What’s in a ZPD? A case study of a young ESL student and teacher interacting through dialogue journals

Abstract

Aiming to provide a case-study account of features of the ZPD (zone of proximal development) in language teaching and learning, we analysed 95 exchanges in interactive dialogue journals written over 10 months between a 6-year-old Farsi speaker beginning to learn English and his Canadian teacher. Using a scheme of language functions developed by Shuy (1993), we show how the teacher and student constructed and sustained a long-term written conversation involving intricate patterns of complementary, asymmetrical scaffolding. We interpret the findings to suggest the value of analysing language learning and teaching as integrally unified, interactive phenomena. We suggest questions worthy of future research into features of the ZPD in language teaching and learning.

Dynamic Assessment and the Impact on English Language Learners' Reading Comprehension Performance

“…Vygotsky calls this distance the zone of proximal development. The zone of proximal development (ZPD) is at the heart of sociocultural perspectives and defines the dialogic nature of teaching and learning processes (Nassaji & Cumming, 2000). According to Lantolf & Thorne (2006) sociocultural theory (SCT) is most compatible with theories of language in that they are focused on communication, cognition and meaning, merging with a theory of mediated mental acts that lead development.…”

The Effect of Dynamic Assessment in Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communicationon on Iranian EFL Learners’ Listening Comprehension Ability at Upper-Intermediate Level

“…Although any kind of mediation or guidance is not given throughout the test, the researchers accept as true that their study is an example of dynamic assessment because it unswervingly measures the amount of learners' language learning during the assessment process. Nassaji and Cumming (2000) meant to investigate structures of the ZPD in language teaching and learning. They examined 95 exchanges in interactive dialogue journals written over 10 months between a 6-year-old Farsi speaker starting to learn English and his Canadian teacher and disclosed how the teacher and student created and continued a long term written conversation including elaborate patterns of balancing, asymmetrical scaffolding.…”

Development of Interlanguage Pragmatic Competence: Input- and Output-based Instruction in the Zone of Proximal Development

“…Vygotsky"s (1978) Sociocultural Theory (SCT) of human learning describes learning as a social process and highlights teaching and learning in conjunction (Nassaji & Cumming, 2000). The first central concept of the sociocultural theory is the Zone of proximal development (ZPD).…”

“…While the sociocultural concepts of ZDP and scaffolding have been applied in language teaching and learning (Nassaji & Cumming, 2000;Nassaji & Swain, 2000;Nassaji & Tian, 2010;Ohta, 1999Ohta, , 2001Storch, 2005), it has received scant attention in pragmatic development studies. Ohta (2005) considered the applicability of the ZPD to interlanguage pragmatics instruction, and analyzed three interlanguage pragmatics research studies through the framework of ZPD.…”