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Flashcards in Learning in Context Deck (22)
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1
Q

Who was the main sociocultural theorist?

A

Vygotsky.

2
Q

Define culture.

A

A system of shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviours and artefacts, conscious and unconscious, transmitted across generations through learning.

3
Q

What is the cultural influence view?

A

Individuals are still primary unit of analysis.

Influence of culture on individuals - independent variables are cultural, dependent variables are individual.

4
Q

What is the sociocultural theory?

A

Can’t separate people from institutions in culture.
Product of social + cultural experiences.
Emphasises importance of cultural variation in development (e.g. language).

5
Q

What is the social constructionist approach?

A

Children actively construct their knowledge and understanding.
Ways of thinking develop primarily through social interaction. Cognitive development depends on tools provided by society. Minds shaped by cultural context.

6
Q

Explain the zone of proximal development (Vygotsky).

A

Distance between a child’s actual developmental level is determined by independent problem solving and higher level of potential development under adulthood guidance + collaboration with peers.

7
Q

What is scaffolding in the zone of proximal development (Vygotsky)?

A

Scaffolding = support from others to reach potential.

Increase help when child fails - give greater latitude when he succeeds. Allows problem solving on own to increase.

8
Q

What was Vygotsky’s view of children’s speech (specifically egocentric speech)?

A

Language goes from socialised to egocentric to inner.
Egocentric language is realistic. It emerges when child transfer social forms of behaviour to inner-personal psychic functions. Declines with age but is crucial in development. Intermediate phase - transition from speech for others to speech for oneself. Increases with frustration + difficulties. Guides comprehension of situations.
Child doesn’t believe others can understanding egocentric speech.
Instruction + learning promote the process of internalisation (from egocentric to inner).
Egocentric speech is essential. Against Piaget’s theory who believed it served no role.

9
Q

Name two studies which helped us understand egocentric speech.

A

Bivens & Berk (1990) - task-relevant, external manifestation speech predicts performance in grade 3. Speech helps guide children to inner speech.
Duncan & Pratt (1997) - egocentric speech shows less eye contact + softer tones. Children spoke more before starting the task - planning increases over time.

Main conclusions: task difficult increases egocentric speech. More planning speech for difficult items. Egocentric speech has a useful function.

10
Q

What was Piaget’s view of children’s speech?

A

From autistic (no speech) to syncretistic (egocentric speech) to intellectual (social speech).
Egocentric speech serves no purpose. Dies out eventually.
Children don’t speak until they have non-autistic thought.
Egocentricism is impervious to teaching (assimilation).
Mental maturity.

11
Q

What is egocentrism?

A

Belief that others see the world precisely the way you do.

This occurs in the pre operational stage (Piaget).

12
Q

What is the preoperational stage (Piaget)?

A

Children’s thoughts + communications are egocentric (2-7yos).
Sigler (2003) - intelligence is demonstrated through use of symbols. Memory + imagination are developed. Thinking is non-logical, non-reversible. Egocentric thinking dominates.

13
Q

Describe some of the results from Piaget’s functions of language in two children of 6 study.

A

Egocentric speech - 37% and 39%.
Commands + requests + threats 10% and 15%.
Socialised speech 13% and 14%.

14
Q

What are the two main types of talk identified by Piaget?

A

Egocentric thought - no function.
Socialised - exchange with others.
Adults think socially (even when alone), children under 7 think egocentrically (even in the society of others).

15
Q

What is mental maturity (Piaget)?

A

Ratio of socialised to egocentric speech.

16
Q

What was Barbara Rogoff’s view of learning?

A

Learning is situated - function of the activity, context and culture in which it occurs. Social interaction is critical.
Sociocultural focus - importance of cultural tools + practices.
Development and learning can’t be explained only through the study of individuals.

17
Q

What are Piaget and Rogoff’s contrasting views of the endpoints of development?

A

Piaget - undirectional.
Rogoff - no universal endport. Multidirectional. Each culture has its own local goals - development proceeds differently in different cultures.

18
Q

How do children learn cultural practices?

A

Through guided participation.

19
Q

Describe a study that explains the importance of formal schooling.

A

Rogoff & Wadell (1982) - schooled vs non-schooled. Schooled were better at standard list tasks. Non-schooled were better at putting objects into panorama.
School resists engagement + limits use of cultural resources.

20
Q

Explain the constructivist view of beliefs.

A

Children start with a naive theory of physics. Children already have their own ideas.
Synthetic models are created as assimilation occurs.
New knowledge must be integrated with existing knowledge - existing networks may be challenged by new ideas.

21
Q

Why do researchers study children’s understanding of Earth?

A

If children say it’s flat - influenced by intuitions + observations.
If children say it’s spherical - concepts must be culturally transmitted.
Create mental models - flat earth (initial) - dual earth (synthetic) - hollow sphere (synthetic).
Intuitions + observations are gradually displaced by scientific information. Conceptual systematicity.

For adults: mental models are methodological artefacts. Adults can find some of the questions confusing but when clarified, adults complete the task with ease (the Earth study).

22
Q

What are some criticisms of studies and theories within the learning in context area?

A

Need a more developmental account of contexts + children. How does the child develop? Sociocultural theory needs to give more understanding of the child, just not culture.
More description of contexts of children of various ages + developmental levels. Lab based - low ecological validity.
Cognitive level permits/constrains processes in the zone.