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Title: | Vygotsky's socio-historic theory of cognitive development: a search for an alternative and relevant theory of cognition for Colleges of Education in Zimbabwe |
Authors: | Dyanda, Chipo MacLane, Joan B. |
Year: | 2000 |
Periodical: | Zimbabwe Journal of Educational Research (ISSN 1013-3445) |
Volume: | 12 |
Issue: | 2 |
Pages: | 210-265 |
Language: | English |
Geographic terms: | Zimbabwe Southern Africa |
Subjects: | pedagogy teacher education |
Abstract: | L.S. Vygotsky's (1978) sociohistoric theory of cognitive development is of the same standing and explanatory power as that of Piaget. Compared to the dominant theories of child development in Zimbabwean Theory of Education syllabuses, which are framed by Western ideological and cultural perspectives, Vygotsky's theory accords with Zimbabwe's traditional child rearing practices. It therefore constitutes an alternative, 'relevant' theory of child development for use in Zimbabwe's Colleges of Education. Moreover, the conditions of learning it embodies should allay the fears of the Western socialized Zimbabwean educator who is sceptical about investing in an asymmetrical child-adult relationship. The Vygotskian paradigm presents a vibrant theory of the development of cognition and a powerful theory of instruction and teacher education consistent with Zimbabwean indigenous cultures. The paper includes an analysis of six adult-child interaction language transcripts to show some Vygotskian principles at work. App., bibliogr., sum. |