Broadening the Interpretive Lens: Considering Individual Development Along with Sociocultural Views of Learning to Understand Young Children's Interactions During Socially Mediated Literacy Events.

The article presents information on children's literacy development in the context of sociocultural views on learning. To have an accurate representation of the child in classroom interactions around literacy, the forces related to individual development along with tenets of sociocultural theories must also be considered. It is important that any discussion on learning must account for the critical role individuals play in their own construction of knowledge, as well as the contributions others make in that construction. According to the sociocultural perspective, learning is as an active process to solve practical problems, with members of a given cultural group developing shared understandings of common experiences. Young children, through their interactions with others, learn the values and ways of their home community. According to a study related to children's development of status hierarchies based on their perceptions of classmates, status influences participation in groups and the resultant decrease or increase in participation levels can influence achievement.