Vygotsky's social constructivism: psychological phenomena emerge from social interaction¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The article identifies Vygotsky as the pioneer of social constructivism, whose social learning theory holds that "psychological phenomena emerge from social interaction." Mental elements are social artifacts such as signs, symbols, and linguistic terms, and anyone directly interacting with the learner belongs to the learner's social world. The authors link Vygotsky's emphasis on social transformation to his experience of revolutionary Russia.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Social interaction and social relationships within the learner's environment

Constraints¶

Target Learners¶

• learners in socially structured learning environments

Target Learning Objectives¶

• constructing meaning through social interaction

Claims¶

Related Theories¶

• Co-constructionism requires an active individual, an active environment, and culture
• Sociocultural Theory
• Constructivism as a theory of knowledge and learning with individualistic, social, and combined branches
• Constructivism
• Social constructionism as the basis for collaborative writing instruction
• Theoretical grounding of LAD design in SCT, SRL, constructivism, social cognitive theory, and transformative learning

Examples¶

• In constructivist classrooms the teacher acts as a facilitator while learners construct, question, and integrate meaning

Key Sources¶

• Liu, C. C., & Chen, I. J. (2010). Evolution Of Constructivism. Contemporary Issues In Education Research, 3(4). https://www.cluteinstitute.com/ojs/index.php/cier