Theorist Lev Vygotsky's Zone Of Proximal Development

A study conducted by Soltero-Ruiz (2013) examined the perceptions of kindergarten teachers regarding the readiness skills necessary for academic and social success for students entering kindergarten. This study used a quantitative survey to interview 30 public school teachers, six of which also participated in a qualitative interview following the survey. Through the results of this study, it can be noted that out of five primary readiness skills: social skills, literacy skills, academic skills, behavioral skills, and social-emotional skills, 14/30 teachers ranked behavioral skills as being the most important skill for entering kindergarteners followed by social and literacy skills tied with five votes each, social-emotional skills with four votes, and academic skills with only one vote as being the most important skill. One teacher opted to write
Vygotsky stated that, "learning is a necessary and universal aspect of the process of developing culturally organized, specifically human psychological function" (Vygotsky, 1978). He preaches that for learning to occur, the learner must first make contact with the social environment on a personal level and then internalize the experience. These internalized experiences set the foundation to construct new ideas.
The difference between what a learner can achieve independently and what a learner can achieve with scaffolding and encouragement is known as the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). Vygotsky states that the ZPD is where the most sensitive guidance should be given and if done so properly, it can support children towards developing higher mental functions. Furthermore, he recommends that teachers make the most of cooperative learning exercises where all children can benefit from one