Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Model |
In his original model, Bronfenbrenner (1979) outlines four different levels that interact with one another: the microsystem, the mesosystem, the exosystem, and the macrosystem. A visual representation of his model is shown in Figure 1. Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) definition of each system provides further clarification. |
Microsystem - “a pattern of activities, roles, and interpersonal relations experienced by the developing person in a given setting with particular physical and material characteristics” (p. 22). Sample settings can include the home, school, and child care centre. Tudge et al. (2000) note that there is “a tendency to focus on development within a single microsystem – on development within the family, or at school, or with the peer group” (p. 2). |
Mesosystem - “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 neighborhood peer group; for an adult, among family, work, and social life)” (p. 25) |
Exosystem - “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. Examples of an exosystem … might include the parent’s place of work, a school class attended by an older sibling, the parents’ network of friends …” (p. 25) |
Macrosystem - “consistencies … at the level of the subculture or the culture as a whole, along with any belief systems or ideology underlying such consistencies” (p. 26). Some examples provided include the differences in playgrounds, schools or coffee shops in different counties. |
|