Chapter 2: Conceptual and Methodological Issues in Sociocultural Research and Theory Development in Education

The term sociocultural perspective is relatively new in the research lexicon and bears greater explanation, because it is rapidly becoming a common orientation for researchers and theorists across many social science fields (Liem & McInerney, 2008, pp. 6-7). Socioculturalism is a philosophical approach to understanding the way individuals behave and learn in social contexts, that has spawned a distinct approach to research and theory development. Versions of sociocultural research can be found in a wide variety of fields including medicine, business management, linguistics, social work, and education. However, there remains much debate over the exact meaning of the term sociocultural theory, in part because of its differential interpretation in multiple research communities (Thorne, 2005). In fact, the American Association of Applied Linguistics held a colloquium in 2004 to address what sociocultural theory means within that discipline (Zuengler & Cole, 2004). Similarly, this volume and this chapter in particular, were written to further a dialogue about the meanings and uses of sociocultural research in education.