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Question: Alicia is a 6-year-old girl in Grade 1 in a public Primary School near Pinetown. Her parents are originally from Mozambique, her mother fled from Mozambique due to the physical abuse from Alicia’s father and came to South Africa last year in search of a better life for her children. Alicia lives in an informal settlement with her mother and 2 younger brothers. Her mother hand weaves mats and sells them by the roadside, Alicia helps her after school and during weekends. She has not found work yet and use the little money she gets from selling mats to support her children. Alicia speaks Swahili and Portuguese at home and does not understand any of the South African languages. The school that Alicia attends uses IsiZulu as a language of instruction and she does not understand the teacher due to the language barrier. Alicia’s birth card indicate that she was born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) a condition that results from alcohol exposure during the mother’s pregnancy. Her teacher tries her best to accommodate her by relying on demonstrations when instructing her to do tasks, it is however, still difficult for Alicia to comprehend and her teacher suspects that Alicia’s academic challenges are not only a result of the language barrier. She seems to lack concentration in class and appears to be in a world of her own. She also struggles to interact and engage with other learners in her class. Her teacher has noted that she is usually tired in the mornings and lacks energy, her energy levels seem to improve after break when she has eaten a meal provided by the school. Her teacher called her mother for a meeting to address Alicia’s academic challenges, her mother came to school intoxicated and communication between her and Alicia’s teacher was difficult. She did demonstrate that the teacher must hit Alicia if she gives her any trouble. Despite Alicia’s academic challenges her teacher has noted that she is very artistic and enjoys drawing, singing, and dancing. How are the following theories applicable to Alicia's case Lev Vygotsky, sociocultural theory of cognitive development. Moslow, hierarchy of needs. Bronfenbrenner's Ecological system theory. Please include in-text citation APA 7th referencing style
Vygotsky's sociocultural theory of cognitive development is very applicable to Alicia's case. According to Vygotsky, cognitive development is inherently linked to social and cultural contexts. In Alicia's situation, her cognitive development is impacted by her language barrier and her cultural background (Vygotsky, 1978). Her limited understanding of the language of instruction at school makes it hard for her to comprehend lessons, thus posing challenges to her cognitive development. The concept of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), another key element of Vygotsky’s theory, can also be applied here. According to this concept, learners can achieve a certain task with appropriate support or scaffolding from adults or peers (Vygotsky, 1980). In Alicia's case, the teacher's use of demonstrations is essentially providing scaffolding, assisting Alicia in her learning and cognitive development despite her language challenges. Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory is also very relevant to Alicia's situation. Alicias's basic needs, such as food and safety are not being consistently met, which would impact her ability to reach higher levels on Maslow's pyramid such as love, belonging, and self-actualization (Maslow, 1943). This is evidenced by Alicia’s low energy levels in the morning which improves after she has had the meal provided by the school. Her mother’s abusive nature and alcoholism may also be causing her to lack a sense of safety at home. Finally, Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory could help explain the various factors influencing Alicia's development. The microsystem, which includes her family and school, and the macrosystem, which includes the societal and cultural elements, are both negatively impacting her (Bronfenbrenner, 1994). Her mother’s unstable situation, the language barrier and the societal structure that discriminates against immigrants are all contributing to Alicia’s struggle at school. References: Bronfenbrenner, U. (1994). Ecological models of human development. Readings on the Development of Children, 2(1), 37-43. Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370–396. Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press. Vygotsky, L. (1980). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard university press.
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