FM-AA-CIA-15 Rev.

0 10-July-2020

Study Guide in Prof. Ed. 102 Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles Module No. 8

STUDY GUIDE FOR MODULE NO. 8

Developmental Theories and other Relevant Theories:

VYGOTSKY’S SOCIO-CULTURAL THEORY
KOHLBERG’S STAGES OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT
MODULE OVERVIEW

The key theme of Vygotsky’s theory is that social interaction plays a very important role in cognitive
development. He believed that individual development could not be understood without looking into
the social and cultural context within which development happens. Scaffolding is Vygotsky’s term for
the appropriate assistance given by the teacher to assist the learner accomplish a task.

In this module, Kohlberg’s theory of moral development will be discussed. He was interested in
studying the development of moral reasoning. He based his theory on the findings of Piaget in
studying cognitive development. Our ability to choose right from wrong is tied with our ability to
understand and reason logically.

MODULE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

In this module, challenge yourself to:

 Explain why Vygotsky’s theory is called “Socio-cultural theory.”

 Differentiate Piaget and Vygotsky’s views on cognitive development.
 Explain how scaffolding is useful in teaching skill.
 Explain the stages of moral development of Kohlberg.
 Analyze a person’s level of moral reasoning based on his responses to moral dilemmas.
 Cite how the theory of moral development can be applied to your work as a teacher later on.

LEARNING CONTENTS : VYGOTSKY’S SOCIO-CULTURAL THEORY

When Vygotsky was a young boy he was educated under a teacher who used the Socratic method.
This method was a systematic question and answer approach that allowed Vygotsky to examine
current thinking and practice higher levels of understanding. This experience, together with his
interest in literature and his work as a teacher, led him to recognize social interaction and language
as two central factors in cognitive development. His theory became known as the Socio-Cultural
Theory of Development.

Piaget and Vygotsky

Vygotsky worked on his theory around the same time as Piaget in between the 1920's and 30's but
they had clear differences in their views about cognitive development. Since Piaget was taken up
already in the preceding module, it would be easier now to see how his views compare with
Vygotsky's.

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Study Guide in Prof. Ed. 102 Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles Module No. 8

Piaget Vygotsky

More individual in focus More social in focus

Believed that there are universal stages of

Did not propose stages but emphasized
cognitive development on cultural factors in cognitive
development
Did not give much emphasis on language Stressed the role of language in cognitive
development
SOCIO-CULTURAL THEORY OF DEVELOPMENT

1. Social Interaction
Vygotsky states the importance of cultural and social context for learning. Cognitive
development stems from social interactions from guided learning within the zone of proximal
development as children and their partner's co-construct knowledge. In contrast, Piaget
maintains that cognitive development stems largely from independent explorations in which
children construct knowledge of their own.
For Vygotsky, the environment in which children grow up will influence how they think and
what they think about.

2. Cultural Factors
Vygotsky suggested that cultures are actually formed through the use of tools and symbols,
and that this key distinction is what differentiates the human race from that of animals.
Intelligence is achieved when a learner can “internalize” the tools that are being provided in
the culture itself. When the tools of a culture evolve and emerge, the learners’ ability to grow
as individuals and increase their knowledge base is broadened. As such, according to the
Sociocultural Learning Theory, it's important for instructors to understand the human mind
from a historical point of view as well as a cultural one.

3. Language
According to the Sociocultural Learning Theory, language is a direct result of the symbols
and tools that emerge within a culture. An individual is able to learn language through a
variety of social events, scenarios and processes, which all result in the acquisition of
language. This aspect of the Sociocultural Learning Theory relies upon the idea that learners
go through three stages of speech development. First, they must engage in the social
environment, which is known as “social speech” and begins at the age of 2. Next, they will
learn about “private speech”, which occurs when learners voice their thoughts aloud, and
begins at the age of 3. The last is “inner speech”, which takes the form of ideas that remain
within our minds and directly impact our behavior or thoughts, and begins at the age of 7.

4. Zone of Proximal Development

This is the “gap” or distance that exists between a learner's possible educational
development, which is determined through problem solving activities, and the development
that actually takes place. This is assessed when learners are asked to engage in problem
solving tasks under the supervision of an instructor. Their responses and capabilities are
then compared to that of their peers. This assessment is based upon a spectrum, wherein
what learners are capable of doing without any assistance is at one end of the spectrum,
and what they can do while being assisted is at the other. In essence, the zone allows
instructors to learn what a student is not yet capable of doing or has not yet learned, but can
be taught with the proper instruction.

Read more on:

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Study Guide in Prof. Ed. 102 Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles Module No. 8

http://www.ceebl.manchester.ac.uk/events/archive/aligningcollaborativelearning/Vygotsky.pdf
https://educationaltechnology.net/lev-vygotsky-sociocultural-theory-of-cognitive-development/

LEARNING ACTIVITY 1

Write a reflection on Vygotsky’s Socio-Cultural Theory. Write down your thoughts and
feelings in no less than 150 words.

LEARNING CONTENTS : KOHLBERG’S STAGES OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT

Lawrence Kohlberg built on Piaget's work, and set the groundwork for the present debate within
psychology on moral development. Like Piaget, he believed that children form ways of thinking
through their experiences which include understandings of moral concepts such as justice, rights,
equality and human welfare. Kohlberg followed the development of moral judgment and extended
the ages covered by Piaget, and found out that the process of attaining moral maturity took longer
and occurred slower than Piaget had thought

If Piaget designed specific tasks (Piagetian tasks) to learn about the cognitive development of
children, Kohlberg utilized moral dilemmas (Kohlberg dilemmas). The case you read in the Activity
part of this module was written for this module but was based on how Kohlberg wrote his dilemmas.
Like Piaget, he presented these dilemmas to the individuals in his research and asked for their
responses. He did not aim to judge whether the responses were right or wrong. He was interested
in analyzing the moral reasoning behind the responses.

From his research, Kohlberg identified six stages of moral reasoning grouped into three major
levels. Each level represents a significant change in the social-moral reasoning or perspective of the
person.

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Study Guide in Prof. Ed. 102 Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles Module No. 8

Read more on:

https://www.simplypsychology.org/kohlberg.html

LEARNING ACTIVITY 2

Identify the stage of moral development shown in the following:

______1. Joy allows her classmates to copy her homework so that they will think she is kind and
will like her to be their friend.
______2. Ricky does everything to get passing grades because his Mom will take his play station
away if he gets bad grades.
______3. A civic action group protests the use of pills for family planning, saying that although the
government allows this, it is actually murder because the pills are abortifacient (causes
abortion)
______4. Jinky lets Hannah copy during their math test because Hannah agreed to let her copy
during their sibika test.
______5. Karen decides to return the wallet she found in the canteen so that people will praise her
honesty and think she's such a nice girl.
______6. John decides to return the wallet he found in the canteen because he believes it's the
right thing to do
______7. Lyka wears her ID inside the campus because she likes to follow the school rules and
regulations.
______8. A jeepney driver looks if there's a policeman around before he u-turns in a no u-turn spot.
______9. Liza volunteers to tutor children-at-risk children in her community for free so they will learn
to love school and stay in school.
______10. Little Riel behaves so well to get a star stamp from her teacher.

SUMMARY

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Study Guide in Prof. Ed. 102 Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles Module No. 8

Vygotsky always emphasized the role of cultural factors in cognitive development. He also identified
intellectual tools of adaptation which enable individuals to acquire cognitive skills depending on
what tools their culture has made available for them.

Lawrence Kohlberg (1958) agreed with Piaget's (1932) theory of moral development in principle but
wanted to develop his ideas further. 

He used Piaget’s storytelling technique to tell people stories involving moral dilemmas.  In each
case, he presented a choice to be considered, for example, between the rights of some authority
and the needs of some deserving individual who is being unfairly treated.

Kohlberg identified three distinct levels of moral reasoning: pre-conventional, conventional, and
post-conventional. Each level has two sub-stages.

People can only pass through these levels in the order listed. Each new stage replaces the
reasoning typical of the earlier stage. Not everyone achieves all the stages.

REFERENCES

Brenda B. Corpuz, Ph.D, et. al. (2018). The Child and Adolescent Learners and Learning Principles.
Quezon City, Metro Manila, Phil. Lorimar Publishing Inc.

https://elearningindustry.com/sociocultural-learning-theory

https://www.simplypsychology.org/vygotsky.html

https://www.simplypsychology.org/kohlberg.html

https://www.google.com/search?q=kohlberg
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gCEFI&biw=1366&bih=599#imgrc=M1dGmhYPDCJu4M

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