LiteratureTheoretical PerspectiveThis study focuses on the role of academic advising in the development of students as they matriculate through their college experience. Sociocultural theory as first developed by Vygoksky (1978) will be used to better understand how this social activity is coupled to the growth of the individual. “The most fundamental concept of sociocultural theory is that the human mind is mediated” (Lantolf, 2000, p. 1), as opposed to other views of human cognitive development through passive stimuli from the physical world (Vygotsky , 1986). The goal is to explain how an individual can become empowered to access higher psychological functioning and Tappan (1997) develops this idea further through a discussion of the act of establishing the necessary internalized connections between the individual and the external activities. This act of internalization of the external physical world requires that we be interested in the social context of this transformation. Without taking into account the social environment of the individual, the act of learning cannot be completely understood. This article seeks to address the act of meaning that makes negotiation necessary for the development of a student within the college environment through the interactions of a more capable other (Vygotsky, 1978). As this process unfolds and the student begins to emerge as a result of these interactions with an advisor, this study seeks to understand what is necessary to facilitate this action. A critical idea advanced by Vygotsky is the need for the learner to be receptive. to the personal accumulation of knowledge, being in a zone of proximal development (ZPD). Regarding the ZPD, Vygotsky states that it is the distance between the...... middle of paper ......5. doi:10.3102/00346543045001089 Tinto, V. (1987). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures for student attrition. (1st ed.). University of Chicago Press. Tinto, V. (2000). Taking academic perseverance seriously: rethinking the first year of college. NACADA Journal, 19(2).Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). The mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Vygotsky, L. S. (1986). Thought and language. (A. Kouzlin, ed.) (Revised). The MIT Press. Weiss, R.S. (1995). Learning from strangers: the art and method of qualitative interview studies. Free Press. Winston Jr, R.B. and Sandor, J.A. (1984). Academic Advice Inventory. Athens, GA: Student Development Associates. Student Development Associates, Inc. Winston, R. B. (1984). Academic Development Tips: What Do Students Want?. NACADA Journal, 4(1), 5.