Summary and Main Ideas
From WikEd
Using a developmental, sociocultural approach, Wertsch addressed issues surrounding the use of one form of mental functioning, “rational, logico-deductive reasoning”(p.111). The ideas Wertsch expresses are based on the work of Vygotsky and Bakhtin.
Vygotsky’s theoretical framework:
1. Reliance on genetic analysis: in exploring human mental functioning it is important to look at the associated origins and genetic changes
2. Higher mental functions are social in origin: Aspects of an individual’s cultural development appear on a social and psychological plane
3. Tools and signs mediate higher mental functioning: Human behavior can be understood by examining the various tools mediating behavior. Mediation then defines and structures the behavior.
The third theme described above is considered to be one of Vygotsky’s most significant contributions. This theme precedes the other themes. When looking at mediation, the main focus was on sign systems used in communication, espesically, and speech. Wertsch suggests that the goal of Vygotsky’s approach “was to specify how human mental functioning reflects and constitutes its historical, institutional, and cultural setting.” However, Vygotsky did not provide ways in which this approach could be applied to real settings. It is suggested that this was due to his early death and lack of research on “broader institutional or cultural phenomena”(p. 115). Towards the end of his life, Vygotsky was trying to find a way to relate psychological functioning with sociocultural settings.
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[edit] Bakhtin’s contribution to a sociocultural approach to mind
Wertsch describes four components of Bakhtin’s framework: utterance, voice, social speech type, and dialogue. Bakhtin was concerned with speech and focused on speech activity contextualized historically, institutionally, culturally, and individually.
- Voice
When utterances are produced by voice they can be characterized using intention, accent, and timbre. The intention and accent reflect the intention and accent of other voices, which can be when one voice speaks through another. Bahktin argues that a word is half someone else’s and when an individual adds his or her intention and accent it becomes his or her own.
- Speech Genres
-Social speech type -We have an extensive set of speech genres. -We speak in speech genres, which means that our utterances have a form and structure. -Sometimes we are not aware that we are using these speech genres. -Examples: military commands, table conversation, narration
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[edit] Dialogicality and Utterances
-Utterances are related to the utterances that precede them (“mutually reflect one another”)
-Utterances relate to previous utterances and anticiapated future utterances
-One must take into consideration how the utterance relates to the speaker and other participants, as well as other utterances.
-Bakhtin introduced two concepts related to utterances: referential semantic sphere and expressive aspect of the utterance.
1. referential semantic sphere-related to content, reference, and meaning
2. expressive aspect of the utterance- the speaker’s emotional attitude influences the utteranc;the speaker’s
emotional evaluation
The voice of decontextualized rationality is “concerned with the perspective a speaker takes toward the referentially semantic content, and in actuality it involves a social speech type rather than a voice in the strict sense.”
[edit] What determines which voice is selected?
- Cultural and institutional factors
- In education “the voice of decontextualized rationality is privileged.”
[edit] Problems of voices for developmental psychology and education
- How children develop the ability to decide which voice to use
- Clarification of theories of meaning
