This provocative new work on children's development in context presents recent theoretical developments and research findings that have been generated by sociocultural theory. Sociocultural theory began with the work of L.S. Vygotsky and his colleagues but has been significantly expanded and modified recent years. Since the late 1970s, sociocultural theory has challenged existing notions of cognitive development by suggesting that psychological functioning is specific to its social context and is dependent on the mastery of culturally defined modes of speaking, thinking, and acting. For this volume, the editors have assembled a list of contributors noted for their distinguished work in sociocultural theory and research. Taken together, they offer a multifaceted perspective on an emerging research paradigm and argue for a fundamental reconceptualization of mind and its development. Three main themes are explored in detail: discourse and learning in classroom practice, interpersonal relations in formal and informal education, and the institutional context of learning. Research findings are consistently discussed in terms of their theoretical implications. The book includes three commentary chapters and an afterword that propose future directions for sociocultural research. This book will be of interest to a wide range of researchers, educators, and students concerned with the theory and practice of developmental, educational, social, and cognitive psychology.

Traditionally, human cognition has been seen and studied as existing solely "inside" a person, irrelevant to the social, physical, and artifactual context in which cognition takes place. This book reexamines the nature of cognition and proposes that a clearer understanding of human cognition would be achieved if it were conceptualized and studied as distributed among individuals; knowledge is socially constructed through collaborative efforts toward shared objectives within cultural surroundings, and that information is processed among individuals and the tools and artifacts provided by culture. The contributors to this thought-provoking text enhance their arguments by offering examples from daily life and educational activities. Researchers in a number of social and scientific fields will welcome this book. (view table of contents)