ABSTRACT
The goal of this chapter is to introduce the reader to such central concepts of sociocultural theory (SCT) as mediation and internalization, to perform their conceptual analysis, and to show how these concepts are applied in various research contexts including studies of second language acquisition and instruction. The proposed analysis starts by pointing to a certain difficulty in detecting the demarcation line between mediation as philosophical notion (in its Hegelian and Marxist sense) and as psychological concept. The conceptual analysis elaborates three different contexts in which mediation and internalization take place: evolutionary, historical, and ontogenetic. Original hypotheses proposed by Vygotsky and Luria (1930/1993) concerning the processes occurring in each of these contexts are compared to more recent anthropological, psychological, and educational research. Special attention is paid to the processes associated with mediation of the first and second language and the relationships between internalized language and verbal thought. Three main types of mediation relevant to learning practice are then discussed: mediation via symbolic tools, human mediation, and mediation via specially organized classroom activities.
