Abstract

　Elementary school represents a crucial period during which children first begin to systematically learn language in a formal educational setting. At this stage, appropriate instruction and a supportive learning environment lay the foundation for children’s learning abilities and have a significant impact on their long-term intellectual development. However, in response to the contradictions between traditional language education practices and language learning objectives, the need for developmental theories in language education, and the necessity of breaking the encapsulation of school learning, there is a growing demand for creative language activities. Among these, the Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky’s theory of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) offers a critical perspective for effectively promoting children’s learning in elementary language education. The ZPD theory emphasizes that learning is not merely a passive acquisition of knowledge, but a socially constructed process shaped through interaction.
　This study adopts a formative intervention methodology and analyzes data from a Change Laboratory conducted at a private elementary school in the Tokyo metropolitan area, based on the framework of Cultural-Historical Activity Theory. Through this analysis, the study explores the generation of the Zone of Proximal Development in the context of elementary language learning. First, by describing the activity system surrounding the “Wisdom of the Dandelion” play activity implemented at the school, the current state of this language activity is clarified from the researcher’s perspective. Next, this study examines the process of “scaffolding,” a key step in the formation of the ZPD, analyzing how children, with guidance from adults or through collaboration with more capable peers, develop from their current level of performance toward a potential level of development in language learning. Furthermore, the study analyzes the structural stages of the ZPD observed during the “Wisdom of the Dandelion” activity and discusses the realization of the cyclical structure of these developmental stages. Finally, this study seeks to offer new perspectives on traditional approaches to language learning in elementary education.

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