Sociocultural Theory and Second Language Acquisition

1995 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 108-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
James P. Lantolf ◽  
Aneta Pavlenko
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Activity Theory ◽  
Educational Research ◽  
Sociocultural Theory ◽  
Zone Of Proximal Development ◽  
Private Speech ◽  
Proximal Development ◽  
L2 Learning

Although the sociocultural theory (henceforth SCT) of mental activity, rooted in the work of L. S. Vygotsky and his colleagues, has certainly come to the fore in developmental and educational research (cf. Forman, et al. 1993, Lave and Wenger 1991, Moll 1990, Newman, et al. 1989), it is still very much the “new kid on the block” as far as SLA research is concerned. Recently, however, SCT has begun to enjoy increased attention among L2 researchers, as is amply attested in the bibliography of this paper. This research has focused on three general areas: activity theory and the relevance of motives and goals for L2 learning; the role of private speech in L2 learning; and learning in the zone of proximal development. These areas serve as the organizing basis for the survey that follows. The overview begins, however, with a brief, but necessary, overview of the theory itself.

scholarly journals Dyskurs edukacyjny w klasie językowej z perspektywy teorii społeczno-kulturowej

Neofilolog ◽  
1970 ◽  
pp. 27-42
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Rokoszewska
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Activity Theory ◽  
Classroom Discourse ◽  
Zone Of Proximal Development ◽  
Private Speech ◽  
Proximal Development ◽  
Sociocultural Research

The present paper focuses on classroom discourse from the perspective of Sociocultural Theory. This theory, represented mainly by Vygotsky (1978), Leont'ev (1978) and Wertsch (1985), has been applied to second language acquisition by researchers such as Lantolf (1994). Firstly, the paper presents the view of language and language learning and the main constructs in sociocultural SLA, such as mediation through social interaction, mediation by means of private speech, internalization, the zone of proximal development, and Activity Theory. The methodology of sociocultural research is also taken into consideration. Secondly, the paper describes a number of studies into classroom discourse which are discussed in reference to the constructs mentioned above. Thirdly and finally, the paper provides some evaluation of the theory in question.

Sociocultural theory and concept-based language instruction

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
James P. Lantolf ◽  
Jiao Xi ◽  
Valeriya Minakova
Keyword(s):  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Sociocultural Theory ◽  
Dynamic Assessment ◽  
Zone Of Proximal Development ◽  
Language Instruction ◽  
The Other ◽  
Educational Setting ◽  
Pedagogical Practice ◽  
Proximal Development ◽  
Based Instruction

In the initial sociocultural theory (SCT) timeline, Lantolf and Beckett (2009) surveyed a broad spectrum of research informed by sociocultural psychology as it was extended into the field of second language acquisition and language teaching. Since that time, the amount of research that has been published within the SCT framework has grown exponentially. With regard to the educational setting, two major strands of research have emerged; one that addresses pedagogical practice and the other that deals with assessment. The assessment strand, Dynamic Assessment, adheres to principles that emerge from the SCT concept of the Zone of Proximal Development and is the topic of a separate timeline (see Poehner & Wang, forthcoming). The pedagogical strand, the topic of the present article, is generally referred to as Concept-based Language Instruction (C-BLI), although in some publications the rubric Concept-based Instruction (CBI) is used. Unfortunately, the abbreviation of the alternative rubric has on more than one occasion been confused with content-based instruction, also abbreviated as CBI. We would like to suggest here that it would be better if SCT researchers were to adopt C-BLI to avoid misinterpretations going forward.

The role of (un)awareness in SLA

2017 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald P. Leow ◽  
Lucia Donatelli
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Broad Perspective ◽  
Learning Conditions ◽  
L2 Learning

The construct ‘awareness’ is undoubtedly one of the more difficult constructs to operationalize and measure in both second language acquisition (SLA) and non-SLA fields of research. Indeed, the multi-faceted nature of awareness is clearly exemplified in concepts that include perception, detection, and noticing, and also in type of learning or learning conditions (implicit, explicit, incidental, subliminal), type of consciousness (autonoetic, noetic, anoetic), and type of awareness (language, phenomenal, meta-cognitive, situational). Given this broad perspective, this article provides, from a psycholinguistic perspective, a timeline on the research that addresses the role of awareness or lack thereof in second/foreign language (L2) learning.

scholarly journals Research Timeline: Form-focused instruction and second language acquisition

2015 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hossein Nassaji
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Formal Instruction ◽  
Zero Position ◽  
L2 Learning ◽  
The One ◽  
L1 And L2 ◽  
Learner Language

This article provides a timeline of research on form-focused instruction (FFI). Over the past 40 years, research on the role of instruction has undergone many changes. Much of the early research concentrated on determining whether formal instruction makes any difference in the development of learner language. This question was motivated in part by a theoretical discussion in the field of cognitive psychology over the role of explicit versus implicit learning, on the one hand, and a debate in the field of second language acquisition (SLA) over the role of naturalistic exposure versus formal instruction, on the other. In the early 1980s, for example, based on the notion that the processes involved in second language (L2) learning are similar to those in first language (L1) learning, Krashen (e.g., Krashen 1981, 1982, 1985) made a distinction between learning and acquisition and claimed that an L2 should be acquired through natural exposure not learned through formal instruction. Thus, he claimed that FFI has little beneficial effect on language acquisition. This position, which has also been known as a ‘zero position’ on instruction, was also taken by a number of other researchers who argued that L1 and L2 learning follow similar processes and that what L2 learners need in order to acquire a second language is naturalistic exposure to meaning-focused communication rather than formal instruction (Dulay & Burt 1974; Felix 1981; Prabhu 1987; Schwartz 1993; Zobl 1995).

scholarly journals The Role of Sociocultural Theory in L2 Empirical Research

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Sociocultural Theory ◽  
Wide Angle ◽  
Sociocultural Perspective ◽  
Interdisciplinary Field ◽  
Social Applications

Second language acquisition (SLA) is a complex, interdisciplinary field of study which has its roots in subjects as varied as cognition and psychology to social applications and actions in anthropology and sociology (Han & Nassaji, 2019). One of the oldest and most influential ideas in SLA comes from the sociocultural perspective and, in particular, the work of Soviet psychologist Lev Vygotsky. Nearly a century ago, Vygotsky attempted to connect the seemingly disparate areas of society, culture, and cognition in his unifying, wide-angle theory called Sociocultural Theory (SCT).

Könyvismertetések

2007 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 253-265
Author(s):  
István Fekete ◽  
Mária Gósy ◽  
Rozália Eszter Ivády ◽  
Péter Kardos
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Language Acquisition ◽  
Speech Production ◽  
Perception And Action

DianePecherés RolfA. Zwaan(szerk.): Grounding cognition: The role of perception and action in memory, language, and thinking (Fekete István)     253 CsépeValéria: Az olvasó agy (Gósy Mária) 256 Kormos, Judit: Speech production and second language acquisition (Ivády Rozália Eszter)      260 MarosánGyörgy: Hogyan készül a történelem? (Kardos Péter) 263

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