What do we mean by sociocultural approaches in education?
Socio-cultural approaches to education draw on the tradition of Vygotsky and often also of Activity Theory (Luria, Leont'ev, Davydov etc). Latterly called 'Cultural-Historical Activity Theory' or CHAT (by Cole & Engestrom) this also draws on the Bakhtinian tradition on the one hand, and Western cultural anthropology on the other (especially this is true of Cole/ Engestrom, and leading US/UK theorists such as Wertsch, Gee, Lemke, Mercer and Wells).
However, there is also a strong European socio-cultural tradition in the social sciences (e.g. Bourdieu) including those adopting dialectical and historical methods that are often termed (by others) post-modern (Foucault, Serres, Latour) and many who think similarly in the US also draw on the pragmatism of Pierce & Dewey. There are now strong linkages between socio-cultural theory and anthropology ( Holland , Rogoff, Lave& Wenger, Apple). Bruners work on education as cultural practice also reflects this trend.