WHAT IS BRONFENBRENNER ECOLOGICAL MODEL?

INTRODUCTION

If you are a Teacher, Parent or someone who is interested in Child Psychology, KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE ECOLOGICAL MODEL IS MUST and YOU should know how it affects the development of a child??

American psychologist, Urie Bronfenbrenner, formulated the Ecological Model Theory to explain how the inherent qualities of a child and his environment interact to influence how he will grow and develop. He emphasized on the importance of studying children in different environments, which is also known as ecological systems and made an effort to understand his development .

According to Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Model Theory, A Child typically find himself caught in different ecosystems, from the friendliest home ecological system to the larger school system, and then to the largest system which includes society as well as culture. Each of these systems interact with and influence each other in all aspects of the child’s life.

BRONFENBRENNER ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS THEORY

He organized contexts of development into five levels of external environment these are:-

MICROSYSTEM

• It is the smallest and most immediate environment in which a child lives.
• It includes the daily home, parents, family, school or day care, peer group, neighbours, play area, teachers and community environment of the child.
• Interactions within the microsystem generally involves personal relationships with family members, classmates, teachers and caregivers.
• How these groups or individuals interact with the child significantly affect his growth and development . More nurturing and supportive environment will foster improved development and if the environment is not supportive it will create an imbalance in overall development.
• Each child’s particular traits, such as temperament and character, which is generally influenced by unique biological factors and environment that is how people treat him or her.
• Earlier, It was believed that it is not possible for two siblings undergoing the same microsystem, to progress in different manners but according to the findings it is possible for siblings in same system to experience different environments.

MESOSYSTEM

• It includes the communication of different microsystems in which a child find himself.
• It basically involves linkage or relations between home and school, peers and family, family and neighborhood.
• According to Bronfenbrenner, if a child’s parents are actively involved in the friendships of their child, for example they invite their friends over to their place and spend quality time with them it will positively affect child’s development as he will feel more comfortable and secure.
• In other case, if the child’s parent dislike their child’s peers and openly criticize them, then the child experiences disequilibrium which will lead to negative development due to conflicting emotions.

EXOSYSTEM

• People and places which are not directly related to the child still affect him is know and Exosystem.
• It comprises links of personal and social environment that do not involve the child but the child is indirectly connected to it.
• A child’s experience at home may be influenced by parent’s experiences at work. For example:- A parent who might be facing anger issues due to heavy workload may get angry on pity issues and beat the child for no solid reason.
• It generally includes parent’s workplaces, extended family members and larger neighbourbood.
• Financial difficulties, Parental job loss, Job promotion, salary hike, parent’s transfer are some situations which can affect the child.

MACROSYSTEM

• The Macrosystem is the largest and most distant collection of people and places to the child that still have important influence on him.
• This ecological system comprises child’s cultural patterns and values, specially his dominant belief and ideas, along with the political and economic systems.
• For example, A Child living in a flood drought or any other natural calamity affected area will experience a different kind of development than other child living in a peaceful environment.
• People of different religions have different beliefs which should not be challenged as it may create hatred among people following different rules and regulations. Every religion should be respected.

CHRONOSYSTEM

• It comprises of pattern of environmental events over the life course, along with the changing socio- historical circumstances.
• It adds the useful dimension of time which presents the influence of both change in family structure, address, parent’s employment status, economic crisis. Example: Divorce of parents, Struggle of a single mother etc.
• Researchers have found that the negative effects of divorce on children often peak in the first year after the divorce and two years after family interaction becomes less chaotic and more stable.
• A painful experience like an accident may result poor development whereas achievements and success will result positive development.
• An example of changing socio historical circumstances is the increase in opportunities for women to pursue a career.

EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS

1. Teachers need to work to support the primary child and adult relationship.
2. School should provide a favorable environment that is welcoming to nurture child.
3. Education should be provided in every field to result a 360 degree development of the child.
4. By knowing the different systems of a child one can predict the cause of the problem that a child might be facing.

CRITICISM

• It doesn’t provide a detailed mechanism of development.
• It is difficult to practice because it is difficult to achieve balance and hierarchy with the collected data with so much information collected in regards to all sphere of a child.
• All factors become mutually influential which makes it difficult to implement fully.

CONCLUSION

By studying BRONFENBRENNER ECOLOGICAL MODEL which includes different systems that simultaneously influence a child which make us capable of understanding the inter related influences on child’s development. Awareness about it sensitize to variations in the ways a child may act in different settings. For example:- A child who bullies younger children at school may be a terrified victim at home. Due to these variations so a close attention should be paid by adults on child’s behavior to understand the situation completely.

I hope It helped you to understand the concept clearly. For more articles, visit https://edusights.com. Do let me know in the comments section if you have any suggestions or queries. I will definitely answer you. Till then Keep learning.