Generative AI and Sociocultural Theory: A Theoretical Reinterpretation for Foreign Language Education

doi:10.18627/jslg.42.2.202608.151

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2026 Vol.42, Issue 2 Next Page

Research Article

Generative AI and Sociocultural Theory: A Theoretical Reinterpretation for Foreign Language Education 생성형 AI와 사회문화이론: 외국어교육에서의 이론적 재해석: 구유선^1*
Koo, Yuson^1*; ¹충남대학교

¹Chungnam National University

31 August 2026. pp. 151-169

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Abstract

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly emerged as a transformative tool in foreign language education, yet its educational role has often been discussed without a coherent theoretical foundation. This paper reinterprets generative AI through the lens of Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory (SCT) by examining its relationship to key concepts, including mediation, cultural tools, the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), scaffolding, the More Knowledgeable Other (MKO), and self-regulation. Drawing on recent literature in AI-assisted language learning and SCT, this study argues that generative AI is best understood not as a replacement for teachers or an independent instructional agent, but as a mediational cultural tool that supports learners’ cognitive development and self-regulated learning through socially situated interaction. By providing a sociocultural reinterpretation of generative AI, this study offers a theoretical framework for understanding AI-mediated language learning and suggests directions for future research and pedagogical practice.

Keywords

generative artificial intelligence

sociocultural theory

mediation

scaffolding

self-regulation

References

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Alyasin, A. and Shah, M. A. 2026. Human-AI Collaboration in Academic Writing: Exploring University Students’ Agency through a Sociocultural Lens. Ampersand 16, 100256. 10.1016/j.amper.2026.100256
Ayeni, O. O., Al Hamad, N. M., Chisom, O. N., Osawaru, B., and Adewusi, O. E. 2024. AI in Education: A Review of Personalized Learning and Educational Technology. GSC Advanced Research and Reviews 18.2, 261-271. 10.30574/gscarr.2024.18.2.0062
Banihashem, S. K., Bond, M., Bergdahl, N., Khosravi, H., and Noroozi, O. 2025. A Systematic Mapping Review at the Intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Self-Regulated Learning. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education 22.1, 50-96. 10.1186/s41239-025-00548-8
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Godwin-Jones, R. 2024. Distributed Agency in Second Language Learning and Teaching Through Generative AI. Language Learning & Technology 28.2, 4-31. 10.64152/10125/73570
Hamedi, W. H. W., Ali, F. D. A., Abdullah, W. Y., Hamid, H. A., Shuhaimi, N. I. M., and Amir, M. M. 2025. AI as a Digital Scaffold: An Integrative Review of Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development in Modern Education. International Journal of Modern Education 7.26, 579-589. 10.35631/IJMOE.726038
Han, Z. 2024. Chatgpt in and for Second Language Acquisition: A Call for Systematic Research. Studies in Second Langauge Acquisition 46, 301-306. 10.1017/S0272263124000111
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Lantolf, J. P. and Thorne, S. L. 2006. Sociocultural Theory and the Genesis of Second Language Development. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Li, L., Zhang, X., Zou, B., and Yang, Q. 2025. AI Partner or Peer Partner? Exploring AI-Mediated Interaction in EFL Pronunciation from a Socio-Cultural Perspective. Learning, Culture, and Social Interaction 55, 100958. 10.1016/j.lcsi.2025.100958
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Salleh, A. S., Ismail, N. L. M., and Rahman, E. A. 2025. ScaffoldED AI: Harnessing AI Platforms for Scaffolding Academic Writing in Secondary and Tertiary ESL Classroom. International Language Education 9.25, 300-305. 10.47772/IJRISS.2025.925ILEIID000054
Swain, M. 2000. The Output Hypothesis and beyond: Mediating Acquisition through Collaborative Dialogue. In J. P. Lantolf (ed.), Sociocultural Theory and Second Language Learning. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 97-114.
van Lier, L. 2004. The Ecology and Semiotics of Language Learning: A Sociocultural Perspective. Amsterdam: Kluwer Academic Publishers. Amsterdam. 10.1007/1-4020-7912-5
Vygotsky, L. S. 1978. Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Wertsch, J. V. 1991. Voices of the Mind: A Sociocultural Approach to Mediated Action. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Wood, D., Bruner, J. S., and Ross, G. 1976. The Role of Tutoring in Problem Solving. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 17.2, 89-100. 10.1111/j.1469-7610.1976.tb00381.x
Zimmerman, B. J. 2000. Attaining Self-regulation: A Social Cognitive Perspective. In M. Boekaerts, P. R. Pintrich and M. Zeidner (eds.), Handbook of Self-regulation. Cambridge, MA: Academic Press, 13-39. 10.1016/B978-012109890-2/50031-7

Information

Publisher :The Modern Linguistic Society of Korea
Publisher(Ko) :한국현대언어학회
Journal Title :The Journal of Studies in Language
Journal Title(Ko) :언어연구
Volume : 42
No :2
Pages :151-169
DOI :https://doi.org/10.18627/jslg.42.2.202608.151

[1] 이현주. 2024. 사회문화이론과 인공지능 활용 영어교육. 서울특별시: 디자인21.

[2] 정양수. 2023. 영어교수·학습의 원리와 이해. 대전광역시: 충남대학교출판문화원. 10.979.116503/2456

[3] Alhamam, A. A. 2025. Investigating the Role of AI Tool Interactions in Enhancing English Language Acquisition Among Saudi College Students. Arab World English Journal 16.3, 426-440. 10.24093/awej/vol16no3.26

[4] Alyasin, A. and Shah, M. A. 2026. Human-AI Collaboration in Academic Writing: Exploring University Students’ Agency through a Sociocultural Lens. Ampersand 16, 100256. 10.1016/j.amper.2026.100256

[5] Ayeni, O. O., Al Hamad, N. M., Chisom, O. N., Osawaru, B., and Adewusi, O. E. 2024. AI in Education: A Review of Personalized Learning and Educational Technology. GSC Advanced Research and Reviews 18.2, 261-271. 10.30574/gscarr.2024.18.2.0062

[6] Banihashem, S. K., Bond, M., Bergdahl, N., Khosravi, H., and Noroozi, O. 2025. A Systematic Mapping Review at the Intersection of Artificial Intelligence and Self-Regulated Learning. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education 22.1, 50-96. 10.1186/s41239-025-00548-8

[7] Chang, W. and Sun, J. C. 2024. Evaluating AI’s Impact on Self-Regulated Language Learning: A Systematic Review. System 126, 103484. 10.1016/j.system.2024.103484

[8] Donato, R. 1994. Collective Scaffolding in Second Language Learning. In J. P. Lantolf and G. Appel (eds.), Vygotskian Approaches to Second Language Research. New Jersey: Ablex, 33-56.

[9] Godwin-Jones, R. 2024. Distributed Agency in Second Language Learning and Teaching Through Generative AI. Language Learning & Technology 28.2, 4-31. 10.64152/10125/73570

[10] Hamedi, W. H. W., Ali, F. D. A., Abdullah, W. Y., Hamid, H. A., Shuhaimi, N. I. M., and Amir, M. M. 2025. AI as a Digital Scaffold: An Integrative Review of Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development in Modern Education. International Journal of Modern Education 7.26, 579-589. 10.35631/IJMOE.726038

[11] Han, Z. 2024. Chatgpt in and for Second Language Acquisition: A Call for Systematic Research. Studies in Second Langauge Acquisition 46, 301-306. 10.1017/S0272263124000111

[12] Jegede, O. O. 2025. Artificial Intelligence and English Language Learning: Exploring the Roles of AI-Driven Tools in Personalizing Learning and Providing Instant Feedback. Universal Library of Languages and Literatures 1.2, 6-19.

[13] Lantolf, J. P. 2000. Sociocultural Theory and Second Language Learning. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

[14] Lantolf, J. P. and Thorne, S. L. 2006. Sociocultural Theory and the Genesis of Second Language Development. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

[15] Li, L., Zhang, X., Zou, B., and Yang, Q. 2025. AI Partner or Peer Partner? Exploring AI-Mediated Interaction in EFL Pronunciation from a Socio-Cultural Perspective. Learning, Culture, and Social Interaction 55, 100958. 10.1016/j.lcsi.2025.100958

[16] Pardos, Z. A. and Bhandari, S. 2024. ChatGPT-generated Help Produces Learning Gains Equivalent to Human Tutor-Authored Help on Mathematics Skills. Plos One 19.5, e0304013. 10.1371/journal.pone.0304013 38787823 PMC11125466

[17] Salleh, A. S., Ismail, N. L. M., and Rahman, E. A. 2025. ScaffoldED AI: Harnessing AI Platforms for Scaffolding Academic Writing in Secondary and Tertiary ESL Classroom. International Language Education 9.25, 300-305. 10.47772/IJRISS.2025.925ILEIID000054

[18] Swain, M. 2000. The Output Hypothesis and beyond: Mediating Acquisition through Collaborative Dialogue. In J. P. Lantolf (ed.), Sociocultural Theory and Second Language Learning. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 97-114.

[19] van Lier, L. 2004. The Ecology and Semiotics of Language Learning: A Sociocultural Perspective. Amsterdam: Kluwer Academic Publishers. Amsterdam. 10.1007/1-4020-7912-5

[20] Vygotsky, L. S. 1978. Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

[21] Wertsch, J. V. 1991. Voices of the Mind: A Sociocultural Approach to Mediated Action. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

[22] Wood, D., Bruner, J. S., and Ross, G. 1976. The Role of Tutoring in Problem Solving. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry 17.2, 89-100. 10.1111/j.1469-7610.1976.tb00381.x

[23] Zimmerman, B. J. 2000. Attaining Self-regulation: A Social Cognitive Perspective. In M. Boekaerts, P. R. Pintrich and M. Zeidner (eds.), Handbook of Self-regulation. Cambridge, MA: Academic Press, 13-39. 10.1016/B978-012109890-2/50031-7

The Journal of Studies in Language ISSN:1225-4770(Print) 2671-6151(Online) 언어연구

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