Murphey, T. & Kobayashi, T. (2006). Parallel to associative thinking: A continuum of socialization. Dokkyo University’s Studies in Foreign Language Teaching No. 24 pp. 117-132. The Parallel to Associative Thinking: A Continuum of Socialization Tim Murphey & Terumi Kobayazhi Introduction: Tim Murphey This article attempts to answer the simple question, “To what depth and breath can a class stimulate learning, otherwise known as socialization?” (Lave & Wenger, 1991). We will address the question first by presenting some theoretical points with examples and then use this scaffolding to analyze a video recording of an interview with an elementary school student in English and Japanese. A main tenant of socio-cultural theory is that learning begins in social situations and then is gradually internalized through social interaction (Lantolf, 2000). Every situation is actually social in different ways and people are always internalizing characteristics and information from each situation. The student in a pure lecture class may be socialized into a passive role of simply being a listener, whereas a chemistry student in a laboratory might be socialized into being more active in order to fulfill the requirements. Along with Wenger (1998), we believe that learning involves a particular identity construction in a certain environment. Also, we are learning things at several levels: the rules of engagement, and through that particular type of engagement. We are both learning new things and having others reinforced. Thus we need finer distinctions to tell us what kinds of socialization provoke deeper and wider learning. Xu, Gelfer, and Perkins (2005) present the useful concepts of parallel play and associated play. They use Parten’s (1932) theory to describe how children go through certain stages of play to more complicated and social forms. Their research, done with second graders, supports the idea that the way that teachers structure instruction can greatly impact students’ collaborative interaction and associative play, especially for English language learners. This coincides with much of what collaborative learning (Jacobs, Power, & Inn, 2002) and interactive SLA research supports (Murphey, 1990).