Bronfenbrenner's Model Research Articles

Using the ecological approach to explain risk factors of elder abuse in Iran (A qualitative study).

World Health Organization suggests that different societies should investigate the causes of abuse in their culture. This study was conducted to investigate the risk factors of elder abuse in Iran using an ecological approach. This is a qualitative study, and the participants were older adults and caregivers. The data were collected using 66 interviews. Analysis of data was simultaneously performed with data collection, using MAXQDA 10, and results were reported based on Elo's recommendation. Five main categories of data analysis were obtained based on Bronfenbrenner's model: exo-system: conflict of care with caregivers' jobs, meso-system: failure to meet expectations of support systems, macro-system: social culture, socioeconomic structure, status of enactment, and implementation of legal and financial laws. This study showed risk factors of elder abuse in the sociocultural context of Iran, and its results can be used for health promotion interventions.

Classroom Accommodations that Promote Inclusive Learning for Learners with Hearing Impairments at Oriang’ Inclusive Primary School, Homa-Bay County, Kenya

Classroom accommodations are key to promoting inclusive learning in a class that includes a diversity of learners. This study purposed to determine the classroom accommodations that enable the inclusion of learners with hearing impairments in inclusive classrooms. The study was conducted at Oriang’ Inclusive Primary School in Homa-bay County, Kenya and was guided by Ecological Systems Theory by Bronfenbrenner model (1989). The study targeted all the 17 teachers and 620 learners. Purposive sampling technique was used to draw a sample of 26 respondents comprising the Head Teacher, 13 inclusive classroom teachers and 12 learners. Data collection instruments comprised an observation checklist and an interview schedule. NVivo software was used for analysis that involved systematic coding and organisation of data to identify recurring themes. The findings established that all classes at the school were inclusive of learners with hearing impairments. Classroom accommodations included proper lighting, preferential seating, raised windows above the heads and painted doors to ensure conducive learning environment for learners with hearing impairments. The researcher recommends that the government, through the Ministry of Education, should allocate funds for purchasing cushioned seats, long curtains for the windows, chairs with legs fitted with rubber as mechanisms for noise reduction within the inclusive classrooms to promote the inclusion of learners with hearing impairments.

Instructional Strategies and Challenges Faced by Teachers in Promoting Inclusive Learning for Learners with Hearing Impairments at Oriang’ Inclusive Primary School, Homa-Bay County, Kenya

Instructional strategies are key to the academic success of any education system. Diverse classrooms require diverse teaching methods that are responsive to the needs and abilities of all the learners. This study purposed to investigate the instructional strategies of teaching and learning used for the learners with hearing impairments and challenges faced by the teachers in inclusive classrooms. The study was conducted at Oriang’ Inclusive Primary School in Homa-bay County, Kenya. Ecological Systems Theory by Bronfenbrenner model (1989) was used. The study targeted all the 17 teachers and 620 learners. Purposive sampling technique was used to draw a sample of 26 respondents comprising the Head Teacher, 13 inclusive classroom teachers and 12 learners. Data collection instruments comprised a semi-structured interview guide and focus group discussion guide. NVivo software was used for analysis that involved systematic coding and organisation of data to identify recurring themes. The findings established that teaching and learning resources must be available to enable diversified instructional methods in inclusive classrooms that include learners with hearing impairments. Challenges included teachers lacking training in inclusive education, large class sizes and limited lesson duration that is not enough to attend to all the learners. The study recommends that the government, through the Ministry of Education, should allocate more funds to inclusive primary schools for the purchase of adequate teaching and learning resources to support the effective inclusion of LHIs and the County Governments should allocate funds for the construction of additional classes in inclusive primary schools to help in decongesting the classes.

Ecological models in higher education research: Overview and synthesis

AbstractIn this chapter we provide an overview of campus ecology and ecological systems theory as applied to the study of higher education, most often to research on college students. We describe Bronfenbrenner's developmental ecological model and its application of it to the study of college students. We then discuss affordances and limitations of this approach, including criticism of its lack of attention to systems of privilege and oppression in the higher education environment. We present a number of innovative approaches to using the Bronfenbrenner model that address these limitations, as well as adaptations to the model that incorporate critical theory, queer theory, and Indigenous Knowledge Systems.Practical Takeaways Ecological systems theory offers a powerful framework for understanding college students and organizational studies in postsecondary education. Despite the utility of ecological models, they fail fully to take into account systemic forces like racism, homophobia, and transphobia that work at every level from the individual to the macro‐level, rendering them less powerful than they could be. Innovative applications of ecological models provide new insights into higher education. Researchers have developed new adaptations of ecological models that incorporate critical lenses (e.g., queer theory, critical race theory, decolonial theory), enabling richer analysis of higher education.

The Transdisciplinarity for Sustainable Development: Incorporating Organic Waste into Bread-Making

This research proposes to take advantage of waste generated in the kitchen to be added into bread-making. The main findings were as follows: 1) family members of the population studied (more than 80%) had diabetes or cancer, their diet is based on high glycemic index foods, including bread. It is necessary to modify its characteristics through fiber and bioactive compounds. 2) Bread added with wastes showed changes in the color (L*a*b*). Those that presented the highest difference with respect to (control) were coriander (30.5), cabbage (30.8) and parsley (22.1) breads; followed by tomato bread (19.6). The porosity increased with the addition of waste, presenting the highest in the breads added with parsley and coffee grain. The bread with lowest hardness after control was the tomato bread, and this was also the of highest sensory acceptance. 3) Bronfenbrenner model was proposed for the evaluation of impacts and self-change to use waste.

COVID-19 and childhood obesity (CO-BESITY) in the era of new normal life: A need for a policy research.

BackgroundIn the era of new normal life after Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), our children are experiencing the double threat of COVID-19 and Childhood Obesity (CO-BESITY). The rate of childhood obesity has been rapidly increasing in developed as well as low middle-income countries during the pandemic.Design and MethodsThe current paper aims to identify the probable reasons of increase in childhood obesity during this pandemic and offers suggestions to reduce the burden of it. Literature search was done using PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases for the key terms “childhood obesity,” “obesity,” “pandemic,” and/or childhood obesity. All the relevant articles were included to support the argument for this viewpoint.ResultsChildhood obesity is a complicated disorder having diverse outcomes. The incidence of childhood obesity is analysed from Bronfenbrenner's model of child development. The model examines an overabundance of bio-psycho-social backgrounds, risks, and probable outcomes on the development of a child. COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the ecosystem of this dynamic model and has created an economic and social-cultural crisis that has ignited a chain reaction of stressors upon children and their families. In this paper, we have described how this Bronfenbrenner's model of child development also known as the Bioecological Model can be effective for the estimation and prevention of childhood obesity.ConclusionWe propose that this Bioecological Model will help the children and their families further understand and manage the problem of childhood obesity during this pandemic on their own.

When Pandemics Collide: The Impact of COVID-19 on Childhood Obesity

• Children with obesity face increased biopsychosocial risks during COVID-19. • Stress exacerbates inflammation and immune response in obesity and COVID-19. • The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly interrupted children's daily routines. • The health effects of the obesogenic environment are exacerbated by COVID-19. • Access to timely, comprehensive healthcare is critical during COVID-19.

Developing a Screening Tool for Young Children Using an Ecological Framework.

Young children from impoverished backgrounds experience high levels of family and environmental stress, adversely impacting developmental functioning. Early identification provides a pathway to solutions, but many children are never assessed. In addition, the child-serving workforce lacks resources and expertise to use traditional measures. Furthermore, existing measures do not account for the substantial influence of a child's ecology. To bridge these gaps, we developed the Neurodevelopmental Ecological Screening Tool (NEST) and conducted a pilot study (n=60) to test its feasibility for use with caregivers of children ages 3-5 in low-resource settings. We developed an item pool across three domains (child, caregiver, environment), vetted it with experts, and conducted cognitive interviewing with parents (n=15) and case managers (n-10). Simultaneously, we built an online, user-friendly delivery platform. We used a one parameter Item Response Model and a Rasch-based Rating Scale Model (RSM) and fit confirmatory factor analytic (CFA) models to test for unidimensional and construct validity. The results support the feasibility of screening children from low SES populations within low-resource settings using an ecological perspective and supports the work of child-serving paraprofessionals in identifying and addressing risks in the lives of young children.

Inglês

Abstract: The objective was to analyze the presence of children in places of sport competition in the 2016 Olympics,aiming the development of the sport, under the theoretical approach of a systemic model. The study was characterized asobservational and prognostic. Subjects were children who were in the entry lines of certain competitions and arenas of the Rio2016 Olympics. Data were analyzed based on the systemic model of Bronfenbrenner (1996). Only a small number of childrenwere observed in relation to the adult public. The participation of children as agents of diffusion of different modalities that are nottraditional in Brazil, in the school and out-of-school environment, could instigate the participation of children in these modalities.They could be developed in sports schools, in physical education classes, in a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary way withother curricular subjects, involving the school pedagogue, in sports program-projects, in a larger context involving the students'families, as well as public and private bodies, expanding the sports culture in our country, through opportunities and lifestylesfavorable to the development of different Olympic modalities in Brazil.

The Educational Situations of Bilingual Students with Learning Disabilities in Hand in Hand Schools in Jerusalem

This article will address the educational situations with which bilingual students who have learning disabilities cope in the education system and in the bilingual schools of Hand in Hand, an association which was established to promote and develop a shared society for Arabs and Jews in Israel. In addition, it will describe the difficulties of the learning-disabled bilingual students and how they impact upon the student. The first part will present the educational concept of Hand in Hand and the reality of the bilingual school in Jerusalem in particular. The second part will describe educational situations in which bilingual students who have learning disabilities cope in the bilingual school of the Hand in Hand Association. Furthermore, it will address the difficulties of these students in the school. The third part focuses upon the relationship between the ecological model of Bronfenbrenner and neuro-developmental theory and the educational situations of learning-disabled bilingual students, with an emphasis on their immediate environment (the educational situations described in the article are taken from professional experience in my work in the bilingual school in Jerusalem as an inclusion teacher for learning-disabled bilingual students both in the elementary and middle schools).

System approach to pedagogical discourse: CLD learners

AbstractThis paper examines the achievement gap for culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) learners through the lens of Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory of human development. The population of CLD students in the United States continues to grow. Across the nation, CLD students continue to struggle in an increasingly accountability‐based education system. In this paper, we will situate the variables known to contribute to CLD students’ achievement at the national, local, and individual levels within Bronfenbrenner's model. We will also provide some pedagogical recommendations that everyone working with CLD students should know and do.

Preventing violence in context: The importance of culture for implementing systemic change.

OBJECTIVE: To address the complexity of violence in the homes, schools, and neighborhoods of individuals, we need to shift our level of analysis from individuals to collectives and we need to direct research to prevention efforts. Thus, we argue for an ecological approach that emphasizes the influence of the collective systems (e.g., culture) and focuses on the interconnectedness between individual health and collective well-being. Key Points: Research on violence prevention has found strong evidence to suggest the importance of the family, peers, school, and neighborhood systems in reducing violent behaviors among children and adolescents (see Huston & Bentley, 2010 for a review). However, the impact of the cultural system is, in comparison, lesser known. As such, we need a theoretical framework that emphasizes culture as an important mechanism for change. In this paper, we will first briefly identify gaps in Bronfenbrenner's (1979, 1994) ecological systems theory, one of the most widely used frameworks to understand violence in context. Next, we will describe a community-based ecological approach (Kelly, 1968; Trickett, Kelly, & Vincent, 1983) and illustrate how such an approach with an emphasis on the cultural system builds upon and expands Bronfenbrenner's model of contextual influences on violence prevention. CONCLUSION: Finally, we will provide a few examples of prevention that are consistent with the community-based ecological approach. Language: en

How Changes in Home and Neighborhood Environment Factors Are Related to Change in Black Children’s Academic and Social Development from Kindergarten to Third Grade

There are numerous studies and education policy reports have documented the lower school readiness skills, both in terms of achievement and social competence, of Black children compared to their White peers (Aud, Fox, & KewalRamani, 2010; Haskins & Rouse, 2005; West, Denton, & Germino-Hausken, 2000). Similarly, studies have shown significant differences in early literacy, language, and numeracy by kindergarten (K) entry for Blacks compared to Whites (Joe & Davis, 2009; Matthews, Kizzie, Rowley, & Cortina, 2010; Rashid, 2009; Tsoi-A-Fatt, 2010). Many studies that investigate the complexity of Black children's achievement and social outcomes by deeply examining the interplay of home and neighborhood factors focus on adolescent populations (Bowen & Bowen, 1999; Gonzales et al., 1996; Rankin, & Quane, 2002). However, given the evidence that the early years lay the foundation of later school and future success, it is critical to determine the factors that support Black children's development and learning during these years. Therefore, in the present study the authors investigate Black children's school success during elementary school and attempt to examine their academic achievement and social development using a theoretical framework that would include the complexity of both home and neighborhood environments.THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKThis study is guided primarily by Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological Theory (Bronfenbrenner & Evans, 2000); however, the Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory (PVEST; Spencer, Dupree, & Hartman, 1997) and the Integrative Model on Minority Children's Development (Garcia Coll, Lamberty, Jenkins, McAdoo, Crnic, Wasik, & Garcia, 1996) are used to supplement Bronfenbrenner's model. The bioecological framework postulates that children develop within a layered context of interconnected systems such as the home, neighborhood, and school environments. Ecological contexts are characterized by both interpersonal interactions (e.g., parental responsiveness) and environmental structure features (e.g., the percent of minority enrollment within a school); in addition, these contexts are characterized by features of growth/change, such as the age/grade of the child and chronicity (e.g., length of time). Both PVEST and Garcia Coll and colleagues' integrative model provide a framework for examining the multiple social factors that shape and constrain such ecological contexts. For instance, Black children's development and learning is not only effected by their home environment but also through America's social stratification system that is based on race, gender, and socioeconomic status (SES) and society's history and cultural traditions that are based on racism, SES, and gender oppression. Taken together, these three frameworks provide the specificity and flexibility to decipher which factors of Black children's environment are likely to be associated with academic success across the early childhood elementary school years.RATIONALE FOR EXAMINING MULTIPLE ECOLOGICAL CONTEXTSSince children's success can be affected by multiple ecological contexts (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2007), it is important to examine these multiple contexts. Although the ecological contexts are interconnected, it is also important to examine their unique contributions to children's academic and social growth, especially those outside of school like the home environment and neighborhood. The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which home and neighborhood factors in kindergarten are linked to Black children's academic and social growth from kindergarten to third grade.This study uses a longitudinal framework to examine the effect of home and neighborhood factors on Black children's growth during the early elementary years using a large-scale, nationally-representative sample. Relatively few studies have used longitudinal designs to understand whether change in multiple ecological systems would be related to change in Black children's academic achievement and social skills. …

The effects on students' emotional and behavioural difficulties of teacher–student interactions, students' social skills and classroom context

Children's emotional and behavioural difficulties are the result of multiple individual, social and contextual factors working in concert. The current paper proposes a theoretical framework for interpreting students' emotional and behavioural difficulties in classrooms, by taking into consideration teacher–student interactions, students' social skills and classroom context. Based on Bronfenbrenner's model, according to which process, person and context are the main sources of children's development, the current paper combines three theoretical approaches: firstly, in terms of process, the systems communication approach, which refers to teacher–student interactions; secondly, in terms of person, social and emotional learning, which refers to children's social skills; and thirdly, in terms of classroom context, the achievement goal theory, with its emphasis on the mastery of classroom goal structure. Empirical support for the framework resulted in the administration of four instruments to 962 primary students: (a) QTI for teacher–student interactions, (b) MESSY for students' social skills; (c) CGS for classroom context; and (d) SDQ for students' emotional and behavioural difficulties. It was found that students' possession of social skills had a prominent role in the prediction of emotional and behavioural difficulties, while teacher–student interactions and classroom context also affected students' emotional and behavioural difficulties. This perspective provides educators with a theoretical and practical tool for understanding emotional and behavioural difficulties.

Healthy Girls and Healthy Communities: Two Sides of the Same Coin?

Lacking is research on girls’ health particularly within the context of the community and larger societal influences. The purpose of this study was to explore the knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes of girls and community residents about what makes a girl healthy and what places girls’ health at risk. Sixty-six adolescent girls and boys, their parents, senior citizens, educators, and community leaders in business, government, safety and health participated in group interviews. Interviews were coded and analyzed using a standard qualitative approach based on grounded theory and constant comparative method. Two primary themes emerged from the interviews: 1) a complete and holistic view of girls’ health that includes physical, mental, and emotional health; and 2) the importance of girls having positive role models and strong supportive relationships. The two primary themes led us to propose a modified version of Bronfenbrenner’s social-ecological systems model adapted to girls’ health. Our proposed model emphasizes how context and the whole system influence and informs girls’ health and wellness. Girls are in the center interacting with and influenced by peers, family, school, community, and the media. Our adapted Bronfenbrenner model provides an opportunity for health care providers and policy makers to examine the levels at which girls’ health can be influenced and enhanced.

Annual Research Review: What is resilience within the social ecology of human development?

The development of Bronfenbrenner's bio-social-ecological systems model of human development parallels advances made to the theory of resilience that progressively moved from a more individual (micro) focus on traits to a multisystemic understanding of person-environment reciprocal processes. This review uses Bronfenbrenner's model and Ungar's social-ecological interpretation of four decades of research on resilience to discuss the results of a purposeful selection of studies of resilience that have been done in different contexts and cultures. An ecological model of resilience can, and indeed has been shown to help researchers of resilience to conceptualize the child's social and physical ecologies, from caregivers to neighbourhoods, that account for both proximal and distal factors that predict successful development under adversity. Three principles emerged from this review that inform a bio-social-ecological interpretation of resilience: equifinality (there are many proximal processes that can lead to many different, but equally viable, expressions of human development associated with well-being); differential impact (the nature of the risks children face, their perceptions of the resources available to mitigate those risks and the quality of the resources that are accessible make proximal processes more or less influential to children's development); and contextual and cultural moderation (different contexts and cultures provide access to different processes associated with resilience as it is defined locally). As this review shows, using this multisystemic social-ecological theory of resilience can inform a deeper understanding of the processes that contribute to positive development under stress. It can also offer practitioners and policy makers a broader perspective on principles for the design and implementation of effective interventions.

Context in Methods Course Learning: Lessons for partnership work

Teacher education programs are being encouraged to collaborate with K‐12 partners to develop and implement contextually rich field experiences that integrate methods course instruction with public school practices. As a result, we outline four models of integrating methods instruction and field experiences and raise the question “How does the classroom and school context of the field experience influence what prospective teachers learned in the methods courses?” This study examines the way two different cohorts of prospective elementary teachers who learned to teach in two different contexts define their own social studies pedagogical content knowledge. The students' espoused philosophies of education offer insight into how different models of integrated field experiences may impact on their beliefs about social studies teaching. Through this study we raise questions that should be considered in constructing methods courses linked to field experiences and suggest Bronfenbrenner's model as a tool for looking at these contextual influences.

Suicide and gay/lesbian/bisexual youth: implications for clinicians

The research indicating the incidence rates and specific risks for suicide in the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and questioning (GLBQ) adolescent population is reviewed. An ecological model of suicide risk assessment for GLBQ youth is presented based on Bronfenbrenner's model of human development. The model argues for individual, micro, and macro levels of assessment to increase clinical judgement and accuracy in determining high risk GLBQ adolescents. The model also delineates both primary and secondary intervention strategies which could be utilized to prevent GLBQ youth suicide.

Multi-Systemic Influences on the Family Functioning of Teens Attending Pregnancy Prevention Programs

This exploratory study used Bronfenbrenner's (1979) multi-systemic framework to determine the factors predicting scores on the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD) with a sample of low SES and culturally diverse (White non-Hispanic, African-American, and Hispanic) teenagers attending both primary and secondary pregnancy prevention programs. Factors studied at the individual (micro) level involved the adolescent's pregnancy status; at the level of the immediate social environment (meso), family structure was assessed, and SES and race were studied as broader social environment influences (macro). Overall, scores on the FAD were high, indicating unhealthy functioning according to teen self-reports. Support was indicated for the Bronfenbrenner model with all three systems levels exerting an influence on family functioning. Adolescents who had grown up in homes without their parents seemed most at risk for perceptions of poor family functioning although racial differences were found. Overall, minority teens rated their families as higher functioning. Pregnancy and parenting as a teenager also appeared to put a strain on family functioning. Implications for service delivery are discussed.

Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Model and the Use of Imported Madras Cloth Among the Kalabari

The father of a Kalabari newborn child in Nigeria ceremoniously delivers a piece of Indian madras cloth to the mother of the child to carry it. This personal emblem of entry into society also marks the individual's departurefrom life when family mourners dress the corpse for burial. We assess the significance of Kalabari involvement with a material culture item, Indian madras cloth, by placing it in the context of an ecological systems model first outlined and later revised by Urie Bronfenbrenner. Bronfenbrenner's model provides a framework for understanding the significance of material items in the life of a people. Our application of the study of a textile demonstrates the usefulness of the model. We also recommend that the model be extended because individuals in any cultural group exist within a global context of production and trade.