Interactionist, sociolinguistic and sociocultural approaches
Sociolinguists, social theorists, conversation analysts, and interactionists, in contrast with the two previous families, focus on the social context in which language learning takes place, and the role that this context plays in the co-construction of both linguistic knowledge and identity. Much of this work especially in the sociocultural tradition, sees language as a cultural product, jointly constructed during social interaction and thus often disagrees fundamentally with a cognitive view of language or of learning. Consequently, the focus has not been on understanding which formal properties are acquired and how, but rather on providing a glimpse of the actual process of acquisition taking place in real time, and of the forces at play. So, the common thread here is the importance of the social and interactional context, with major differences in how the learning process is viewed, either as primarily social, or as cognitive/individual.
Domain of inquiry
The different approaches within this broad theoretical family have in common, is that they focus more on the situated context in which second language learning takes place than on the mind of the learner or on the language system. The sociocultural framework has been particularly influential in social and educational research and its domain of inquiry is the learning process as a social and intermental activity, in which language is seen as a mediation tool.
Views on the nature of language
The views of the nature of language vary widely within this broad theoretical family. The prime focus all have in common is that they see language as embedded within its social and interactional context, and they are interested in the role this context plays, in order to answer widely different research questions depending on the framework adopted. Sociolinguists are interested in studying how the complex social and pragmatic rules and conventions typical of any mature language are acquired by second language learners. Interactionists view language primarily as a source of input which can be modified in various ways in order to facilitate the learning process. Sociocultural theorists, on the other hand, have a very different view of language. They view language as a tool for thought, and they view dialogic communication as central to the joint construction of knowledge.
View of the learning process
Sociocultural theorists believe that the same general learning mechanisms are involved in language learning as in any other kind of learning. However, unlike cognitivists, they see learning as primarily social, rather than individual.
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The focus is primarily on language use and the social and affective context in which learning is taking place, and how both this context and the personal aspirations of the learner for a particular type of identity can shape the kinds of encounters and any subsequent learning which may take place. In terms of their view of the learning process itself, sociolinguists concentrate on the social forces at play, through qualitative and interpretative analyses. Overall, theoretical approaches within this paradigm have tended to focus on the study of language use.
Views of the language learner
For sociocultural theorists, the view of the language learner is closely related to that of language and of learning. Learning in this view is therefore primarily a mediated process. It is mediated both through learners' developing use and control of mental tools (with language playing a central role), and it is socially mediated through interaction and shared processes such as problem-solving and discussion. Within this broad theoretical family, the view of the language learner varies substantially according to the approach adopted, from an individual making use of psycholinguistic tools to assist learning, to the learner as a primarily social being negotiating new identities and power relationships.
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