L.S. Vygotsky's theory of the sociocultural approach to development is examined in relation to a school-aged child's learning to write in an inner city after-school computer program. Case study material on an 8-year-old African American girl and the variety of people she interacted with in writing is presented in order to trace how the arrangements of relationships in the activity setting made possible the development of new forms of skill and expertise for her and the adults facilitating her efforts. The case study documents Vygotsky's concept of 'transformation' (1978) as a function of the dynamics in the significant relationships supporting her over time.
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