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Bronfenbrenner'S Ecological Systems Theory: Credits To: Makenji

Urie Bronfenbrenner developed the Ecological Systems Theory, which proposes that a child's development is influenced by different environmental systems. These systems include the microsystem of immediate relationships, the mesosystem of connections between microsystems, the exosystem of broader social structures, and the macrosystem of encompassing cultural values. The theory emphasizes how relationships and environments interact reciprocally to shape who a child becomes over time through the chronosystem. Understanding a child's ecological contexts can reveal what helps or hinders their growth and learning.

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54 views15 pages

Bronfenbrenner'S Ecological Systems Theory: Credits To: Makenji

Urie Bronfenbrenner developed the Ecological Systems Theory, which proposes that a child's development is influenced by different environmental systems. These systems include the microsystem of immediate relationships, the mesosystem of connections between microsystems, the exosystem of broader social structures, and the macrosystem of encompassing cultural values. The theory emphasizes how relationships and environments interact reciprocally to shape who a child becomes over time through the chronosystem. Understanding a child's ecological contexts can reveal what helps or hinders their growth and learning.

Uploaded by

MaKenJi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Bronfenbrenner’s

Ecological Systems
Theory

Credits to:
MaKenJi
Urie Bronfenbrenner

• Born in Russia
• Immigrated to the US at age 6
• Enlisted in the US army immediately after
completing his PhD
• Co-founder of the Head Start program
Designed to serve at-risk nursery
students to prepare them for school
Ecological Systems Theory
• Development is the result of the relationships between people and their
environments
 Cannot evaluate a child’s development only in the immediate
environment
 Must also examine the interactions among the larger environments
that a child develops in
• Key Question: How does the world around the child help or hinder
development?
• Four layers of relationships that influence a child’s development
 Microsystem: Relationships with direct contact to the child
 Mesosystem: Connection between relationships of child’s
microsystem
 Exosystem: Structures in which child the child does not have direct
contact
 Macrosystem: Cultural context
 Chronosystem: time and historic influences
Microsystem
• Microsystem: Variables that the child is directly exposed to
 Relationships: Family, school, religious institution,
neighbors
o Family: Most influential and durable influence on child
 Environment: Geographic, Material structures
 Child’s body
o General health
o Brain functioning – physiological and psychological
o Emotions
o Cognitive System
Microsystem
• Most of the child’s behavior is learned in the
microsystem.
• The microsystem consists of bi-directional influences
 Parents actively shape the development of the child
 Children actively shape their environment
o Personal attributes influence responses from other people
o Children actively select and avoid specific environments
 Bi-directional relationships are the foundation for a
child’s cognitive and emotional growth
Mesosystem
• Mesosystem: Interconnections between the
microsystems
Examples
o Interactions between the family and teachers
o Relationship between the child’s peers and the family
Exosystem
• Exosystem: Institutions of society that indirectly affect a
child’s development
Examples
o Parent’s workplace
o Funding for education
• Impacts a child’s development by influencing structures
in the microsystem
Macrosystem
• Macrosystem: Cultural context
Provides the values, beliefs, customs, and laws of the
culture in which a child grows up
o Influences how parents, teachers, and others raise a child
o May be conscious or unconscious
Influences the societal values, legislation, and financial
resources provided by a society to help families
function
Influences the interactions of all other layers
Chronosystem
• Involves the dimension of time relating to the child’s
environment
• This means that as the child gets older, the way they react to
the environment is going to change.
Ecological Systems Theory
• Instability and unpredictability in modern family life is
the most destructive force in child’s development
 Because of demands within the workplace, children
do not have constant mutual interactions with
important adults that are necessary for development
 If relationships in the microsystem break down, the
child will not have tools to explore other parts of the
environment
 Children without a strong primary relationship will
find affirmation in inappropriate places, particularly
in the adolescence years
Ecological Systems Theory
• Technology has changed society
 Society does not provide resources to protect
children and adults from the potential negative
outcomes of technology
 The best interest of society is to lobby for political and
economic policies that support the importance of a
parent’s role in their child’s development
Critique
• Strengths
Integrates multiple influences on child development

• Weaknesses
Does not provide detailed mechanisms for
development
Implications for Education
• Primary relationship must be intended to last a lifetime
 Teachers need to work to support the primary child-adult
relationship
 Schools should create an environment that welcomes and
nurtures families
 Education should foster societal attitudes that value all work
done on behalf of children
• More research is needed to examine interactions between
different levels of relationships in a child’s development
 Bronfenbrenner states that there is little conflict between
families and the school.
…thank you! 

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