Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory

In addition to the theories of Piaget and Vygotsky (see sections 4.1, 4.2), it is also important to mention the other theory, ecological systems theory by Urie Bronfenbrenner on learning and development which focuses on mutual interactions of all components within an ecological system.

Bronfenbrenner puts a strong focus on the impact of the surrounding environment for social learning. As illustrated in Figure 4.3, he compares the layers of these social emphases to Russian dolls, where smaller dolls are put within larger ones (Pinter, 2017). These five layers are called respectively: microsystem, meso-system, exo-system, macrosystem, and finally chrono-system.

Since the five systems are interconnected, the impact of one on a child’s development is determined by how it interacts with the others (Guy-Evans, 2020). Considering that, Bronfenbrenner explains:

“The ecology of human development involves the scientific study of the progressive, mutual accommodation between an active, growing human being and the changing properties of the immediate settings in which the developing person lives, as this process is affected by relations between the settings, and by the larger contexts in which the settings are embedded.” (1979, p. 21).

Figure 4.3.Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory (Guy-Evans, 2020)

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Inthis ecological environment like a “nested structure”, the first level is microsystem which is

“a pattern of activities, roles, and interpersonal relations experienced by the developing person in a given setting with particular physical and material characteristics” and it includes family, school, peers, and neighbourhood (Bronfenbrenner, 1979, pp. 3-22). In a microsystem, relationships are bi-directional, which means that the child may be affected by others in their daily lives while still having the ability to change the values and behaviour of others (Guy-Evans, 2020). The next level in the ecological structure is mesosystem which “comprises the interrelations among two or more settings in which the developing person actively participates (such as, for a child, the relations among home, school, and neighbourhood peer group; for an adult, among family, work, and social life)” (Bronfenbrenner, 1979, p. 25). Mesosystem refers to a system of microsystems; for example, when a parent connects with his or her child’s teacher, the child’s development will be influenced (Guy-Evans, 2020). This means that if the child’s parents and teachers have a good relationship, it can have a positive impact on the child’s development or the other way around.

According to the ecological systems theory, the third level, exo-system, “refers to one or more settings that do not involve the developing person as an active participant, but in which events occur that affect, or are affected by, what happens in the setting containing the developing person” (Bronfenbrenner, 1979, p. 25). The exo-system includes the settings such as parents’

workplaces and school board where the child is affected indirectly. For instance, if one of the parents has a disagreement with his or her employer at work and comes home with a bad temper, the child’s development could be affected negatively by reason of the parent’s unpleasant experience at work in line with Bronfenbrenner’s exo-system (Guy-Evans, 2020).

Afterwards, the ecological system contains the layer, macrosystem. The macrosystem addresses the cultural factors that influence a child’s development such as socioeconomic status, wealth, poverty, and ethnicity (Guy-Evans, 2020). It means that a child’s conception of the world could be influenced by the society and culture he or she is surrounded. Therefore, there might be differences between the development of children living in undeveloped and developed countries since the countries have different ideologies and attitudes. And finally, the outmost level is chrono-system which serves as “the pattern of environmental events and transitions across one’s lifetime” (Pinter, 2017). These events and transitions could involve, for example, starting school, parents’ divorcing, graduating, finding a job, marrying, or moving to a new house which could affect an individual’s development; ultimately, an ecological transition could occur

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throughout the life span when a person’s place in the ecological environment changes as a result of a change in role, setting, or both (Bronfenbrenner, 1979, pp. 6-26).

Bronfenbrenner (Bronfenbrenner & Ceci, 1994) later reconceptualised his theory and called it

“the bioecological theory”. He became more interested in the proximal processes of development referring to modes of interaction in the immediate environment; thus, his emphasis turned away from environmental factors and toward the developmental cycles that people go through over time (Guy-Evans, 2020). In the bioecological model,

“within the environmental sphere itself, a further differentiation is made between the immediate setting in which activities take place (such as family, classroom, peer group, or work place) and the broader context in which the immediate setting is embedded (e.g., social class, ethnicity, culture, subculture, or historical period)” (Bronfenbrenner

& Ceci, 1994, p. 572).

To conclude, Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory has gained recognition as a valuable method for understanding children’s development by teachers focusing on the microsystem in particular. Children’s learning and development are influenced by everything that surrounds them, yet particularly the school environment, where they spend most of their time and communicate with peers and teachers. On the other hand, Bronfenbrenner advocated the importance of curriculum for caring whose purpose “would be not to learn about caring, but to engage in it” (Bronfenbrenner, 1974b, 1974c, 1978b as cited in Bronfenbrenner, 1979, p. 53).

Bearing in mind that, the curriculum needs to involve patterns of social interactions in the immediate environment in order to enhance children’s English language development regarding this study. Therefore, the ecological systems theory by Bronfenbrenner should be considered by teachers as a part of their pedagogical approach to language teaching.

All in all, although this theory could give the impression that individuals who do not have good and positive ecological systems are disadvantaged in terms of development, there are still many individuals who grow into fully developed individuals without the help of their ecological environments (Guy-Evans, 2020).

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