This document discusses the socio-cultural dimensions of learning. It states that learning is influenced by social interactions and relationships with others. Learning can be enhanced when learners interact and collaborate with others on instructional tasks. Positive relationships provide stability and trust, creating a supportive environment for learning. Family support and teaching self-motivation can overcome barriers to learning. Culture refers to the shared values, beliefs and behaviors learned within a society or group. Social constructivism emphasizes that learning occurs within a socio-cultural context through collaboration with more knowledgeable others and the use of cultural tools.

1. Chapter 5
Socio-cultural
Dimensions Of Learning

2. Learning is influenced by
social interactions,
interpersonal relations
and communication with
others.

3. It can enhanced when
the learner has an
opportunity to interact
and to collaborate with
others on instructional
tasks.

4. Social and cultural influence on learning
Interact and collaborative
instructional contexts, individual
have an opportunity in reflective
thinking that may lead to higher
levels of cognitive, social and moral
development, as well as self-
esteem.

5. Quality of personal relationships
that provide stability, trust, and
caring can increase the learners’
sense of belongingness, self-
respect, and self – acceptance, and
provide a positive climate for
learning.

6. Family influences, positive
interpersonal support and
instruction in self – motivation
strategies can offset factors that
interfere with the learning such
as negative beliefs.

7. Culture is a broad and encompassing concept.
We equate culture with race or ethnic identity
but that is not always the case.
Culture refers to characteristics of the individual or society
or of some subgroups within the society… it includes
values, beliefs, notions about acceptable and unacceptable
behavior and other socially constructed ideas that
members of the culture are taught are “TRUE”.(Garcia,
1994)
It is also defined as the shared products of a human group
of society. Although it is shared, it must be learned by each
new generation, through the process of social instruction.

8. Sociology of culture is a way of thinking and
categorizing, out hopes and fears, our likes and
dislikes and our beliefs and habits are social
creation, strongly influenced by the time and
place which we live.
Culture governs how we think and feel. It
shapes our beliefs about what is important
in life and our interpretations of what
events mean.

9. Social
Constructivism

10. 3 Central Concepts
• Zone Of Proximal Development (ZPD)
- Vygotsky believes that learning takes place
when children are working within what he called
their “zone of proximal development”.
This means that within this area the child
or adolescent is ready to master new
concepts or ideas, but simply needs help in
doing so.

11. • Scaffolding
the process of providing a child or
adolescent with a good deal of support during
the time he/she is learning something.
Vygotsky particularly emphasized the ways in
which adult support and learning among
peers could assist children and adolescents
to master concepts they could not yet learn
alone.(Atherton, 2004)

12. • Socio-cultural context of knowledge
According to Vygotsky the role of
culture emphasizes in mediating
learning – that is in providing tools
(words, conventions, symbols,
signs, etc.) through which
knowledge is mediated and
knowledge are to a large extent
culturally and socially influenced.