Social Constructivist Theory: Understanding Vygotsky’s Social Constructivism in Education

Before we delve into this topic, let’s do a quick exercise. 

Think back to your time in high school and college. Was there ever a time when you got the basics of a concept when your teacher taught it, but really got a better understanding when you discussed it with your classmates or did a group project? 

My money’s on “yes”. But what explains that? 

The Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky would say it’s because of social constructivism — the idea that learning occurs during social interaction with other people. His theory posits that knowledge isn’t about replicating objective reality, but is the result of the learner making sense of and recreating interactions with other people. 

In this piece, we’ll explore Vygotsky’s social constructivist theory, its application in the classroom, its limitations, and much more.

Skip ahead:

• Understanding social constructivist theory
• Vygotsky’s contribution to social constructivism
• Social constructivism in practice: examples in the classroom
• Social constructivism in research and inquiry-based learning
• Criticisms and limitations of social constructivist theory
• The future of social constructivism in education
• Embracing social constructivist theory for engaging and effective education
• FAQs

Understanding social constructivist theory

1. Definition and core principles 

The theory of social constructivism states that knowledge develops from how people interact with others in their immediate environment, in their culture, and with society at large. Accordingly, every conversation that happens between people carries the possibility for each participant to gain new knowledge or expand their existing knowledge. 

The theory was developed by psychologist Lev Vygotsky in 1968. By that time, Vygotsky no longer completely agreed with Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, which states that people construct knowledge based on their experience, rather than simply by receiving information. Vygotsky thought that it was personal and cultural interactions in particular that played the pivotal role in a person’s understanding of the world. 

Here are some of the core principles of social constructivist theory, as defined by Lev Vygotsky: 

• People construct their knowledge. Learners build upon their previous knowledge, beliefs, and experiences to construct new knowledge that may differ from other learners. 

• Everything a person learns gives them a better understanding of other things. Say a student is writing a paper about the Cold War. Not only are they learning about the war, but they’re also learning skills of language and writing (e.g. grammar, punctuation, and figures of speech).

• Learning is a social activity. Collaborative learning is the most effective way to learn. Learners have to interact with their teachers, peers, family members, and acquaintances to shape their understanding of a concept or skill. 

• Learning is an active process. To learn effectively, a learner must use most, if not all, of their senses to construct meaning. Instead of sitting and listening to a teacher talk for hours, students need to actively engage with other learners and their surroundings via discussions, reading, and practical activities.

• Gaining knowledge is a personal experience. Constructivism as a whole is learning based on one’s own beliefs and experiences. Thus, each person learns differently from others because they have their own prior knowledge and unique experiences that form the foundation of their learning process.

• Learning is mental. Hands-on projects and physical activities are important aspects of learning, but they’re not enough. Teachers also have to engage their students’ minds to help them understand and retain knowledge better. 

• Motivation is an important part of learning. Learners won’t learn anything if they’re unmotivated; educators must figure out how to create motivation for their students so they care about what they’re learning: that’s the only way students will do the work of connecting new information with past experiences — to actually learn.

2. Comparing social constructivism to other constructivist theories

Lev Vygotsky isn’t the only thinker that contributed to constructivism in education. Others like Jean Piaget and Ernst von Glasersfeld proposed their own learning theories: cognitive constructivism and radical constructivism respectively. It will be useful to give a  quick explanation and comparison of these different constructivist theories.

1. Cognitive constructivism 

In the mid-20th century, a prevailing opinion was that all human behaviors were learned from the environment, without the influence of inherited or innate factors. Many psychologists were however critical of this theory as it focused entirely on what could be observed externally and ignored the internal mental composition of individuals. The most influential critic of this theory was the Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget, who specialized in child psychology. 

Piaget proposed that a person’s internal makeup, including their beliefs, ideas, and experiences, plays a fundamental role in how they learn. According to him, people take in new information and connect it to what they already know to make sense of it. For example, a student who knows how to add, subtract, and divide will find it easier to balance equations because of their previous knowledge.

Piaget also proposed that due to the different experiences people have, each piece of new information is really unique to them. So two students might learn the same thing, but will understand or interpret it differently because their experiences are not the same.

2. Radical constructivism

In 1974, the Austrian-American Ernst von Glasersfeld developed his radical constructivist theory, which posited that there’s no “objective reality” to know. Instead, all knowledge is based on a person’s experiences, perspectives, and viewpoints .

This doesn’t mean that there’s no such thing as “truth”. There could be, but von Glasersfeld believed people can’t be in a position to know it, because what they perceive as truth is so influenced by their own subjectivity.

In education, this means that the way a person learns is inextricably connected to who they are. To help students learn successfully, educators need to take their nature, beliefs, ideas, and perspectives into consideration as they design the curriculum. Lessons will stick faster and last longer when educators can connect each topic to individual student experiences. 

Below is a table comparing Piaget’s cognitive constructivism, Vygotsky’s social constructivism, and von Glasersfeld’s radical constructivism.

Vygotsky’s contribution to social constructivism

1. Lev Vygotsky: The architect of social constructivism

Before Lev Vygotsky developed social constructivism, he was a cognitivist. He accepted that learners are able to construct knowledge through attention, memory retention, and perception, but he rejected Piaget’s assumptions about the possibility of real learning outside of social contexts.

Vygotsky believed that everyone is born with basic cognitive abilities, but that children can’t properly accommodate or assimilate new information without interacting with others and  their immediate environment. A child’s basic abilities are enhanced through social interaction, and eventually develop into sophistical mental processes that allow them to understand the meaning of concepts, retain memories, and make logical decisions.

Vygotsky also believed that culture and social interactions play an important role in how a child’s cognitive abilities develop. For instance, if a kindergarten educator uses flashcards to teach their young pupils, there’s a good chance those pupils will use flashcards to learn new concepts and skills throughout their education.

2. The Zone of Proximal Development

At the center of theVygotsky’s  social constructivist theory is his well-known concept of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), which he defined as “the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem-solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers”.

Vygotsky believed that people should be taught in the ZPD, and that it is the job of a good educator or a “more-knowledgeable-other” (MKO) to identify a learner’s ZPD and push beyond it. This means that teachers should work together with learners to perform a difficult task that they couldn’t do on their own — then gradually withdraw their support until learners understand and are able to perform the task by themselves. 

This process makes it easier for learners to construct meaning by merging what they learned previously with the new information the teacher is providing them. Eventually, they’ll understand it well enough that they can move on to working on more difficult tasks.

3. Scaffolding: Guiding learning through assistance

Scaffolding refers to the temporary support a teacher or MKO gives a learner to help them perform a task. The term “scaffolding” was first used by Jerome Bruner, David Wood, and Gail Ross and is used to apply Vygotsky’s ZPD concept to different educational contexts.

In scaffolding, the educator continually adjusts the level of student support in response to their level of performance. For example, a chess teacher might start a class with a  newbie by teaching them the names of the pieces and how they’re arranged on the board. In this class, the teacher is actively involved in helping the student, because the latter knows very little about chess. In the next class, the teacher may ask the student to list the names of each piece and to place them all in the appropriate spot on the board on their own — the teacher might only step in when the student can’t remember where to put a piece or makes a mistake. By the fifth class, the teacher likely won’t have to intervene in this task because the student will be able to perform it correctly.

In the classroom, scaffolding techniques include providing hints or cues, modeling an activity, and adapting learning materials and activities to learners’ knowledge levels.

4. Cultural tools and mediation in learning

Cultural tools are apparatuses and frameworks that allow learners to think, formulate meanings, and apply skills in the real world. These apparatuses include technical tools, such as practice activities, number systems, and learning management systems (LMS), and psychological tools like social rules, language and writing systems, signs, and symbols.

Vygotsky believed that a learner’s cognitive development, including the ability to think critically and solve problems, is influenced by the sociocultural tools they’re given.

The role of language and dialogue in knowledge construction

Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory posited that intellectual development is a socially-mediated process in which learners, especially children, acquire cultural beliefs, values, and problem-solving skills by having productive dialogues with people with more knowledge. As a result, Vygotsky deemed language the most important of all the sociocultural tools that teachers can use to help their students learn. Language is the source from which other learning tools originate; without it, there would be no dialogue, discussions, or group projects.

Classroom discussion, in all forms, is the specific use of language as a tool to transfer thoughts from one mind to another. It helps learners construct knowledge by allowing them to build on their own — and others’ — experiences and ideas.

Social constructivism in practice: examples in the classroom

In social constructivist-informed classrooms, the teacher is responsible for creating a collaborative environment where students can interact with other students to improve their knowledge. In this context, teachers aren’t just people who explain concepts; instead, they’re educators who facilitate learning.

Here are some tools you can use to apply social constructivist insights in the classroom:

1. Problem-based learning and group projects

Problem-based learning is a teaching method in which students learn by solving complex, oftentimes real-world problems. Instead of presenting concepts and their factual meanings, a teacher gives students open-ended problems and asks them to work with their classmates to solve them. In doing so, students are able to learn new concepts and skills.

This teaching method is effective at promoting group work, motivating students to learn, and developing important skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication.

2. Cooperative learning and group discussions

In addition to such projects, a teacher can ask students to form groups and discuss a concept or idea that the teacher introduced to them in class.

During these discussions, each learner should be encouraged to express their interpretation of the concept, how they think it should be applied, what they agree/disagree with, and the changes they’d make, if applicable. Not only does this improve each learner’s autonomy, but it also increases their respect for the teacher.

3. Think-Pair-Share activities and peer tutoring

Think-Pair-Share (TPS) is a framework in which a teacher presents a new concept or question to students and asks them to think about it, then form pairs to discuss the concept, and finally to share what the pair discussed with the entire class. This framework encourages students to think critically and cooperate toward a common goal and promotes civil communication and the formation of high-quality responses.

Teachers can also organize peer tutoring sessions, which involves identifying students with a strong understanding of a topic and pairing them with students who are struggling. The stronger students act as  MKOs and assist the others, fostering trust and collaboration among learners.

4. Role-playing and simulations

Another social constructivist approach a teacher can take is role-playing, which works exceptionally well in drama classes and ethics training. With role play, each student is able to step into the shoes of a fictional character and use their interactions with other characters to shape their understanding of a topic.

Teachers today can take this a step further by introducing digital simulations to the classroom. This immersive teaching method involves using virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality to explain concepts safely to students. This can work well in a variety of situations, including science classes, history classes, and safety and injury prevention sessions (usually in mechanical-related domains).

Social constructivism in research and inquiry-based learning

1. Research as a social constructivist process

In research-based learning, learners actively scour resources, materials, and texts to get answers and new perspectives on concepts, questions, and challenges. They find, organize, and evaluate new information and use it to shape their opinions. As research is an integral part of education, teachers can make it a social constructivist process by dividing the class into groups and assigning each group a topic to research and discuss among themselves.

This teaches learners how to read for comprehension, think critically and creatively, interpret new information, evaluate hypotheses, solve problems, and improve their written and verbal communication skills.

2. Inquiry-based learning and constructing knowledge

Inquiry-based learning (IBL) is a learning process that involves students exploring and asking deep questions about real-world concepts and situations. By making students ask questions, do hands-on projects, and solve problems, teachers create a collaborative environment in which students engage with the topic and learn from their instructors and peers through observation and imitation. As a result, they connect new discoveries to previous experiences to master the subject matter.

This learning approach transforms students from passive learners sitting like an empty cup waiting to be filled into active constructors of knowledge and meaning.

Criticisms and limitations of social constructivist theory

Despite the benefits of social constructivist methods, there are still limitations that affect their efficacy in classrooms. Here are some of them:

1. Individual differences and learning styles

At the heart of social constructivist approaches to education is collaboration among students. One problem is that not every student learns the same way. Those who prefer explicit direction and those who like to read, do projects, and solve problems alone or in a more structured way can feel less comfortable in a social constructivist learning environment. In these cases, requiring social interaction in the classroom can become a barrier.

Similarly, students who are neurodivergent or who have cognitive disabilities may struggle with the collaborative and open-ended nature of these social constructivist methods. That’s why teachers should consider the individual differences and learning styles of their students before implementing Vygotsky’s theory.

2. Lack of structure

During a semester, there’s a defined number of topics teachers have to cover to ensure that students know all they need to know before they move to the next level. Allowing students to dictate the pace of their education makes learning irregular, reducing the chance of covering all the topics in the set time.

Likewise, grading isn’t a top priority in social constructivist education, which instead places more value on individual student progress. This can lead to students falling behind and not meeting the grading requirements for standardized tests or missing out on understandings needed for further education.

3. Balancing teacher guidance and student autonomy

As a rule, social constructivist approaches to education are about building student autonomy by allowing learners to dissect concepts in groups and form their own opinions without just taking them from a teacher. However, this theory also comprises the Zone of Proximal Development and scaffolding, which require teacher guidance. 

To implement these approaches effectively, teachers must strike a balance between the assistance they offer students and the dialogue they allow students to have among themselves. In other words, teachers should relinquish control so that students can think for themselves, but not so much control such that students form incorrect understandings of the subject.

Achieving this balance can be difficult, especially among students with different knowledge levels and learning styles.

4. It doesn’t work well for all ages 

Such social constructivist approaches work best when learners are able to take control of their own education process. To do this, learners have to be able to think objectively, ask intelligent questions, and apply their skills. Younger learners in elementary and middle schools may not have the cognitive structures needed to guide their own learning, so they require more direction and assistance than social constructivist methods often allow for.

The future of social constructivism in education

With the advancements in technology and the education landscape, there’s a good chance that more teachers will adopt Vygotsky’s social constructivist theory and use it to improve learning in the classrooms. Below are two trends we’re likely to see more of in social constructivist classrooms:

1. Advancements in technology and online learning

Many teachers have started using learning management systems (LMS) to deliver courses to learners online. In line with social constructivist principles, these tools would have to prioritize features that enable peer-to-peer discussions, group projects, debates, and think-pair-share exercises.

2. Culturally responsive and inclusive education

Social constructivist theory posits that the formation of knowledge is a shared — not an individual — experience that involves the use of language to interact with other people and cultures. In the future, we may see social constructivism expand to include even more learners from diverse backgrounds and cultures. Not only will this help students see more wide-ranging perspectives on a topic, but it also promotes intercultural communication and cultural sensitivity 

Embracing social constructivist theory for engaging and effective education

Think back to the answer you gave at the beginning of this article. If your answer was “yes” (and I bet it was), then Vygotsky’s social constructivist theory captures something really important. Social interactions and collaboration are important factors in how students’ cognitive structures develop. 

A social constructivist-informed learning environment helps students ask intelligent questions, draw inferences from their experiences, organize their ideas, gain exposure to different viewpoints, identify errors and inconsistencies in their thinking, and reach higher levels of creativity.

While this theory isn’t applicable in every setting, it does create a supportive and advanced learning environment for students who thrive when they work with others.

FAQs:

1. What is social constructivist theory?

Social constructivist theory is a learning framework which posits that students can best develop their cognitive abilities and construct knowledge by interacting and collaborating with other people, cultures, and society at large.

2. How does Vygotsky’s social constructivism contribute to education?

Through his theory of social constructivism, Vygotsky helped educators across the world see the importance of social interactions and the use of sociocultural tools in the classroom. The concepts of Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and scaffolding helped teachers understand how they can provide support to students and help them learn without infringing on their autonomy and ability to construct knowledge.

3. What are some examples of social constructivism in the classroom?

Some examples of social constructivism in the classroom include group discussions and projects, role play, simulations, and think-pair-share (TPS) exercises. These learning strategies promote knowledge construction through active participation and collaboration among students.

4. How can social constructivism be integrated into research and inquiry-based learning?

Teachers can integrate social constructivism into research and inquiry-based learning by dividing students into groups and allowing them to conduct research and explore by themselves. Giving students the freedom to explore new concepts and find new information encourages dialogue, collaboration, and engagement with the subject matter.

5. What are the limitations of social constructivist theory?

Wholescale application of social constructivist approaches has some limitations, which include how unfit they can be for students with different learning styles, cognitive abilities, the lack of structure it creates in the classroom, the difficulty of balancing teacher guidance with student autonomy, and their unsuitability for younger students in elementary and middle schools.

Read more on social learning theories here.