The participation metaphor is used to encompass theoretical perspectives of
cognition where learning is viewed as the process of doing and participating in the norms
and practices of the discipline [6]. This can be contrasted with the acquisition metaphor,
where learning is typically viewed as a more rational process of conceptual growth and
growth of reasoning [6] [7]. Perspectives that can be defined by the participation
metaphor include socio-cultural perspectives such as situated cognition [8], distributed
cognition [9], feminist perspectives [10] and semiotic interaction theory [4]. Much of the
work within this tradition has partial foundation in the work of Lev Vygotsky.