A Review of Sociocultural Theory in the Field of Second Language Acquisition

Abstract

Although increased attention has been given to sociocultural theory in the field of second language acquisition (SLA), only the surface has been scratched. The following paper provides a brief review of some of the sociocultural research which has been done in the field of SLA. The review is divided into four general areas: criticism of SLA research framed in the message model of communication; deficiencies in common instructional practices; the role of private speech in 2nd language learning; and discourse strategies for semiotic mediation. The review concludes by noting that sociocultural theory may be particularly enriching and relevant to the field of SLA because the acquisition of a language is after all first and foremost a social activity..