【Abstract】This paper attempts to discuss the sociocultural theory of Vygotsky， including the cultural tools， zone of proximal development and compare Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory with Piager， Erikson and Kohlberg’s theories.

【Key words】Vygotsky； sociocutural theory； Zone of Proximal Development

【作者簡介】李錫嵐，洛陽職業(yè)技術(shù)學(xué)院。

The Russian psychologist Vygotsky proposed sociocultural theory， which believed that human activities take place in cultural settings and cannot be understood apart from the setting. One of his key ideas was that our specific mental structures and processes can be traced to our interactions with others.

Vygotsky believed that cultural tools， including real tools （such as printing presses， computers） and symbolic tools （such as numbers and mathematical systems， language） play very important roles in cognitive development. He emphasized the tools that the cultural provides to support thinking. In Vygotsky’s theory， language is the most important symbol system in the tool kit， language in the form of private speech serves as guides for cognitive development.

Vygotsky also believed that cognitive development occurs through the child’s conversations and interactions with more capable members of the culture， adults or more able peers. Bruner called this adult assistance “scaffolding”.

One of the important theories of Vygotsky is the “Zone of Proximal Development”. It refers to the area where the child cannot solve a problem alone， but can be successful under adult guidance of in collaboration with a more advanced peer.

The implications of Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory in teaching are： Assisted learning （teachers and adults are the models for children）. Tailor scaffolding to the needs of students. The teacher should make sure students have access to powerful tools that support thinking and learning.

According to Piaget， there are two basic tendencies in thinking： organization and adaptation. Organization means people are born with a tendency to organize their thinking process into psychological structures. Adaptation involves two basic processes： assimilation and accommodation. Assimilation means using existing schemes to make sense of events in the world. Accommodation occurs when a person must change existing schemes to respond to a new situation. Piaget pointed out four stages of cognitive development. They are called sensorimotor， preoperational， concrete operational and formal operational.

Compared with the theories of Piaget， Vygotsky suggests that children’s development is fostered by interaction with people who are more capable or advanced in their thinking. Piager thinks that the most helpful interaction is between peers and he stresses that children’s development is the result of maturation and social experience to a large extent.

Erikson’s theory suggests teachers create opportunities for children to perform tasks independently， pay attention to and appreciate children’s growth and success， and be concerned with the development of their students as a whole person.

Kohlberg also proposed a detailed sequence of stages of moral reasoning， or judgment about right and wrong. He divided moral development into three levels： preconventional， conventional and postconvetional （where judgments are based on abstract， more personal principles that are not necessarily defined by society’s laws）. The implications of Kohlberg’s theory are： The expectation of children’s moral reasoning and behavior should be compatible with their age. Teachers can discuss of some controversial issues in class to enhance children’s moral reasoning.

To sum up， three of the most important influences on the development and socialization of children are family， peers， and teachers. Family is very important for the development of children’s characteristics. Peer relationships play a significant role in healthy personal and social development. Teachers are sometimes the best source of help for students facing emotional or interpersonal problems. During the development of children， they will meet a lot of challenges， such as physical development， navigating transitions. Children will also encounter some risks， for example， child abuse， eating disorders and suicide. All students， whatever their age， require an education that fits their physical， cognitive， personal and social levels of development.