![]() The zone of proximal development (ZPD or Zoped) is defined as the difference between a child's “actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving” and the child's “potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers” ( Vygotsky, 1978). To assess this potential and to understand how intellectual development occurs, Vygotsky proposed the notion of the ‘ zone of proximal development’, the region of sensitivity for learning. Mary Gauvain, in Encyclopedia of Infant and Early Childhood Development (Second Edition), 2020 The Role of Social Experience in Psychological Developmentīecause of his interest in the social origins of intellectual functioning, Vygotsky was less concerned with children's individual intellectual capabilities at any specific point in time than he was with the child's potential for intellectual growth through social experience. Valsiner's system of zones has been used by Pressick-Kilborn and Walker (2002) to understand the development of interest in a classroom learning community. The ZPD has been extended by Valsiner (1997) into a system of zones which recognizes not only the importance of assisted learning, but also the factors which may assist or constrain learning, and, as Pressick-Kilborn and Walker (2002) have suggested, motivation. This consideration of the ZPD as a shared affective zone also has important motivational implications the emotional quality and tone of interaction in the ZPD and the sense of caring engendered can have important implications for students' engagement in learning and willingness to challenge themselves. In a classroom, this space is created by the interactions between students and between students and their teacher, as they engage in supportive activities that develop learner confidence and positive emotions. Goldstein (1999) has characterized the ZPD as a socially mediated space that is formed through relationships involving sensitivity and trust. The ZPD can also be considered to be a relational ( Goldstein, 1999) or affective zone. ![]() Furthermore, as learners come to achieve mastery in a knowledge domain, they are more likely to appreciate the relevance and value of the knowledge domain. Interaction within the ZPD is also likely to lead to the recruitment of the learner's interest in the task or knowledge domain as the learner comes to value and appreciate the knowledge which is valued by a respected, more capable other person. This transfer of control is motivating for the student as it acknowledges student mastery of the task, and hence the learner's developing efficacy. Additionally, working within the ZPD is inherently motivating because it involves the transfer of responsibility, or control, for learning, from the teacher or more capable other to the learner. Assistance from others also helps the learner to learn how to work on difficult tasks and how to control or manage anxiety and frustration in the process. ![]() Sociocultural (e.g., Sivan, 1986) and mainstream motivational theorists (e.g., Brophy, 1999) have observed that these aspects of the ZPD make it an inherently motivational zone the ZPD is optimally challenging ( Sivan, 1986) because tasks are calibrated to the learner's level, while appropriate support and scaffolding ensure that tasks can be completed successfully. The creation of ZPDs involves assistance with the cognitive structuring of learning tasks and sensitivity to the learner's current capabilities. ![]() The ZPD refers to the learner's ability to successfully complete tasks with the assistance of more capable other people, and for this reason it is often discussed in relation to assisted or scaffolded learning. ![]() Walker, in International Encyclopedia of Education (Third Edition), 2010 Zone of Proximal Development ![]()
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