Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Uri Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Theory
Uri Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Theory
Uri Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Theory
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Uri Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Theory
Individuals and experiences impact a child’s development, according to psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory. A child's environment affects how a child develops, which begins with an individual’s family and extends to the interactions within the environment. Interactions, with environmental experiences, shape the course of lifespan development. Discussion The Ecological Systems interactions with the child will influence how the child develops; the more encouraging and nurturing these relationships are, the more chances for positive development. The influences of family and culture are especially important because they become the building blocks of a child’s maturation. Children move through the different layers smoothly when taught the basic concepts of love, respect, tolerance, and honor. These principles are needed to instill positive values in children.
Ecological Influences Bronfenbrenner breaks down his ecological systems theory into five “layers” with each influencing a child’s development. First, the microsystem consists of relationships closely related to an individual, like family and school. Microsystem has the most significant impact on an individual because it focuses on relationships closest
…show more content…
A. (2008). Economic disadvantage in complex family systems: Expansion of family stress models. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 11(3), 145-161. doi:10.1007/s10567-008-0034-z.
Miller, J. G. and Kinsbourne, M. (2012), Culture and neuroscience in developmental psychology: Contributions and challenges. Child Development Perspectives, 6: 35–41. doi: 10.1111/j.1750-8606.2011.00188.x.
Palamaro Munsell, E., Kilmer, R. P., Cook, J. R. and Reeve, C. L. (2012), The effects of caregiver social connections on caregiver, child, and family well-being. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 82: 137–145.
Environment has always played an important role on how children are raised. Throughout child developmental psychology, many different theorist’s views on how environment effects a child development differently, or if it plays any role at all in a child developing with a healthy psyche. In the film Babies (2010), we are introduced to two human babies living in distinctively different parts of the world and we are given a glimpse of their lives as they grow and develop. In the film, we are introduced to Ponijao from the rural area of Opuwo, Namibia, who lives with his mother and his siblings. In another area of the world, the urban city of San Francisco, U.S., we are introduced to Hattie, who lives with her mother and father.
Environment says a lot about identity, past, and future. Primary environment has the most effect on shaping a child. According to a US National Library of Medicine research study, ”The physical environment and child development: An international review” it says, “What we do know suggests that the physical environment experienced by children impacts their cognitive and socioemotional development across the lifespan, from the prenatal period through adulthood.” In children this is especially important because a child develops most between the ages of two and five. There are three key elements that contribute to a healthy physical for young children, an adequate standard of living (mainly sufficient food, clothing, and housing), healthcare, and safety from injury, violence, and environmental hazards. In The Other Wes Moore, Wes(a) had
Macrosystem. The macrosystem is the outer most shell of the model that shapes the exosystem. These broad forces include culture, values, structures, institutions that create the environment in which the exosystem operates.
Ecology in early childhood education means the study of the relationships and interactions between human groups and their surrounding conditions that impact on the child’s development and learning. Any changes to the surrounding conditions start from the most intimate home ecological system moving outward to the larger school system and the most expansive system which is society and culture. Each of these systems inevitably interacts with and influences each other and every aspect of the child’s life. According to famous psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, ‘he divided the person's environment into five different levels: the microsystem, the mesosystem, the exosystem, the macrosystem, and the chronosystem’ (Study.com
7. Rhodes, J., Chan, C., Paxson, C., Rouse, C. E., Waters, M. and Fussell, E. (2010), The Impact of
Bronfenbrenner theorised that there are many different influences that affect a child’s development, forming 5 systems to categorise certain events, or environments into. This theory helps me to understand the theme of Nature Vs Nurture, as it gives some context as to what environments can affect a child's development. From this, we can work out solutions for each child's situation, to ensure that their development is still progressing.
There are numerous influences within a child’s environment that can impact their behaviour such as; economics, education, gender and religion (Morrow, 2011). All these factors combined can shape a child’s belief system and determine an individual’s acceptance and tolerance of certain behaviours. For example, if a student has a strict routine at home where they must take their shoes off before entering the house and no other students abide by this rule in the classroom, the student may take offence to this and lash out at those students. A teacher observing this behaviour may perceive the child’s emotion as misbehaving because they may not understand the student’s cultural values. It is important that caretakers and teachers are aware of the social constructs that impact students so they can be aware of the possible reasons behind student’s behaviours. Behaviours displayed by a child can be explained by looking into their ecological systems to understand why the behaviour is
In Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory, there are five systems that ultimately influence an individual. The first system is the microsystem, which consists of the people who have direct contact to an individual. In my own life, my immediate family consists of my mother and I. I am an only child to my mother and since my mother and my father have been separated since I was a baby, he has not been part of my microsystem. In addition, I am also a student at CCP. I have a network of friends whom I keep in close contact with. The people that I encounter at home, school, and work have direct contact with me and thus, they are part of my microsystem.
Social ecological perspectives are often described as a web of relationships (k218, Learning guide 3, 3.1). They make us aware that each individual has many defining factors making up who they are. Social ecological perspectives have the child/young person at the centre and show how they are connected to the family, community and society as a whole. They demonstrate the layers that go into making the individual and show that everybody has a unique set of circumstances that affect the person they are, their achievements, social standing and even their health. Social ecological perspectives give us the opportunity to quantify these factors and offer a tool to collate the data, giving us the chance to see how factors such as employment, housing or demographic area can affect life chances in both the short and long term. Social economic perspectives tell us that to fully understand the individual we must also understand their environment and how they are connected to it. Rather than just looking at the child or young person on a standalone basis we must look at what factors affect their behaviour, where they are living, what the home or community environment is like and try to respond appropriately to this.
The old African proverb ‘it takes a whole village to raise a child’ (Mohamed, 1996, p. 57) rings significantly through Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory (Bronfenbrenner and Evans 2000); a theory which focuses on gaining insight into human development through identifying the circumstances and considering the environmental influences of which a child is raised not just the genetic components.
Human development issues have remained critical in understanding how and why people behave the way they do. Several human development theories exist to explain human development from birth through to death. Some of these have focused on the psychological aspects of human development while others on the cognitive aspect (Piaget, 1971; Lerner, 2001; Swick and Williams, 2006). Other human development theories have also focused on the social and environmental aspects (Bronfenbrenner & Bronfenbrenner, 2009; Swick, 2004). This current essay examines one of the major social theories relating to child development. The theory to be examined is the Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory of human development. The essay will further examine the applicability of the Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory to my personal development, growing up as a child between the ages of 4 years and 12 years. In the first instance, the essay will focus on explaining the – Bronfenbrenner’s theory including the four types of systems described by the theory. Subsequently, the essay will examine how these systems apply to my life in relation to the social systems in which I grew in South Sudan in Africa. It will be seen that the Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory
There are many different aspects of environment that can affect the development of children. One major environmental impact that influences the development of a child is the neighborhood they are raised in. Within the neighborhood there are several other aspect of influence. Where a child is raised can affect their behavior, attitudes, emotions, personality, values, health, and so much more. This can be seen in their personal lives at home to their social lives around others in classrooms. The affects of a child’s development due to their environment can be seen in both a positive and negative aspect. The neighborhood that a child is raised in can be very critical in their development. It may have a significant effect on what he or she becomes in the future.
The Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory focuses on how ones environment can affect a person’s development. It focuses on 5 main areas namely the Microsystem, Mesosystem, Exosystem, Macrosystem and Chronosystem (Bronfenbrenner, 1977, p. 514-515). Each system represents the setting in which they live in and how these people affect their growth. In this particular case study, Andy’s main influence is from the Microsystem and Mesosystem.
Child growth and development is a process that consists of some building blocks, which are components that combine in an infinite number of ways (Cherry, n.d.). As a result of the variations of building blocks in a child’s development, educators, psychologists, and philosophers have been constantly engaged in the debate of nature versus nurture debate. Many researchers agree that child development is a complex interaction between his/her genetic background (nature) and his/her environment (nurture). In essence, some developmental aspects are strongly affected by biology whereas other aspects are influenced by environmental factors. From the onset of an individu...
Rosser, J, Lynch, P., Cuddihy, L., Gentile, D., Klonsky, J., & Merrel, R. (2007). The impact of