Sociocultural Theory and Second Language Learning

The intent of this chapter is to familiarize readers with the principles and con-structs of an approach to learning and mental development known as Socio-cultural Theory.1 Sociocultural Theory (SCT) has its origins in the writings of the Russian psychologist L. S. Vygotsky and his colleagues. SCT argues that human mental functioning is fundamentally a mediated process that is orga-nized by cultural artifacts, activities, and concepts (Ratner, 2002).2 Within this framework, humans are understood to utilize existing cultural artifacts and to create new ones that allow them to regulate their biological and be-havioral activity. Language use, organization, and structure are the primary means of mediation.…