The potential of Vygotsky’s contributions to our understanding of cognitive apprenticeship as a process of development in adult vocational and technical education

The work of Vygotsky has steadily grown in influence in North America since the 1980s. As one of the leading figures that have influenced modern constructivist thought, Vygotsky’s work has had increasing influence, not only on modern psychological and sociological thought, but also on education. An important concept in his theory is the idea that the potential for cognitive development is limited to a certain time span, which he calls the Zone of Proximal Development [ZPD]. This article analyzes Vygotsky’s ZPD concept, and it links his work on the ZPD to Lave and Wenger’s (1991) views on situated learning and communities of practice, and constructivist theory in general. From the review and analyses of these distinct but not separate approaches to training and development, the article explores the potential implications of the ZPD concept for our understanding of cognitive apprenticeship as a process of development in adult vocational and technical education. Lave and Wenger’s labels for roles and status of apprentice development, underpinned by four ZPD figures, are offered as useful representations of Vygotsky’s work. The article concludes the ZPD concept has implications for the theory and practice of vocational and technical education