Urie Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Theory | Free LET Reviewer and Drill

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Lesson 29: Urie Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Theory

Professional Education (PROFED) Reviewer

Image from Practical Psychology

Urie Bronfenbrenner (1917–2005) was an influential Russian-born American developmental psychologist, best known for creating the Ecological Systems Theory (later the Bioecological Model). This theory fundamentally changed how researchers and policymakers view human development by emphasizing the critical role of environmental and social contexts, rather than focusing solely on individual traits. Bronfenbrenner's major contribution to education is the realization that children's learning and development are not shaped solely by what happens within the classroom walls, but by the interconnectedness of their entire environment.

Ecological Theory

Image from Rotel

Urie Bronfenbrenner created the Ecological Theory (later renamed Bioecological Systems Theory) to explain how children develop. This theory says that a child does not develop in isolation. Instead, a child develops within complex layers of environment and relationships. Everything around the child affects how they grow and develop. The theory recognizes that the child's own biology is also important, and development happens through the interaction between the child's biology, their family and community environment, and the wider society.

The Five Systems of Development

Bronfenbrenner identified five different layers or systems that influence a child's development. These layers work like nested circles, with the child at the center. 

Microsystem

1. Microsystem - is the layer closest to the child and contains the structures with which the child has direct contact and interaction.

What is in the microsystem:

• Family members (parents, siblings, grandparents)
• School and teachers
• Child care services
• Local neighborhood
• Clubs or organizations the child joins
• Church or religious organizations
• Close friends

The microsystem is everything the child directly experiences and interacts with every day. These are the people and places the child knows well and spends time with. This is the most important layer because it directly touches the child's life.

• Example: When a child plays with siblings at home, goes to school with classmates, or plays soccer in the neighborhood, they are experiencing their microsystem.

Mesosystem

2. Mesosystem - is the layer that provides connections between the different structures in the child's microsystem.

What happens in the mesosystem:

• Connection between parents and teachers
• Connection between school and neighborhood
• Connection between church and family
• Connection between child care center and home
• Communication and relationships between different microsystems

The mesosystem is like a bridge connecting different parts of the child's direct environment. It is what happens when different parts of the child's life communicate and work together.

• Example: When a teacher calls the parents to tell them about the child's progress at school, that is the mesosystem working. When parents attend a school event, the microsystem of family and the microsystem of school connect through the mesosystem. When the coach at soccer talks to the parents about the child's development, that is also the mesosystem.

Exosystem

3. Exosystem - is the layer that defines the larger social system in which the child does not function directly. The child is not directly involved, but it indirectly affects the child's development because it connects to the family or microsystem.

What is in the exosystem:

• Parent's workplace
• Parent's friends and social networks
• Extended family (grandparents, aunts, uncles)
• Access to community services (health care, libraries, recreation centers)
• Local government and policies
• Parent's school or education

The exosystem includes things that do not directly touch the child, but still affect the child. The child does not go to the parent's workplace, but if the parent has a stressful job or long work hours, this affects how the parent treats the child at home. The child does not choose the family's access to services, but if the family has good access to health care or community programs, this helps the child develop well.

• Example: If a parent gets a promotion at work and earns more money, the family can afford better housing, better food, and better schools. The child was not at the workplace, but this event in the parent's exosystem affects the child's development. Another example: if a parent's friend group is supportive and positive, the parent feels happy and this positive mood affects how they interact with their child.

Macrosystem 

4. Macrosystem - is the outermost layer that contains the broad culture, values, customs, and laws of the society.

What is in the macrosystem:

• Cultural values and beliefs
• Customs and traditions
• Laws and government policies
• Economic systems
• Educational systems
• Religious beliefs of the culture
• Social norms and expectations

The macrosystem is the big picture of the society and culture the child lives in. It includes the laws, values, and customs of the country or culture. The child does not directly interact with these things, but they shape everything else in the child's environment. In different cultures or countries, the macrosystem is different, which means children develop differently depending on where they live.

• Example: In one country, laws might require all children to attend school until age 16. In another country, children might not go to school. In one culture, children are expected to obey parents without question. In another culture, children are encouraged to question adults and think independently. In one society, families value individual achievement. In another society, families value community cooperation. All these cultural differences come from the macrosystem, and they shape how each child develops.

Chronosystem

5. Chronosystem - encompasses the dimension of time. It includes the social and historical time frame in which the child lives. It reflects how children and their environments change over time.

What is in the chronosystem:

• The historical period the child lives in
• Timing of major life events (when a parent dies, when parents divorce, when a sibling is born)
• Aging of the child itself
• Changes over time in society (technology, economy, wars, social movements)
• The child's experiences at different ages

The chronosystem is about time and change. It recognizes that children are not the same at every age, and that the timing of events matters. A child who experiences a parent's death at age 5 might react very differently than a 15-year-old who experiences the same loss. Also, children growing up in 2025 with technology are very different from children growing up in 1975 without internet or smartphones. The chronosystem helps us understand that development is always changing and that time matters.

• Example: A child born during World War II grew up in a very different environment than a child born in 2025. A 10-year-old today who has had a smartphone their whole life will develop differently than a 10-year-old in 2000 who never used a computer. When a child goes through puberty at age 13, they react differently to environmental changes than they did at age 5. If parents divorce when a child is 8, it affects the child differently than if they divorce when the child is 14.

Ecological Theory Quiz: click here

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