools
Vygotsky (1981) stated that humans “master themselves from the outside through psychological tools” (pg. 141).Psychological tools are language, writing styles, counting system and conventional signs (Miller, 2016). Psychological tools are also inclusive of learning strategies and modes of attending and memorization that is taught in an individual’s school. Such tools are utilized to guide individual’s thoughts and behaviors. The culture of which a person is embedded dictates which tools, social interactions and skills are needed. What one culture values may differ from another, thus the tools provided reflect specific cultural values and needs. For example, western society places importance on education and technology, as these are needed to be self-sufficient in that part of the world. Other societies, such as more indigenous types, may emphasis the importance of hunting/gathering type behaviors. As one can see, psychological tools indigenous societies utilizes versus the ones in which western societies utilize would differ. Children use their psychological tools to cognitively transform their social experiences.
Zone of proximal development
Vygotsky felt learning in children should be related to their developmental level. This caused him to argue that learning takes place within a zone of proximal development (ZPD), which is made up of functions that are not yet fully formed, but are on the way to being established.