Scaffolding The Zone Proximal Development

support from adults or scaffolding and internal potential of children or The Zone of Proximal Development.

1. Scaffolding

Support is needed by all human being because it can give encouragement for them. The same is true for children. Although they love to explore new things by themselves, they still need support from adults so they can feel encouraged and empowered. Vygotsky introduces this support for children as scaffolding. This is an action of giving support and help when children are still learning to do and finish their duty on developing their cognitive ability Cook, 2005:28. The cognitive ability of children can include any duties. Adults can help support them through doing a little part of children’s duty, making the problems simpler, having discussions, and reminding them about a certain thing Cook, 2005:29. In children’s literature, child characters often get support from adults in the stories. When they do something defiant, adults often give them reminders, suggestions, advices, or clues about what they need to do. Later on, the child characters learn themselves what they catch from the reminders and decide what they will do. Although they have less knowledge than adults characters, the support they have can make them organize independently the actions they do. The involvement of adults through support can be learned by children in guided participation. This is a method suggested by Barbara Rogoff from cultural point of view. Culture is the state where children are integrated since they were born. They will feel connected with the place they live and the environment they are involved. The active participation of both children and adults can help form children’s new knowledge and understanding because they take roles there.

2. The Zone Proximal Development

Besides in the form of direct support from adults, the role of adults in literature can be in the form of paying attention child characters’ internal potential. Each child might have different potential to try to be independent in learning something new. It can be shown through their change after they get influenced by any instructions they accept. Changing means the dynamicity of children. To realize the change of children, adults can help study themselves what makes different between before and after the learning process of children Kozulin, 2003:17-18. The zone of proximal development ZPD brought by Lev Vygotsky is the right way to define and learn children’s performance in two ways: their independent way to solve problems and the way to find solution through adults help Vygtosky in Cook, 2005:27. There are many complex problems for child characters to manage and solve alone in the stories. It can be figured out by giving guidance for these characters. It aims to see problems that can be solved independently by child characters and which problems that need encouragement from adults. The phenomenon above shows that children can perform their development either by their own effort or by guidance from adults. They are given challenging matters or tasks that they need to pass. In children’s literature, the emphasis is to find the way child characters choose their solutions by themselves. Their decision is not always correct based on adults’ point of view because they do according to their scope of knowledge. As adults are still needed in the story, guidance from them is necessary but in limited actions in order to keep exploring what child characters will do based on their perspective. To create Zone of Proximal Development, there is a method used named intersubjectivity. It allows the interaction between two people, who could be adults- children, and there is communication happened between them. These two parties might have different perspective and understanding upon a certain problem or phenomenon. They have discussions to reach a deal so the final understanding becomes fair for both of them Berk, 2013:268. This discussi on opens the children’s mind because they have new insights while they still defend their own understanding. Children can try to implement such way with their friends and playmates. It aims to add more new ideas and create their willingness in sharing thoughts. Child characters are created with their own characteristics and way of thinking that is performed through their actions, other characters’ information, or the narration. They often find a chance of having discussions with other characters. Their understanding is not always the same. Therefore, the discussions during their dialogues may lead to the shared understanding. Adults need to have the sense of “child” people. Hunt in Flynn 1997:143 defined “child” people as adults who have the ability to understand the nature of children and childhood without being biased because adults mix this understanding with their perspective as adults. To make them understand more about this ability as “child” people, they need to recall their memories and experience when they were children. It is expected that they finally are able to speak on behalf of children and play roles more cooperatively as the best partners for children. Lodge in Saxby 1987:158 suggested that adults need to take positive roles which are to show their gratitude and approve new ideas brought by children. In many children’s books, adult characters are portrayed as the ones who like to dictate what the child characters have to do. However, more positive and supportive roles are expected so they could inject positive spirit to younger characters although their presence in the stories might not always be intense. This is the dream of children’s literature related to its adult characters. Their presence is acceptable and undeniable to exist in the stories yet they need to take parts more supportively. These supports might appear in the stories through actions and dialogues.

D. Children’s Independence Reflected in Characterization