Rediscovering Vygotsky’s Concept of the ZPD: Stanley Mitchell’s New Translation of ‘The Problem of Teaching [Obuchenie] and Mental Development at School Age’

Abstract

This article introduces the new translation by Stanley Mitchell of a very well-known Vygotskyan text, which has become the locus classicus for Vygotsky’s concept of the ‘zone of proximal development’ (ZPD). It outlines the history of Vygotsky’s text and compares Mitchell’s new translation with the version found in Chapter 6 of Mind in Society (a collection of Vygotsky’s articles edited by Cole, John-Steiner, Scribner, and Souberman in 1978). It indicates the main points of difference between the two translations and considers their significance for our reading of this key text. Chief among these points of difference is the emphasis given to pedagogy in Mitchell’s translation; it is clear from this version that the role of pedagogy in the mental development of children is a major focus for Vygotsky throughout the paper. Mitchell’s translation is nearly 2000 words longer than the 1978 translation and includes several passages which were cut from the original text; in particular, a section relating to ‘pedology’, an interdisciplinary movement sometimes called ‘child science’. This article discusses some of these cuts and finally considers Vygotsky’s vision of the potential of the ZPD concept for the study of teaching and learning, and its value in the sciences of pedagogy and pedology.