Abstract
The present conceptual analysis begins with an assertion that the most fundamental act in any educational endeavors is establishing their goals. The discussion proceeds to reviewing recent pertinent literature that presents Vygotsky’s theory of development as a useful source in providing guidance to establishing the goals of education in rapidly changing times. Based on the theoretical framework provided by Vygotsky and various sociocultural researchers, it is argued that the most important goal of contemporary education is equipping every student with psychological tools. After detailed conceptual analyses of psychological tools, concrete examples are provided from two instructional fields. Drama-based instruction and bilingual instruction are given as concrete examples of psychological tools in literacy and English as a second language (ESL), respectively, based on the notion that psychological tools link the developing system of knowledge with that of the already developed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anderson, R. C. (1977). The notion of schemata and the educational enterprise. In R. C. Anderson, R. J. Spiro, & W. E. Montague (Eds.), Schooling and the acquisition of knowledge (pp. 415–431). Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Ariza, E. N., Morales-Jones, C. A., Yahya, N., & Zainuddin, H. (2002). Why TESOL?: Theories and issues in teaching English as a second language for K-12 teachers (2nd ed.). Dubuque: Kendall/Hunt Publishing.
Baker, C. (2006). Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism (4th ed.). New York: Multilingual Matters Ltd.
Bakhtin, M. M. (1981). The dialogic imagination (M. Holquist, Ed.; C. Emerson & M. Holquist, Trans). Austin: University of Texas Press.
Baldwin, P., & Fleming, K. (2003). Teaching literacy through drama: creative approaches. New York: RoutledgeFalmer.
Biesta, G. (2009). Good education in an age of measurement: on the need to reconnect with the question of purpose in education. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, 21(1), 33–46.
Biesta, G. (2010). Good education in an age of measurement: ethics, politics, democracy. Boulder: Paradigm Publishers.
Biesta, G. (2014). Cultivating humanity or educating the human? Two options for education in the knowledge age. Asia Pacific Education Review, 15, 13–19.
Bruner, J. (1996). The culture of education. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Crawford, J. (1999). Bilingual education: history, politics, theory, and practice (4th ed.). Los Angeles: Bilingual Educational Services.
Cubero, M., & de la Mata, M. (2001). Activity settings, ways of thinking and discourse modes: an empirical investigation of the heterogeneity of verbal thinking. In S. Chaiklin (Ed.), The theory and practice of cultural-historical psychology (pp. 218–237). Aarhus: Aarhus University Press.
Daniels, H. (2001). Vygotsky and pedagogy. New York: Routledge Falmer.
DiPardo, A., & Potter, C. (2003). Beyond cognition: a Vygotskian perspective on emotionality and teachers’ professional lives. In A. Kozulin, B. Gindis, V. S. Ageyev, & S. M. Miller (Eds.), Vygotsky’s educational theory in cultural context (pp. 317–345). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Eun, B., & Heining-Boynton, A. L. (2007). The impact of an English as a second language professional development program: a social cognitive approach. The Journal of Educational Research, 101, 36–48.
Eun, B., Knotek, S. E., & Heining-Boynton, A. L. (2008). Reconceptualizing the zone of proximal development: the importance of the third voice. Educational Psychology Review, 43(2), 133–147.
Feigenbaum, P. (2002). Private speech: cornerstone of Vygotsky’s theory of the development of higher psychological processes. In D. Robbins & A. Stetsenko (Eds.), Voices within Vygotsky’s non-classical psychology: past, present, future (pp. 161–174). New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
Hall, J. K. (1999). A prosaics of interaction: the development of interactional competence in another language. In E. Hinkel (Ed.), Culture in second language teaching and learning (pp. 137–151). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Hasan, R. (2002). Semiotic mediation and mental development in pluralistic societies: some implications for tomorrow’s schooling. In G. Wells & G. Claxton (Eds.), Learning for life in the 21st century: sociocultural perspectives on the future of education (pp. 112–126). Malden: Blackwell Publishers.
Kozulin, A. (1998). Psychological tools: a sociocultural approach to education. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Kozulin, A. (2003). Psychological tools and mediated learning. In A. Kozulin, B. Gindis, V. S. Ageyev, & S. M. Miller (Eds.), Vygotsky’s educational theory in cultural context (pp. 15–38). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kozulin, A., & Presseisen, B. Z. (1995). Mediated learning experience and psychological tools: Vygotsky’s and Feuerstein’s perspectives in a study of student learning. Educational Psychologist, 30(2), 67–75.
Lantolf, J. P. (1999). Social culture acquisition: cognitive considerations. In E. Hinkel (Ed.), Culture in second language teaching and learning (pp. 28–46). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Leont’ev, A. N. (1932). The development of voluntary attention in the child. Genetic Psychology, 2, 52–81.
Leont’ev, A. N. (1997). On Vygotsky’s creative development (R. van der Veer, Trans.). In R. W. Rieber & J. Wollock (Eds.), The collected works of L. S. Vygotsky. Vol. 3. Problems of the theory and history of psychology (pp. 9–32). New York: Plenum Press.
Leont’ev, D. A. (2002). Activity theory approach: Vygotsky in the present. In D. Robbins & A. Stetsenko (Eds.), Voices within Vygotsky’s non-classical psychology: past, present, future (pp. 45–61). New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
Leyba, C. F. (1994). (Ed.). Schooling and language minority students: a theoretical framework (2nd ed.). Los Angeles: University of California, Evaluation, Dissemination, and Assessment Center.
McMaster, J. C. (2002). “Doing” literature: using drama to build literacy. In International Reading Association (Ed.), Evidence-based reading instruction: putting the National Reading Panel report into practice (pp. 207–217). Newark: International Reading Association.
Mercer, N. (2000). Words and minds: how we use language to think together. London: Routledge.
Mercer, N. (2002). Developing dialogues. In G. Wells & G. Claxton (Eds.), Learning for life in the 21st century: sociocultural perspectives on the future of education (pp. 141–153). Malden: Blackwell Publishers.
Mercer, N. (2008). Talk and the development of reasoning and understanding. Human Development, 51, 90–100.
Moll, L. S. (Ed.) (1990). Vygotsky and education: instructional implications and applications of sociohistorical psychology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Moll, L. S., & Greenberg, J. B. (1990). Creating zones of possibilities: combining social contexts for instruction. In L. C. Moll (Ed.), Vygotsky and education: instructional implications and applications of sociohistorical psychology (pp. 319–348). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Moll, L. C., Amanti, C., Neff, D., & Gonzalez, N. (1992). Funds of knowledge for teaching: using a qualitative approach to connect homes and classrooms. Theory Into Practice, 31(2), 132–141.
Palincsar, A. S., & Herrenkohl, L. R. (1999). Designing collaborative contexts: lessons from three research programs. In A. M. O’Donnell & A. King (Eds.), Cognitive perspectives on peer learning (pp. 151–178). Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Pontecorvo, C., & Sterponi, L. (2002). Learning to argue and reason through discourse in educational settings. In G. Wells & G. Claxton (Eds.), Learning for life in the 21st century: sociocultural perspectives on the future of education (pp. 127–140). Malden: Blackwell Publishers.
Radzikhovskii, L. A. (1991). Dialogue as a unit of analysis of consciousness. Soviet Psychology, 29(3), 8–21.
Robbins, D. (2001). Vygotsky’s psychology-philosophy: a metaphor for language theory and learning. New York: Kluwer Academic/ Plenum Publishers.
Rose, K. R. (1999). Teachers and students learning about requests in Hong Kong. In E. Hinkel (Ed.), Culture in second language teaching and learning (pp. 167–180). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Samway, K. D., & McKeon, D. (1999). Myths and realities: best practices for language minority students. Portsmouth: Heinemann.
Scarcella, R. (1990). Teaching language minority students in the multicultural classroom. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall.
Scribner, S., & Cole, M. (1981). The psychology of literacy. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Sinha, C. (1988). Language and representation. New York: Harvester Press.
Smylie, M. A., & Conyers, J. G. (1991). Changing conceptions of teaching influence the future of staff development. Journal of Staff Development, 12, 12–16.
Sokolova, E. E. (2002). The relationship between Vygotsky’s and Leont’ev’s research traditions as revealed through an analysis of Leont’ev’s early works. In D. Robbins & A. Stetsenko (Eds.), Voices within Vygotsky’s non-classical psychology: past, present, future (pp. 63–76). New York: Nova Science Publishers, Inc.
Stetsenko, A., & Arievitch, I. (2002). Teaching, learning, and development: a post-Vygotskian perspective. In G. Wells & G. Claxton (Eds.), Learning for life in the 21st century: sociocultural perspectives on the future of education (pp. 84–96). Malden: Blackwell Publishers.
Tobach, E. (1995). The uniqueness of human labor. In L. M. W. Martin, K. N. Nelson, & E. Tobach (Eds.), Sociocultural psychology: theory and practice of doing and knowing (pp. 43–66). New York: Cambridge University Press.
van der Veer, R., & Valsiner, J. (1991). Understanding Vygotsky: a quest for synthesis. Oxford: Blackwell.
Veresov, N. (1999). Undiscovered Vygotsky: etudes on the pre-history of cultural-historical psychology. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: the development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1981). The genesis of higher mental functions. In J. V. Wertsch (Ed.), The concept of activity in Soviet psychology (pp. 144–188). Armonk: M. E. Sharpe, Inc.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1987). Thinking and speech. In R. Rieber & A. Carton (Eds.), The collected works of L. S. Vygotsky (N. Minick, Trans.) (Vol.1, pp. 39–285). New York: Plenum Press.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1997a). Preface to Köhler. In R. W. Rieber & J. Wollock (Eds.), The collected works of L. S. Vygotsky. Vol. 3. Problems of the theory and history of psychology (R. van der Veer, Trans.). (pp. 175–194). New York: Plenum Press.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1997) Research method. In R. W. Rieber (Ed.), The collected works of L. S. Vygotsky. Vol. 4. The history of the development of higher mental functions (M. J. Hall Trans.) (pp. 27–63). New York: Plenum Press.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1997c). The instrumental method in psychology. In R. W. Rieber & J. Wollock (Eds.), The collected works of L. S. Vygotsky. Vol. 3. Problems of the theory and history of psychology (R. van der Veer, Trans.). (pp. 85–89). New York: Plenum Press.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1998). The problem of age. In R. W. Rieber (Ed.), The collected works of L. S. Vygotsky. Vol. 5. Child psychology (M. J. Hall Trans.) (pp. 187–205). New York: Plenum Press.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1999). Tool and sign in the development of the child. In R. W. Rieber (Ed.), The collected works of L. S. Vygotsky. Vol 6. Scientific Legacy (M. J. Hall Trans.). (pp. 3–68). New York: Plenum Press.
Vygotsky, L. S., & Luria, A. (1994). Tool and symbol in child development. In R. Van der Veer & J. Valsiner (Eds.), The Vygotsky reader (pp. 99–174). Cambridge: Blackwell.
Wells, G., & Claxton, G. (2002). Introduction: sociocultural perspectives on the future of education. In G. Wells & G. Claxton (Eds.), Learning for life in the 21st century: sociocultural perspectives on the future of education (pp. 1–17). Malden: Blackwell Publishers.
Wertsch, J. V. (1985). Vygotsky and the social formation of mind. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Wertsch, J. V. (1991). Voices of the mind: a socio-cultural approach to mediated action. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Wertsch, J. V. (1998). Mind as action. New York: Oxford University Press.
Wertsch, J. V., Tulviste, P., & Hagstrom, F. (1993). A sociocultural approach to agency. In E. A. Forman, N. Minick, & C. A. Stone (Eds.), Contexts for learning: sociocultural dynamics in children’s development (pp. 336–356). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Barohny Eun. Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA. Email address: barohny.eun@duke.edu, phone number: (919) 904-4379, fax number: (919) 904-4379
Current themes of research:
Building instructional models based on the sociocultural theory.
Most relevant publications in the field of Psychology of Education:
Eun, B. (in press). The culturally gifted classroom: A sociocultural approach to the inclusive education of English language learners. Educational Psychology in Practice.
Eun, B. (in press). Bringing Vygotsky and Bakhtin into the second language classroom: A focus on the unfinalized nature of communication. The Journal of Language Teaching and Learning.
Eun, B. (2011). A Vygotskian theory-based professional development: Implications for culturally diverse classrooms. Professional Development in Education, 37(3), 319–333.
Eun, B. (2010). From learning to development: A sociocultural approach to instruction. Cambridge Journal of Education, 40(4), 401–418.
Eun, B., & Lim, H-S. (2009). A sociocultural view of language learning: The importance of meaning-based instruction. TESL Canada Journal, 27(1), 12–26.
Eun, B. (2008). Making connections: Grounding professional development in the developmental theories of Vygotsky. The Teacher Educator, 43(2), 134–155.
Eun, B., Knotek, S. E., & Heining-Boynton, A. L. (2008). Reconceptualizing the zone of proximal development: The importance of the third voice. Educational Psychology Review, 43(2), 133–147.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Eun, B. Equipping every student with psychological tools: a Vygotskian guide to establishing the goals of education. Eur J Psychol Educ 31, 613–627 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-015-0280-7
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10212-015-0280-7