Computers in the zone of proximal development: Implications for evaluation

The management and evaluation of computer experiences would benefit from focussing on the broader context of classroom discourse in which such experiences may be situated, and two themes from within that tradition relating to instruction are described.

Abstract

It is argued that the effective evaluation of computer-based interventions must be grounded in a strong theory relating cognitive development to instructional practice. Cultural psychology furnishes theory of this kind. Two themes from within that tradition, both relating to instruction, are described. They each invite closer attention to the socially-organized context in which computer experiences are arranged. At present, both practice and its evaluation is hampered by too much faith in the potency of events concentrated in the interaction between an individual pupil and her computer. The management and evaluation of computer experiences would benefit from focussing on the broader context of classroom discourse in which such experiences may be situated.