CHAPTER 2: THE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
2.6 Application of sociocultural theory in the study
strategy of imposing knowledge on children to the modern system that suggests guiding children to effectively construct their own learning. This modern view of education is influenced by Vygotsky’s SCT, which focuses on the construction of knowledge through social interaction and the support of MKOs. The purpose of this study was to explore how ECCE educators teach language and communication skills using music as a pedagogical strategy to scaffold ECCE children’ quick understanding. The quality of the educator-childreninteraction is of great importance for children’ effective learning.
Hence, SCT emphasises providing support that moves children from their current ability to their potential ability. In this study the ECCE children came from homes and communities with some level of knowledge and understanding of music. Interacting with the children using music was therefore contextually appropriate. The application of the core concepts of Vygotsky’s SCT — support by the MKO, educators’
discernment of the ZPD, and mediation and scaffolding — are presented below.
2.6.1 More knowledgeable other as knowledge mediator
SCT explains how the support provided by ECCE educators can facilitate children’s cognitive development. The onus is on educators to use various pedagogical strategies, including borrowing from the cultural tools within the cultural setting of the children, in order to organise activities that aid the development of the children’ psychological and cognitive skills, and in the case of this study, communication skills. Diloyan (2017) stated that to teach language and communication skills effectively, adults, and educators in particular, need to establish a cordial relationship with children. The determining factor in whether communication skills are taught effectively is the ability and the competence of the educator to manipulate diverse strategies during teaching and learning activities (Castellà & Fosch, 2017). The role of the MKO (in this case
ECCE educators) in helping children to learn cannot be overemphasised. Lee (2019) stated that educators are agents of change who are able to interact and socialise with children in their sociocultural context, with the aim of imparting the necessary and relevant skills that aid children’ growth and development. Educators’ agency is requisite to the effective implementation of the school curriculum, which leads to productive and meaningful education. According to Lee (2019), it is the educator’s agency that assists and supports children to acquire learning experiences that enable them to become independent.
Studies have revealed that musical activities help babies, toddlers, and young children to develop their physical, cognitive and creative skills, stimulate memory, promote socialisation and a collaborative spirit, and assist with the development of self- discipline and self-confidence (Fairchild, & McFerran, 2019; Chorna, et al, 2019).
Walton (2014) states that for ECCE children to acquire communication skills, they need the support of educators to scaffold their learning with tools such as musical activities to teach prereading skills such as phonological skills, articulation, letter-sounds blending, and word reading. Walton (2014) further posits that teaching children using jingles (short songs) accelerates children’s learning, memory, and communication skills. For example, children could sing jingles or rhymes while being shown visual or print materials that they can feel and see, involving words with same sounds — sat, cat, rat, car, etc. Furthermore, educators could use simple music to teach social interaction, such as polite language and greetings.
Music and communication share similar characteristics, and it is therefore appropriate to use music as a strategy for imparting reading and listening skills to Foundation Phase children. For many people, music is an important part of everyday life. In addition to its cultural importance, many studies have found that music plays a key role in early language acquisition and can help boost language learning (Khaghaninejad et al., 2016).
Listiyaningsih (2017) states that the similarity in music and literacy could make it a good tool for teaching communication skills for easy comprehension to ECCE earners.
SCT demands that educators establish a good and positive relationship with children during teaching and learning processes, in order to achieve a productive and
constructive outcome. Vygotsky, along with other researchers, confirmed that MKOs play a critical role in the language development of children (Shabani 2016; Gramelt, 2013; Varga, 2017; Vygotsky et al., 1994). Vygotsky emphasised that the social context of the child is vital to his or her learning, and established that human cognitive function is a product of cultural context and social interaction. The MKO must be more knowledgeable and efficient than the children, and should therefore be well versed in a variety of pedagogies derived from the sociocultural context of the child to make teaching and learning activities interesting, meaningful, and applicable to children’
needs, and to generate connection and enthusiasm.
2.6.2 Discernment of the zone of proximal development in children
Vygotsky recommends that adults sensitively discern the child’s development ability and capability in learning a task. This knowledge assists the educator in mediating the child’s learning by organising appropriate tasks that are commensurate with the child’s abilities, and that guide the child towards the ZPD (Saneka, 2014). Vygotsky highlights the importance of language as a tool for mediating learning from the interpersonal plane, based on social interaction, to the intra-personal plane, which involves internalising what was learned, leading to cognitive development that moves the child into the ZPD.
ECCE educators are expected to use the NCF curriculum as a guide in planning tasks for the children. Through scaffolded learning and through repeated participation in a variety of joint activities, children gradually develop new knowledge and skills, including listening and reading skills (Fernández et al., 2015). However, due to the nature of children, there is a tendency for young children to develop feelings of anxiety, worry, boredom, and apathy, which could constitute a threat to achieving the teaching and learning goals. With music, the educator, caregiver, and parent can scaffold the content in order for the childrento construct his or her own learning (Nixon, Smith, &
Sudweeks, 2019).
An educator could scaffold content through different musical activities involving listening and/or performing, to quickly and easily teach particular communication
skills. This requires that ECCE educators have a good knowledge of their children’
abilities, and of what stage they are at in their learning process, before selecting the appropriate musical teaching strategies to teach communication. However, to do this, educators also need to have a good knowledge of the appropriate music that could help to accelerate the psychosocial development of the child, and thereby lead to the acquisition of communication skill. According to Vygotsky, while the adult or MKO’s engagement of the children in various activities aids their development, the activities themselves can enhance the ZPD of the children. In the context of this study, activities such as singing a range of educative songs, role-playing, and drawing can produce a ZPD for the childrenif they are well planned and well organised by the educator.
In short, Vygotsky’s ZPD, in the context of this study, would see ECCE children acquiring literacy skills (listening and reading) in accelerated ways when supported by more competent and knowledgeable adults and peers, and/or by rich activities such as the use of music, rather than by working independently.
2.6.3 Language as A Tool for Mediating and scaffolding
Vygotsky saw language as performing two vital roles in the psychological development of children. Firstly, language is the channel through which the MKO communicates and imparts knowledge to the children. Secondly, language is a tool that aids the development of higher-order psychological processes. Mediation is one of the concepts of SCT, and involves the idea of learning language through social interaction.
Mediation, according to Vygotsky, is the role played by the MKO in the development of a child. It involves the use of tools by both the MKO and the children to find solutions to a problem or to accomplish the learning goals and objectives (Pathan et al., 2018).
Vygotsky posited that tools are effective mediators and mentioned language as one of the important tools for meaningful mediation. Similarly, Maluleke (2014) identified scaffolding as the most suitable approach to support children’s learning of skills that would make them independent children and problem-solvers.
Vygotsky recommended that effective interaction between adults and children be mediated with psychological tools that assist children to move from the interpersonal
to the intrapersonal level. These tools, according to Javadi, and Tahmasbi, (2020) as well as Sarker, (2019), could be language, works of art, writing, different types of music, dramatic/role-play activities, or rhythm and song. In the context of this study, ECCE educators could mediate using relevant language that matches the child’s ability.
With the understanding that children are not equally endowed cognitively, educators must employ their knowledge of the ZPD to identify the relevant tools for scaffolding learning aimed at acquiring communication skills. The scaffolding must be formulated in response to the children’ weaknesses and strengths. Educators must therefore design tasks that facilitate their children’ internalisation of communication and literacy skills (listening and reading) by progressing from the simple to the complex. This is in line with the focus of this study, which is the use of music to impart communication skills to ECCE children. Hence, it is the responsibility of educators to mediate by using various strategies to scaffold the content in order for children to master these vital skills.
In this study, music is suggested as one of the strategies for such teaching. In addition, the application of Vygotsky’s (1978) SCT suggests that when the task is well designed and is presented in an interesting way using different types of music that are appealing to the children, the children become enthusiastically involved, and this active enthusiasm aids their development of the language and communication skills.
Membranophones could be employed in the process to build upon musical traditions that are part of the children’ cultures and thus aid their learning.
The emphasis of Vygotsky’s SCT is on collaborative learning by interacting with an MKO. This could be peer-to-peer learning (for example the educator appointing one of the children to sing to the others) (Eun, 2019). It could also be learning that involves parents or family members interacting with children by speaking to them, using facial expressions, and singing lullabies (Berman et al., 2016). It could be a face-to-face discussion in a calm atmosphere, thereby chasing away anxiety and boredom; or an interactive task completed through working in pairs or through role play; or through calling for personal effort, such as calling the children one after the other to make an attempt to read what was taught (Ahmed, 2017). Vygotsky emphasised that all these learning approaches should be constructed within the ZPD of the children to achieve the learning goals. Understanding children’ capabilities helps educators to adjust their teaching pedagogy to accommodate all children. Most importantly, the ECCE learning
atmosphere must be an enjoyable one, hence the focus in this study on employing music, rhymes, role-play, dramatic play with musical accompaniment, and lullabies in teaching communication skills (listening and reading). Vygotsky’s scaffolding could be a helpful concept to ECCE educators, as it arouses their dedication to their teaching activities on a daily basis; in addition, it offers a healthy and well-organised context for learning.
It seems meaningful to state that Vygotsky (1986) singled out and studied the dynamic social surroundings that indicate the connection between educator and child. Moreover, he focused on the social, cultural, and historical artefacts that play a pivotal role in children’s cognitive development, as well as their potential performance.