Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) as an Emergent System: A Dynamic Systems Theory Perspective

Abstract

This paper sets out to present a novel construal of one of the notions of Vygotskian cultural-historical theory viz., zone of proximal development (ZPD) drawing upon dynamic systems theory. The principal thesis maintains that ZDP is an emergent and dynamic system which is engendered by a dialectical concatenation of psychogenesic and sociogenesic facets of human development over time. It is reasoned that Vygotskian cultural-historical theory of human development, by invoking dialectical logic, has transcended Cartesian substance dualism and in turn has proffered a monistic and process-anchored ontology for emerging becoming of human consciousness. Likewise, it is contended that dynamic systems theory, having assumed fluent flux of reality with a capital R as its ontological axiom, entails a consilience of cognitive and contextual conceptual schemes to describe, explain, and optimize human development. The paper concludes by drawing some interpretive conclusions in regard to ZPD from dynamic systems theory perspective.Keywords Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). Vygotskian Cultural-Historical Theory.Dynamic Systems Theory. Emergence. Dialectical Logic. 2This article seeks to present a novel interpretation concerning one of the seminal constructs of Vygotskian cultural-historical theory (hereafter CHT) (Vygotsky 1978(Vygotsky , 1981(Vygotsky , 1986(Vygotsky , 1997a, zone of proximal development (ZPD), drawing upon some aspects of dynamic systems theory (hereafter DST) which is current in developmental science.DST 'signifies a multidisciplinary and overarching frame of reference for multiple theoretic persuasions which endeavor to study becoming-in-time dynamics of emergent, complex and non-linear systems' (Karimi-Aghdam 2016b, p. 95). Within disciplinary ambit of developmental science, DST is a unifying metatheory -a paradigmatic and overarching outlook about systems-based approaches and theories-for describing, explaining, and optimizing human development (Lerner 1978(Lerner , 1996(Lerner , 2006 After being kept in abeyance for quite a long time, CHT and ZPD were introduced into Western scholarly circles in early seventies (see Van der Veer & Valsiner, 1991 In order to better grasp the relation between CHT and DST, it may be useful to refer to some of the undercurrents of dialectical thinking. The extent to which dialectical triad (thesis, antithesis and synthesis) is invoked to describe 'developments of ideas and theories, or of movements which are based on ideas or theories' is rather adequate (Popper 1940, p.45). A nexus of following philosophical corollaries could be drawn from Hegelian dialectical theory of internal relations:(i) the whole is more than the sum of its parts; (ii) the whole determines the nature of the parts; (iii) the parts cannot be understood if considered in isolation from the whole; and (iv) the parts are dynamically interrelated or interdependent (Phillips 1969: p.7). 6 I do not maintain that idealistic kernel of German dialectical idealism spearheaded byHegel is the core of DST and Vygo...

Emergence in TQM, a concept analysis

“…Thereafter the concept experienced a fast extension toward other disciplines as mentioned in Paragraph 3.1. Many researchers agree -in different wordingsthat emergence has got to do with the whole being more than the sum of its parts (Bertalanffy, 1968;Goldstein, 1999;el-Hani and Pereira, 2000;Weick, 2000;Macbeth, 2002;Bunge, 2003;Kurtz and Snowden, 2003;Mitleton-Kelly, 2003;Roux, 2003;Chesters and Welsh, 2005;Graves, 2007;Wolf and Holvoet, 2004;Clayton, 2006;McCarthy et al, 2006;Juriado and Gustafsson, 2007;Kaufman, 2007;Snowden and Boone, 2007;Kim, 2008;Wan, 2011;Schroder, 2014;Ritchey, 2014;Barouch and Ponsignon, 2016;Karimi-Aghdam, 2017;Roundy et al, 2018). Anderson (1972) states:…”

“…Bahskar (1989) defined emergence as the process where the interactions between actors such as co-workers in an organization, lead to development structures that organize these interactionsself-organization. However, most scientists state that emergence occurs when there is self-organization (Goldstein, 1999;MacIntosh and MacLean, 2001;Mitleton-Kelly, 2003;Roux, 2003;Hogenson, 2004;Chesters and Welsh, 2005;Fabac, 2010;Ellis and Herbert, 2011;Oliveira et al, 2011;Karimi-Aghdam, 2017;Lollai, 2017). Mitleton-Kelly (2003):…”

Rethinking Vygotskian Cultural-Historical Theory in Light of Pepperian Root Metaphor Theory: Dynamic Interplay of Organicism and Contextualism

“…Invoking the notion of a 'psychological system' (i.e., relational organization of the evolving and ever-changing sets of relations between functions) Vygotsky [1997b] asserts that the lower-level and higher-level functions as a structured, hierarchically nested, interconnected and dynamic whole which emerges from the interac-tion between internally related functions, along with the reconfiguration of their ongoing interrelations [see also Karimi-Aghdam, 2016c]. Therefore, the functioning and reconfiguration of the psychological systems furthers the development of human consciousness.…”

The Teaching-Learning Process or the Teaching Process and the Learning Process

“…The definition used by Vygotsky (1995) does not specify how the transition between the zones takes place or how it is achieved in each subject. The definition of zone of proximal development as… as a hypothetical emergent, dynamic and temporal buffer zone between actually matured quantitative micro-changes (i.e., learning) and ex-ante emerging qualitative developmental macro-changes in which mediational transitions of cultural historical semiotic systems, artifacts and speeching activities in particular set their constant time-bound multidirectional and helical interpenetration in motion (Karimi-Aghdam, 2017, p. 88)…”