Teaching and Social Development among High School Students within the Framework of Socio-Cultural Theory (Lev Vygotsky) and Critical Pedagogy Theory (Paulo Freire)

Abstract

     This study is extracted from a doctoral thesis titled "The Relationship between Teaching and Students' Social Development: A Field Study in High Schools of Erbil City." The research investigates the correlation between teaching and the social development of high school students within the theoretical frameworks of Lev Vygotsky’s "Socio-Cultural Theory" and Paulo Freire’s "Critical Pedagogy." It critiques the traditional teaching methods that remain dominant in the high schools of the Kurdistan Region, where the teacher is the center of the process and students occupy a passive role. Consequently, this study reveals the significance of the "interactional, dialogic, and student-centered model," emphasizing that teaching is a social interaction process that does not merely provide information but also has a profound impact on students' values, behavior, relationships, and identity. Through an analysis of the two aforementioned theories, the study calls for a transformation in teaching methods and strategies within Erbil’s high schools, highlighting the general importance of this model for social development. The findings indicate that commitment to modern teaching systems fosters a sense of responsibility, self-awareness, and freedom of expression among students. Despite the theoretical importance that both socio-cultural theory (Leo Vygotsky) and critical educational theory (Paulo Freire) place on the role of teaching in building social awareness, interaction, dialogue and participation, these two perspectives have not received adequate analysis It links teaching to the social development of students.

This paper adopts a theoretical-analytical method by analyzing the text and basic concepts of both theories; Sociocultural theory (Leo Vygotsky) and critical pedagogical theory (Paulo Freire) related to teaching and social development.