The Zone of Proximal Development in Pre-service Teacher Training A Case Study on ZPTD in Lesson Plan Design

This study explores the application of Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development in pre-service teacher training by investigating the effectiveness of ZPTD in lesson plan design. A qualitative research approach has been utilized to gather and analyze both versions of a lesson plan designed by a pre-service teacher (the researcher). The revised lesson plan, with appropriate scaffolding from the instructor and suitable advice from peers, is more balanced and better developed when compared to the original version that created by the pre-service teacher alone. In comparison to effects of microteaching, students show increased engagement and motivation in the modified lesson plan implementation, indicating that the pre-service teacher has reached the potential level in lesson plan design with the help of the instructor’s scaffolding. By bridging the gap between the pre-service teacher’s current and potential level of designing a lesson plan, this study shows that ZPTD can be applied in pre-service teacher training on lesson plan design.