Sociocultural Perspective on Adolescence

Abstract

A sociocultural perspective on adolescence is distinct from other perspectives given the definition of development as a dialectical process that emerges from the relation between an individual and his or her historical, cultural, and social environment. Lev S. Vygotsky (1896–1934), whose scholarship grounds this perspective, called this relation the individual's social situation of development. Attending to historical, social, and cultural variations in environments, and the effects of these variations on individuals' social situations of development, highlights the need to acknowledge adolescence(s). This entry (1) provides theoretical framing for a sociocultural perspective of development; (2) defines adolescence(s) as emerging from the unity of individual and environment, including perceptions and expectations of adolescents; (3) describes the potential role of schooling in shaping individuals' social situations of development through learning–teaching relationships and, thus, shaping the developmental potential of adolescents; and (4) advances a perspective on the purpose of education, broadly, with a brief conclusion.