CA-for-SCT: Dialectics and the analysis of cognition on the ground
Issue: Vol 3 No. 2 (2016) Sociocultural theory and the dialectical-materialist approach to L2 development
Journal: Language and Sociocultural Theory
Subject Areas: Writing and Composition Linguistics
Abstract:
This article sketches out the theory and practice of using conversation analysis in the service of sociocultural theory, or CA-for-SCT. Specific focus is on the concept of cognition on the ground (Maynard, 2006), which refers to the ways in which psychological processes are demonstrated in and constituted by the social-interactive contexts in which they occur. Drawing on an interaction around a Dynamic Assessment of L2 French grammatical competence, the article demonstrates how the CA-for-SCT framework conceptualizes and uses for analytic benefit the dialectical relationship between intrapersonal and interpersonal psychological functioning, as Vygotsky proposed. Offering support for Vygotsky’s position, the discussion then focuses on how interaction – that is, the actions co-produced across individuals – ought to be seen as cognition in its own right, how the CA-for-SCT framework is applicable beyond Dynamic Assessment, and the ways in which the framework contributes to the development of units of analysis for SCT research.
Author: Rémi A. van Compernolle
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