Making Sense through Participation: Social Differences in Learning and Identity Development

In this chapter we discuss the issue of social differences in relation tolearning. In theories on co-operative learning or collaborativelearning social differences are treated as characteristics of individuallearners. The focus on learning as a social process is primarilyelaborated in terms of interaction between pupils and the combinedconstruction of knowledge. Sociocultural theory (Vygotskij, Lave &Wenger), however, understands ‘social’ not only in terms ofknowledge/meaning being constructed in interaction with others, butalso in terms of the cultural practices/activities informing theseinteraction processes. Learning can be understood as increasingparticipating in communities of practice. As social differences are anintrinsic part of the culture in which students are learning toparticipate, these are also an inherent aspect of learning processes inschools. Students learn to participate in practices in different ways,depending on their social position, and thus develop distinguishedcultural identities. In this chapter we elaborate on this tenet, usingexamples from various empirical research projects on learning insecondary education. We not only show how social differences in thecultural practices that underpin learning influence what is learned bywhom, but also explore the consequences of this perspective for thepedagogical space of the school..