THE SOCIOCULTURAL TRADITION

George, Will and Mitchell

OUTLINE

Who am I?

Definition

Origin of Sociocultural • Vygotsky • Culture

Relating Semiotics and Sociocultural

OUTLINE

Relationships

High Context vs Low Context

Discussion

Conclusion

WHO AM I?

WHO AM I?

Write down 4 things to describe yourself

Creative

Artistic

Kind

Intelligent

Student

Brother/Sister

Christian

Lives in Sydney

Sociopsychological vs Sociocultural

Sociopsychological

Sociocultural

Focuses on: Patterns of interaction between people, as a group, rather than on individual characteristics. Ways in which people together create the realities of their social groups and culture. (Littlejohn & Foss, 2005)

Sociocultural Tradition

Vygotsky

Born in 1896

Russian Psychologist

Constructs meaning through social interaction

Vygotsky contended that, unlike animals - who react only to the environment, humans have the capacity to alter the environment for their own purposes

4 B A S I C P R I N C I P L E S U N D E R LY I N G T H E V Y G O T S K I A N F R A M E W O R K

Children construct their own knowledge

Development cannot be separated from its social context

Learning can lead development

Language plays a central role in mental development

Culture is identity, not of an individual but as a group.

The Sociocultural Approach

Culture also, however, creates identity

Art reflects culture

Culture follows certain traditions

CULTURE

A persons culture is significant and differences in culture

can often lead to communication problems.

Culture is important how we relate and communicate

Cultural Communication

Theory

Learning

Asian vs Western Learning

Vygotsky’s TheoryThe Sociocultural Approach

(http://www.thehindu.com/multimedia/dynamic/00655/TH12_CHILD_LABOUR_655536f.jpg)

As our world becomes increasingly interconnected, people increasingly encounter problems when communicating with people from other cultures. This can lead to problems ranging from employee frustration and decreased efficiency, to losing financial loss.

Importance of Sociocultural Communication

RELATIONSHIPS

Intercultural CouplesMulticulturalism

Semiotics

Differences

Resolutions

Intercultural Business TransactionsJapanese and American

Conflict resolution: Role play (Do’s and Dont’s)

- Greetings

- Seating Position

- Gift Giving

RELATIONSHIPS

HIGH CONTEXT VS LOW CONTEXT

High Context – (Middle East, Asian, Africa and South America)

Developing trust is important to any business transaction

Tends to be much more indirect and more formal.

Low Context – (North America and much of Western Europe)

Value logic, facts and directness

Communicators are expected to be straight-forward, concise and efficient.

DISCUSSION

Have you ever witnessed someone being discriminated against or experienced discrimination yourself?

DISCUSSION

Describe a positive experience you have had with another culture ?

(i.e. Travelling Abroad, Going to Markets, University)

DISCUSSION

What are some of the positives and negatives of working in a culturally diverse environment?

CONCLUSION

REFERENCES

Mahn, H. 1999, ‘Vygotsky’s Methodological Contribution to Sociocultural Theory’, Remedial and Special Education, vol. 20, no. 6, pp. 341-350

Würtz, E. 2005, ‘A cross-cultural analysis of websites from high-context cultures and low-context cultures’, Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, vol. 11, no.1, pp. 13-25