Rethinking Vygotsky’s Theory of the Zone of Proximal Development: Redefining the Role of Parental engagement in Children’s English Language Learning

Articles in Press

Document Type : research article

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assistant professor at Tarbiat Modares University

10.22059/jflr.2024.367415.1078

Abstract

The present research investigated the efficacy of parent engagement in children's learning and achievement in the English language. It is emphasized that adult guidance in foreign language learning cannot necessarily play an influential role in children's zone of proximal development (ZPD). It seems that parents or adults should enjoy relative linguistic skills, while in Vygotsky's theory, there is ambiguity over some concepts such as adult guidance characteristics.The statistical population under consideration consisted of sixty Iranian children, with ages ranging between 9 and 10 years old, divided randomly into three groups of experimental 1, experimental 2, and control. Children received face-to-face education while Telegram was used for their parents. The research results showed significantly more learning, skill training, parent involvement, and shared activities between children and parents in the experimental1 and experimental 2 groups compared to the control group. Moreover, a positive correlation is found between parent involvement and children's achievement in all three groups. The results also showed that parents' involvement and teaching involvement, and language skills had the most influence on parents' involvement. Furthermore, teaching engagement to parents had the most significant influence on children's activities. In addition, children's activities and language skill training had the most influence on their learning.

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Journal of Foreign Language Research

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 21 January 2025

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