Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory of Cognitive Development

Vygotsky argued that children’s efforts to understand their world are embedded in a social
context. They strive to understand their universe by asking questions of others – e.g., “How do
machines work?” “Why is the sky blue?” “Why does the weather change?” In answering such
questions, adults guide a child’s growth in important ways. They not only provide instruction
but also foster the child’s motivation and interest. Adults present challenges for new learning.
Thus, in many respects, the young child is an apprentice in thinking. Parents, child-care
workers, and older siblings act as mentors stimulating intellectual growth. Children learn to
think through guided participation in social experiences that explore their world. Vygotsky
argued that what children can do with the help of others may be more indicative of their mental
development than what they can do alone.
In an earlier edition of her text, Kathleen Berger provided the rich example of an adult
helping a child to assemble a jigsaw puzzle. The parent or older sibling may begin by praising
the child for choosing a hard puzzle and then might encourage the child to look for a puzzle
piece of a particular size or color. When the child seems stymied, the tutor may become more
directive by selecting an appropriate piece or by rotating a puzzle part so that its precise location
becomes obvious. Throughout the process, the tutor praises successes, maintains enthusiasm,
and helps the child to recognize that together they are reaching their goal. The critical dimension
of guided participation is that two partners interact to accomplish the goal. Throughout the
interaction, the tutor remains sensitive and responsive to the child’s needs. Eventually, the child
will succeed independently of the adult’s help.
Vygotsky maintained that for each developing individual there is a zone of proximal
development, a range of skills that the child can perform with assistance but not quite
independently. How and when children master important skills is partly linked to the willingness
of others to provide scaffolding, or sensitive structuring of children’s learning encounters.
Words, according to Vygotsky, are part of the scaffold. First, internal dialogue, or
private speech, helps people to develop new ideas. Young children usually utter private speech
aloud. They review what they know, explain events to themselves, and decide what comes next.
Second, language promotes thought as the mediator of the social interaction that is vital to
learning. The social mediation function of speech happens during both explicit instruction and
during casual conversation. Language permits a person to enter and cross the zone of proximal
development. Words bridge the child’s current understanding and what is almost understood.
Vygotsky’s theory helps us to appreciate that cognitive accomplishment occurs in a social
context. Adult instruction and encouragement are crucial to the child’s intellectual growth.

Berger, K. (2005). The developing person through the life span (6th ed.). New York: Worth.

Vygotsky, L.S. (1978, English trans.). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological
processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Vygotsky, L.S. (1987). Thinking and speech. New York: Plenum Press.