Young Children and Death/Literature: Vgotsky's socio-cultural theory - Essay Example

?Vygotsky’s (1978) social cultural theory expounds on the influence that culture, peers and adults have on cognitive development of a child. Social cultural theory holds that the social interaction occurs before development and consequently, cognitions and consciousness are the results of socialization of a child with peers, adults and other people that form part of social environment of the growing child (Vygotsky, 1978). The social cultural theory has three main themes, which include the More Knowledgeable Other (MKO), the zone of proximal development in addition to the role of social interaction in cognitive development. The more knowledgeable other (MKO) is any person with a higher level of understanding in comparison with the learner. The higher level of understanding could be in form of skill, concept or a process. In development process of children, more knowledgeable other could be a teacher, parent, tutor, peers, younger persons and Driscoll (1994) noted that inanimate equipment such as computer could also be MKO. According to Vygotsky (1978) the zone of proximal development is the distance between the a child’s real development level , that is determined by independent problem solving, and the higher level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance or in assistance with more capable peers. In this regard, Vygotsky (1978) supposes that zonal proximal development enhances in the determination of mental functioning of a children, who have not yet matured but are in the process of maturing. Zonal proximal development is crucial because it is characterized by dynamism, which enables transition of interpsychological to intrapsychological states to happen (Driscoll, 1994). Vygotsky’s social cultural theory is useful especially in making preschool children understand death using books. The theory acknowledges the role that more experienced person and social environment helps in socializing the child with different aspects including death. Preschool children perceive death of a close member differently. According to Danai and Costas (1991), very young children understand facts best because they think in a particular, solid manner. In this regard, using direct words such as passing away, sleep or long trip are usually misinterpreted by children to mean that death is reversible and the deceased might return in future. The children might keep on pestering their parents or anyone close to them about when a dead person will return (Danai, and Costas, 1991). Moreover, children in this age do not realize that death happens to all people and every other living thing. In addition, they keep on asking questions about death many times, with an objective of learning facts from close people. Another defining characteristic of how preschool children perceive death is that they believe that their thoughts have power over another person’s death, and they might think that they are personally responsible for the death of their loved one (Danai and Costas, 1991). According to Vygotsky (1978), using books to help preschool children understand death enables them to create a zone of proximal development, which awakens various internalized developmental processes that only function when the child is interacting with people, peers and the environment. Therefore using books to help preschool children understand death enables them to internalize it, becoming part of the child’s independent developmental process. In this regard, books do not act directly act as the source of information, but the parent, who reads the information to the child acts as the source of instruction. To create ZPD, Vygotsky (1978) noted that biological process also plays a significant role besides the instructions. In this regard, the level of child’s understanding about death depends on the developmental stage of the child in addition to the quality of the instructions given. Therefore, instructions and the developmental stage of the child are not always compatible because they are two independent processes that interrelate with each other in intricate mechanisms. In this case, a children understanding of death would be determined by their intellectual possibility and the stage of biological development. Hence, the effectiveness of using books to help preschool children understand death is determined by the instructions contained therein and how they are transmitted to the child (Driscoll, 1994). Good instructions, according to Driscoll (1994) should come ahead of development so that the instructions can kindle to existence the entire set of processes that result to growth. In this regard, the ability of book to enhance development of understanding death in a child depends on the conciseness of the instructions. In this case, literature is not a good way of promoting the child understanding of death because the natural thinking that enables young children to grasp on various events is slower compared to the intellectual development school (Danai and Costas, 1991). To help preschool children understand death, it is important for a close person to help in describing what death is because children social interactions precede development and cognition. Explaining death honestly and in simple terms enables a child to ask questions and get immediate response from the guardian. This is impossible using books. However, it is important for the person helping the child understand death be knowledgeable about how to go about the process. The person can use and read relevant books to the children, and then explaining to them in simple and understandable terms. According to Weir (1980), books and literature are viable means that provokes discussion between the child and the guardian on emotive issues such as death. In this regard, adults are increasingly referring to literature in order to enhance their capacity of helping children understand the phenomena. Books targeting grieving children are usually written in a manner compatible with the child’s understanding and age. Normally, the literature is about a bereaved character who manages to overcome the demise of a loved one in. Reading such literature to bereaved children helps them indentify with the character and imitate their reaction to the loss. In the process of imitation, children become cognizant of the emotions of losing a beloved person, which enables them to understand the feelings of the loss. This experience helps them into realizing that they are not alone in grieve and it gives them the hope of overcoming the tragedy (Weir, 1980). Use of books to help children understand death applies Vygotsky’s theory of learning which holds that learning process occurs in three processes namely the through imitative learning, through recalling instructions and finally through collaboration (Driscoll, 1994). Learning through imitation in preschool children entails imitation and identifying with a character in the book. Imitation is a very common learning method in young children and Driscoll (1994) notes that they not only copy the actions of influential people in the environment but they eventually adapt their behavior. Weir (1980) notes that recalling another method through which children learn by remembering instructions given to them by guardians, teachers and other influential persons in their lives. Learning through collaboration in young children entails a process where they learn from peers of the same age (Driscoll, 1994). Children naturally learn from one another especially when they collaborate while playing, learning and participating in other activities. In this regard, the three methods underline the importance of socialization in promoting cognitive development of the child through real life experience. These encounters help the children cope with traumatic experiences including death. This implies that exposing the children to different experiences through socialization enhances their ability to learn and expand their knowledge. Using books and literature to promote development of knowledge is one way of exposing children to socialization process and experience. In this case, using books to help preschool children understand death is an efficient method of enhancing their knowledge because books are more concise and structured to address the emotion needs of children undergoing the trauma of a close person. This triggers their inquisitiveness, which in turn enables them question older persons about death (Weir, 1980). However, it is important for the parents to support and guide their children in reading books related to death. In Vygotsky’s theory using the scaffolding process where instructors explain, answer questions and provide additional illustrations while reading books to children enhances their understanding on death (Danai and Costas, 1991). In this case, effectiveness of using books to preschool children depends on how the content is presented to the child by the guardian. References Danai, P., & Costas, P. (1991). Children and death. Philadelphia: Hemisphere Publishing Corporation. Driscoll, M. (1994). Psychology of learning for instruction. Needham, MA: Allyn & Bacon Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind and society: The development of higher mental processes. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Weir, F.(1980). Death literature. New York: Columbia University Press. Read More