Child Language Acquistion- Vygotsky's Social Development Theory

Lev Vygotsky- Social Development Theory

Social Development Theory asserts three major themes regarding social interaction- the more knowledgeable other and the zone of proximital development.

Social Interaction-

Social Interaction plays a fundamental role in the process of cognitive devolopment. In contrast to Jean Piaget's theory (in which development necessarily precedes learning). Vygotsky felt social learning precedes development.

The More Knowledgeable Other (MKO)-

The MKO refers to anyone who has a better understanding or a higher ability level than the learner, with respect to a particular task, process or concept. The MKO is normally thought of as being a teacher, coach, or older adult, but the MKO could also be a peer, younger person or even a computer.

The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)-

The ZPD is the distance between a student's ability to perform a task under adult guidance and/or peer guidance and the student's ability to solve the problem…