ecological systems theory

INTRODUCTION

                                    Ecological systems theory was formulated by a Russian born American developmental psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory consists of five environmental systems that range from close interpersonal interactions on broad based influences on culture. He calls the five systems as microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem and chronosystem.

ECOLOGICAL SYSTEM’S THEORY

                             Ecological system’s theory is a theory which answers the question, “How a child’s development is affected by their social relationship and the world around them.” It provides framework from which community psychologist study the relationships with individuals context within communities and wider society. He believed that a person’s development was affected by everything in their surrounding environment. This theory is also known as Development in context theory or Human ecology theory. He labeled different aspects or levels of the environment that influence the child’s development with the names microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem and chronosystem. Starting from the microsystem which is very close to the child, exerting the greatest influence, the exosystem expands and ends up with the large society and it’s culture, labeled as macrosystem has comparatively less influence on the development of the child. These environmental systems are interrelated and interact with each other, as well as with the inborn tendencies of the child.

MICROSYSTEM

                                    The microsystem is the small, immediate environment that child lives in, that includes institutions and groups with which children react, such as their immediate family or care givers, school or day care centers, peer group and the neighborhood. The interactions between the child and the structures in the immediate environment have impact in two direction- both away from the child and towards the child. For example, according to the child’s special genetic and biologically influenced personality traits known as “temperament”. People in the microsystem act, according to their actions, the child too reacts. Such actions and reactions between the child and those in the microsystem, different kinds of development such as physical development, mental development, social development, emotional development and moral development takes place in the child. This is known as bi-directional influences. The bi-directional influences of the micro system have the greatest impact on the children.

MESOSYSTEM

                             This layer or level of the environmental system is formed by the inter-relations or interconnections between the different structures in the microsystem. Examples are the connections between family experiences and school experiences and between family and peers. In a study of the joint impact of family and classroom experiences, the students who were given greater opportunities for communication and decision making whether at home or in the classroom, showed more initiative and earned better grades. Thus this system involves linkages between microsystems.

EXOSYSTEM

                             This system defines the larger social system in which the child does not function directly. The structures in this layer impact the child’s development by interacting with some structures in her microsystem. The child may not be directly involved at this level, but he does feel the positive or negative force involved with the interaction with his own system. Parent’s workplace schedules or community based family resources are examples. For example, the retrench of father from his job, lead to irritation and anger which he may show to the child. Thus the child develops an ill feeling towards the father and it is the negative force involved. If the father gets a promotion, it may lead him to meet the needs of the child and a positive force is involved.

MACROSYSTEM

                             The macrosystem involves a broader culture. This system consist of cultural values, customs and laws. It is the broadest content in which students and teacher

live, including the societies values and cultures. For example, some cultures emphasize traditional gender roles. In most of the Islamic countries, male dominated education is given. The effects of larger principles defined by the macrosystem have a cascading influence throughout the interactions of all other layers. For example, if it is the belief of the culture that parents should be solely responsible for raising their children, that culture is less likely to provide resources to help parents. This, in turn affects the structures in which the parents function. The parents ability or inability to carry out that responsibility towards their child within the context of the child’s microsystem is likewise affected.

CHRONOSYSTEM

                                    The chronosystem includes the socio historical conditions of student’s development. For example, students today are living a childhood of many firsts (Louv, 1990). They are the first day care generation, the first generation to grow up in the electronic bubble of an environment defined by computers and new forms of media, the first post-sexual revolution generation, and the first generation to grow up in new kinds of dispersed, de concentrated cities that are not quite urban, rural or suburban.

                                                                        Bronfenbrenner has increasingly given attention to the chronosystem as an important environmental system. He has called attention to two alarming problems:

v  The large number of children in America who live in poverty especially in single parent families.

v  A decline in values.

EVALUATION OF BRONFENBRENNER’S THEORY

                                    Bronfenbrenner’s theory has gained popularity in recent years. It provides one of the few theoretical frameworks for systematically examining social context on both micro and macro levels. His theory has been instrumental in calling attention to the importance of looking at children’s lives more than one setting.

EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATION

                             Teachers often need to consider, not just what goes on the classroom but also what happens in students families, neighbors and peer groups. Critics says he has given too little attention to biological and cognitive factors in children’s development. They also point out that the theory does not address the step by step developmental changes that are the force of theories such as Piaget’s and Erickson’s.

CONCLUSION

                             Thus, this theory looks at a child’s development within the context of the system of relationships that from his or her environment. This theory was recently renamed as “Biological systems theory” to emphasize that a child’s own biology is a primary environment fueling her development. Changes in one system will ripple throughout  the other systems. These are about the ecological systems theory.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

          Periannan, G. (2017). Childhood and growing up. Chennai: Vanitha pathippagam.

Santrock, J. W. (2006). Educational psychology. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill                             Publishing Company Limited.

Roundy, L. (2013). What is Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory.  Retrieved                    from

                        www.psychologicalnoteshq.com.

Retrieved from

                        https://en.m.wikipedia.org.