Vygotsky believed the social world has primacy over the individual. This cultural interaction of the adult and child passes on traits characteristic of the surrounding culture to the child. The parent translates a child s world. A higher mental function is socially acquired. ZPD bridges the gap for children between the unknown and known.
Children are able to extend themselves to higher levels of learning.
The Zone can only be created in the course of social interaction. Everyday, children are faced with conflict-generating problems. School age children reach higher levels of problem solving in an environment of children their own age. The ZPD of a child is dependent upon their culture, society, and experiences they have had. Vygotsky believed that children should work as partners in problem solving.