Bronfenbrenner's Ecological System Model

Bronfenbrenner's Ecological System Model was developed to explain how the child's environment affects the child grows and develops over the years. The theory is commonly referred to as part of the ecological and systems framework. Through the theory, American psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner stressed the importance of studying child in the context of which known as ecological systems in the attempt to understand the development. Following the respective theory, there are different aspects or levels of the child's development and be classified into five levels of external influence. The levels are categorized based on the most intimate to the broadest, range from microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem.

The microsystem is the most instant environment and smallest in which the child lives in. It comprises the daily home, peer group, school, dare care center, or community environment of the child. Typically, interaction within the microsystem involves personal relationships with classmates, family members, caregivers, and teachers. The influence goes back and forth, the way these group of people interacts with the child will affect the future how the child grows. Therefore, supportive relationships and interactions will foster the child's improved development.

Assuming two siblings experiencing the same microsystem, still, it is still possible for the two siblings to progress in different manners. Each child's particular personality traits, which is influenced by unique genetic and biological factors, ultimately by the way he treated by others. Part of the significant findings in his study is that possible for siblings in same ecological experience different

It is the largest and final outer layer which wrap the microsystem, mesosystem, and exosystem. Refers to Boemmel and Briscoe (2001), macrosystem influence and support child within the environment such as economic patterns, customs, society, and nationality. As stated by Paquette and Ryan (2001), the principles have a cascading influence throughout the interactions of external layers. As an example, if the culture belief parents should be solely responsible for taking care and raising their children, then the culture is less likely provide available sources to guide the parents. Thus, this affects the parents function based on the parents' ability or inability to carry the responsibility. While Babatunde and others (2003) mentioned macrosystems are not static but change through revolution and