Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Contributors
- Series Foreword
- Introduction: Sociocultural Theory and Education: Students, Teachers, and Knowledge
- PART I CONCEPTS AND PARADIGMS
- PART II DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING
- PART III SOCIOCULTURAL THEORY APPLICATION IN THE CLASSROOM
- PART IV DIVERSE LEARNERS AND CONTEXTS OF EDUCATION
- 16 Intrapersonal Communication and Internalization in the Second Language Classroom
- 17 Mediation in Cognitive Socialization
- 18 Cultural Modeling
- 19 The Relations of Learning and Student Social Class
- 20 Vygotsky in the Mirror of Cultural Interpretations
- Author Index
- Subject Index
- Titles in the series
- References
20 - Vygotsky in the Mirror of Cultural Interpretations
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of Contributors
- Series Foreword
- Introduction: Sociocultural Theory and Education: Students, Teachers, and Knowledge
- PART I CONCEPTS AND PARADIGMS
- PART II DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING
- PART III SOCIOCULTURAL THEORY APPLICATION IN THE CLASSROOM
- PART IV DIVERSE LEARNERS AND CONTEXTS OF EDUCATION
- 16 Intrapersonal Communication and Internalization in the Second Language Classroom
- 17 Mediation in Cognitive Socialization
- 18 Cultural Modeling
- 19 The Relations of Learning and Student Social Class
- 20 Vygotsky in the Mirror of Cultural Interpretations
- Author Index
- Subject Index
- Titles in the series
- References
Summary
When Vygotsky's theory became accessible to American scholars, it was interpreted, understood, and further developed according to American cultural and intellectual traditions. American scholars contributed much to the creative development of his ideas on all levels: theory, research, and applications. They also played a crucial role in spreading his ideas throughout the world. In this chapter, however, I will be dealing, predominantly, with some cultural biases in understanding Vygotsky's ideas. As Alex Kozulin (2002, personal communication) recently noticed:
On one hand, American scholars were instrumental in acquainting English speaking audiences with Vygotsky's ideas, on the other hand, in the process of this acquaintance Vygotsky's ideas underwent a rather strong Americanization. This trend became clear already when the first (abridged) translation of Vygotsky's Thought and Language edited by Bruner appeared in 1962 (Vygotsky, 1962). While empirical aspects of Vygotsky's work were retained, almost all poetic, philosophical and historical images were purged from this edition.
I have been fortunate in having firsthand experience with Vygotsky's ideas both in Russia and in America, first as a student and professor in Russia, and then as a professor in the United States. Many years of teaching courses on Vygotsky in the School of Psychology at Moscow State University and several years of teaching Vygotsky-related courses in American graduate schools of education have provided me with excellent materials on how different interpretations of his ideas can be. These variations go far beyond any individual differences – however wide the scope of individual differences may be.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Vygotsky's Educational Theory in Cultural Context , pp. 432 - 450Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2003
References
Alexander, R. J. (2000). Culture and pedagogy: International comparisons in primary education. Malden MA: Blackwell
, & (1991). Culture and ownership: Schooling of minority children. Childhood Education, Annual Theme, 280–284CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beach, R. (1993). A teachers' introduction to reader-response theories. Urbana, IL: NCTE
Brislin, R., & Yoshida, T. (Eds.) (1994). Improving intercultural interactions: modules for cross-cultural training programs. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1974). Two worlds of childhood: USandUSSR. London: Penguin Books
Bruner, J. S. (1987). Prologue to the English eldition. In The collected works of L. S. Vygotsky. Vol. 1 . Problem of general psychology. New York: Plenum PressCrossRef
Bruner, J. S. (1995a). Reflecting on russian consciousness. In: Martin, L., Nelson, K., & Tobach, E. (Eds.), Sociocultural psychology: Theory and practice of doing and knowing (pp. 67–88). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Bruner, J. S. (1995b). Vygotsky: A historical and conceptual perspective. In James Wertsch (Ed.), Culture, communication and cognition: Vygotskian perspectives. Cambridge University Press
Bruner, J. S. (1996). The culture of education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press
Cole, M. (1995). Cultural psychology: A once and future discipline. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press
Cushner, K. (1994). Preparing teacher for an intercultural context. In R. Brislin & T. Yoshida (Eds.), Improving intercultural interactions: Modules for cross-cultural training programs (pp. 91–108). Thousand Oaks, CA: SageCrossRef
Cushner, K., & Brislin, R. (Eds.) (1997). Improving intercultural interactions: Modules for cross-cultural training programs. (Vol. 2). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Diaz, C. F. (Ed.) (2001). Multicultural Education on the 21st Century. New York: Longman
Diaz-Gerrero, R. (1975). Psychology of Mexican: Culture and personality. Austin: University of Texas Press
(1995). Partner reading and writing: Peer social dialogue and the zone of proximal development. Journal of Reading Behavior, 27(1), 45–53CrossRefGoogle Scholar
, , & (1996)Shifting paradigm: Emerging issues for educational policy and practice. Teacher Educator, 31(3), 189–201CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Feigenberg, I. M. (1996). L. S. Vygotsky: The way he started: S. F. Dobkin's Memoirs. Jerusalem: Jerusalem Publishing Center
Fry, D., & Bjorkqvist, K. (Eds.) (1997). Cultural variations in conflict resolution: Alternatives to violence. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Elrbaum Associates
Gernsten, R. M., & Jimenez, R. T. (1999). Promoting learning for culturally and linguistically divers students: Classroom applications from contemporary research. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth
(1995). Viewing the disabled in the sociocultural milieu: Vygotsky's quest. School Psychology International, 16, 155–156CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goodman, N. (1994). Intercultural education at the university level: Teacher–student interaction. In R. Brislin & T. Yoshida (Eds.), Improving intercultural interactions: Modules for cross-cultural training programs (pp. 129–147). Thousand Oaks, SageCrossRef
Gudykunst, W. B. (1998). Bridging differences: Effective intergroup communication (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Gudykunst, W., & Kim, Y. Y. (1984). Communicating with strangers: An approach to intercultural communication. New York: McGraw-Hill
Hall, E. T. (1976). Beyond culture. New York: Doubleday
Herskovits, M. (1950). Man and his works. New York: Knopf
Herskovits, M. (1973). Cultural relativism. New York: Random House
Hofstede, G. (1997). Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind (2nd ed.). London: McGraw-Hill
Hollins, E. (1996). Culture in school learning: Revealing the deep meaning. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Elrbaum Associates
Igoa, C. (1995). The inner world of the immigrant child. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Elrbaum Associates
John-Steiner, V., & Cole, M. (1978). Editors' Preface. In: Vygotsky, L. S. Mind in society (pp.IX–Ⅺ). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press
Kozulin, A. (1984). Psychology in utopia: Toward a social history of Soviet psychology. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press
Kozulin, A. (1990). Vygotsky's psychology: A biography of ideas. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press
(1995). The learning process: Vygotsky's theory in the mirror of its interpretations. School Psychology International, 16, 117–129CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kozulin, A. (1998). Psychological tools: A sociocultural approach to education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press
Leont'ev, A. N. (1978). Activity, consciousness, and personality. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall
Luria, A. R. (1976). Cognitive development: Its cultural and social foundations. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press
Martin, L., Nelson, K., & Tobach, E. (Eds.) (1995). Sociocultural psychology: Theory and practice of doing and knowing. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
McNamee, G. D. (1990). Learning to read and write in an inner-city setting: A longitudinal study of community change. In Moll, L. (Ed.), Vygotsky and education: Implications and applications of sociohistorical psychology (pp. 287–303). Cambridge: Cambridge University PressCrossRef
Mead, G. H. (1934). Mind, self and society. Chicago: University of Chicago
(1998, Winter). Entering into multicultural conversations in literature-history classes. Arizona English Bulletin, pp. 10–26Google Scholar
Moll, L. (Ed.) (1990). Vygotsky and education: Implications and applications of sociohistorical psychology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Rene, W., & Warren, A. (1949). Theory of literature. New York: Harcourt
Rogoff, B. (1990). Apprenticeship in thinking. New York: Oxford University Press
Rosa, A., & Montero, I. (1990). The historical context of Vygotsky's work: A sociohistorical approach. In L. Moll. (Ed.), Vygotsky and education: Implications and applications of sociohistorical psychology (pp. 59–88). Cambridge: Cambridge University PressCrossRef
Shade, B., Kelly, C., & Oberg, M. (1997). Creating culturally-responsive classroom. Washington, DC: APA
Sleeter, C., & Grant C. (1999). Making choices for multicultural education. New York: John Wiley & Sons
(1998). Sociocultural psychology and caring pedagogy: Exploring Vygotsky's “hidden curriculum.”Educational Psychologist, 33(1), 23–33CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ting-Toomy, S. (1999). Communicating across cultures. New York: Guilford Press
Tharp, R., & Gallimore, R. (1988). Rising minds to life: Teaching, learning and schooling in social context. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Tomasello, M. 1999. The cultural origins of human cognition. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press
van der Veer, R., & Valsiner, J. (1991) Understanding Vygotsky: A quest for synthesis. Oxford: Basil Blackwell
Vygotsky, L. S. (1962). Thought and language. (E. Hanfmann & G. Vakar, Eds. and Trans.). Cambridge, MA: The MIT PressCrossRef
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press
Vygotsky, L. S. (1997). The History of development of higher mental functions. New York: Plenum Press
Vygotsky, L. S. (1998). Child psychology. New York: Plenum Press
Wertch, J. V. (1990). The voice of rationality in a sociocultural approach to mind. In L. Moll (Ed.), Vygotsky and education: Implications and applications of sociohistorical psychology (pp. 111–125). Cambridge: Cambridge University PressCrossRef
Wertch, J. V. (1991). Voices of the mind. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press
Yoshida, T. Interpersonal versus non-interpersonal realities: An effective tool individualists can use to better understand collectivists. In R. Brislin & T. Yoshida (Eds.), Improving intercultural interactions: Modules for cross-cultural training programs (pp. 243–267). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
- 23
- Cited by