Hiding in Plain Sight: The Stages of Mastery/Self-Regulation in Vygotsky's Cultural-Historical Theory

During the late 1970s and 1980s, as interest in Lev Vygotsky's work was growing rapidly, most of his writings were unavailable in English. Translations of Vygotsky's work that reflect the breadth and depth of his thinking became available in the mid-to late 1990s. However, this work has yet to become an integral part of educational psychology. This article first presents Vygotsky's unique view of cognitive development, followed by the central framework of his theorythe stages of sign use/concept development. These stages are also the stages of self-regulation/mastery of one's thinking and they culminate in the development of higher mental functions. Also discussed are current conceptions of self-regulation, a comparison with Vygotsky's view, and the implications of Vygotsky's thinking for curriculum and instruction.