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Child Development & Early Education vocabulary · Cognitive Development

Zone of proximal development

Meaning in child development & early education, with examples

nounCommon term

In child development & early education, zone of proximal development means: In Vygotsky's theory, the gap between what a child can do alone and what they can do with help from an adult or a more skilled peer.

In Turkish: yakınsak gelişim alanı, yakın gelişim alanı

How it is used

Often shortened to ZPD in lectures, essays and exams. Teachers say a task is 'within the child's ZPD' when it is challenging but possible with support. It is usually discussed together with scaffolding.

Example sentences

  1. Counting to twenty with help is within her zone of proximal development.

  2. Explain how scaffolding relates to Vygotsky's zone of proximal development.

Common collocations

  • within the zone of proximal development
  • Vygotsky's zone of proximal development
  • work in the ZPD
  • scaffoldingSupport that an adult gives a child to complete a task they cannot yet do alone, such as hints, questions or showing one step, which is reduced as the child becomes more able.
  • cognitive developmentThe development of thinking skills such as attention, memory, problem-solving, reasoning and understanding how the world works.
  • sustained shared thinkingA conversation in which an adult and a child, or two children, think together over time to solve a problem, explain an idea or develop a story, each adding to the other's thinking.

More terms: Cognitive Development

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