Sociocultural Theory in Second Language Education

An Introduction through Narratives

By Merrill Swain, Penny Kinnear, Linda Steinman

Multilingual Matters

Copyright © 2015 Merrill Swain, Penny Kinnear and Linda Steinman
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-78309-316-8

Contents

Acknowledgments,
A note from the authors on the publication of this second edition,
Vygotsky's story in brief,
Introduction,
1: Mona: Across time and geography Mediation,
2: Madame Tremblay: A French immersion story The zone of proximal development (ZPD),
3: Narrative 1: Jody (talking to self) Narrative 2: Sophie and Rachel (talking to others and self) Languaging: Private speech and collaborative dialogue,
4: Thaya: Writing across languages Everyday and scientific concepts: Establishing connections,
5: Grace: The effect of affect Interrelatedness of cognition and emotion,
6: Sandra's story: A teacher's dilemma Activity theory,
7: Yang: Being assessed Assessment from an SCT perspective,
8: Maria and the Beatles; Jean-Paul and Second Life The floor is yours,
Discussion,
Glossary,
Bibliography,
Index,

CHAPTER 1

Mona: Across time and geography

Key SCT tenets related to mediation

* All higher mental processes (cognitive/affective) are mediated by material and symbolic artifacts

* In order to understand the 'now', we need to trace the process of how an individual got to that point. This is the genetic method

* Individuals do not have 'free will', but are rather 'persons-operating- with-mediational-means'

* Mediational means offer both affordances and constraints

* Through a process of internalization, intermental activity is transformed to intramental activity

* Individuals change artifacts, which, in turn, change the individuals

Setting of this narrative

Languages: home dialect, Mandarin, English

Context: English as a foreign language in China; English as a second language in the USA in an MA TESOL program, and later in Canada in a PhD program

Key terms in this chapter

(see glossary at the back of this textbook)

Mediation (material and symbolic)

Mediational means (tools, signs/symbols, artifacts)

Affordances and constraints

Internalization (mastery, appropriation)

Intermental (interpsychological) processes

Intramental (intrapsychological) processes

Genesis (ontogenesis)

Agency

Mediation

Through mediation the social and individual are brought together in dialectic unity.

Mediation occurs when something comes between us and the world and acts in a shaping, planning, or directing manner.

Introduction

We interact with the material and symbolic world around us. Sometimes, our interactions are direct: a bee stings and we swat the bee. In this unmediated interaction, we use no tools or mediational means; nothing comes between us and the physical sensations (sting) and action (swatting). At other times, the interactions are materially or symbolically mediated. A bee circles, we take a book and swat the bee. In this mediated interaction, we use a material tool (the book) to extend our reach and protect us from the bee's sting. Yet another time, a bee circles, and we recall what we have read about bee behavior and move the plate of pineapple away. In this last scenario, we use a symbolic artifact – language written in a book about bee behavior – to plan and direct (mediate) our interaction with that annoying bee. That is, these material and symbolic artifacts mediate our interaction with bees.

Our goal in this chapter is to mediate your understanding of the concept of mediation! The most important artifact in accomplishing this goal is the narrative which follows these brief introductory remarks. The narrative includes reference to many artifacts that mediated the learning of an additional language, which in Mona's case, was English. By the end of this chapter, you should have an understanding of concepts such asmediation, mediational means, mediated activities and artifacts: material and symbolic.

In SCT, all human-made objects (material and symbolic) are artifacts. Examples include tables, clothes, books, numbers, languages, concepts and belief systems. But not all artifacts are mediating means; that is, they do not by virtue of their existence act as shapers of our interaction with the world. They have the potential to become mediating means, but until used as such, they offer only affordances and constraints to an individual. When that same book that was used to swat the bee is lying closed on a shelf, it is not a mediational tool. When used as a mediational means (tool), we need to consider the artifact itself and the where, why, when and how of its use.

Amply illustrated in the following story of Mona is the interweaving of artifacts as mediational means with Mona's changing and dynamic English learning goals. According to Lantolf and Thorne (2006, p. 62), within SCT, artifacts can be simultaneously material and symbolic aspects of goal-directed activity. Humans using artifacts to attain goals constitute an activity. Perhaps Vygotsky's most important claim – because of its far-reaching pedagogical implications – is that all forms of human mental activity are mediated by material and/or symbolic means that are constructed within and through cultural activity.

Stories are a rich source of data and can yield new insights each time they are revisited. In this chapter, we will read of Mona's experience learning English across time and geography. Her story was told as part of a research project in which participants were interviewed to uncover their individual language learning histories. Among many questions asked by the researcher (Linda), one included asking Mona to describe moments when she had felt competent in her use of the English language, what the researcher referred to as 'landings'. The information Mona provided relevant to her sense of being a capable user of English was fascinating and contributed much to that study (Steinman, 2007). Reading Mona's story again three years later, provided an opportunity to examine her experiences for evidence of mediation. As you read Mona's story, try to identify both material and symbolic mediational means that Mona used as she pursued her English learning goals.

This first chapter may seem packed because it is one in which we lay down the foundation for what is to come. It is one we expect you will return to often. SCT concepts which are discussed in this chapter will be revisited throughout this textbook. The essence of sociocultural theory is the interconnectedness of its concepts. In introducing sociocultural theory it is always diffcult to know where to start as it is diffcult to explicate any one concept without the aid, and an understanding, of the others. By the end of this textbook, we hope you will be able to grasp the 'wholeness' of the theory through an understanding of its concepts and their interrelationships.

Mona: Across time and geography

Highlights of Mona's life history

1959 Born in China

1971 Started to learn English (few affordances due to the Cultural Revolution) at age 12

1966–76 Cultural Revolution

1976 Moved to countryside. Began to teach English at age 17 at the village school. Continued...