Ecological Map

Student Name: Elizabeth KukulovskiStudent Number: S00092528Unit: EDFD127 – Contexts for Learning and DevelopmentBachelor of Education (Early Childhood and Primary)

Elizabeth Kukulovski - S00092528

Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological System

Large Impact on Child

(Antonio)Antonio’s

Small impact o

n the systems And Mesosystem

Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory

Urie Bronfenbrenner (1917-2005), contributed the view that the child is part of the larger social context, this view of child development is the “Sociocultural” view – The child is portrayed as both the creator and a creation of their own social context. Through Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, we are encouraged to view children in a variety of contexts when assessing their development.

Family influences, the community and its resources, the families culture and the culture of the persons around them and the children’s service the child attends will all aid to shape and develop the growing child.

(Nixon .D.& Gould .K. 1999)

Ecological Systems…

The MicrosystemThe Microsystem focuses on the

immediate environment around the child, that being the child’s home and family, the child care centre they attend or the home-based care setting.

(Nixon .D.& Gould .K. 1999)

The MesosystemThe Mesosystem includes the

relationships and/or characteristics of the Microsystem. This can include relationships between parents and their child’s caregivers.

(Nixon .D.& Gould .K. 1999)

The ExosystemThe Exosystem involves the settings which

the child does not directly play a part in, but significantly influences the child by having a direct impact.

Parental employment significantly impacts on the quality of the child’s experiences, eg. Income level of the parent (increasing/decreasing), the parents access to leave and flexible work hours.

(Nixon .D.& Gould .k. 1999)

The MacrosystemThe Macrosystem’s focal point is the

social system or the culture in which the child is born into and raised. This being the values and beliefs of the culture and how these issues have an impact on the child.

(Nixon .D.& Gould .K. 1999)

AVATAR: My Virtual Child Antonio, 5 years old Antonio’s mother, Athena is the Sole Caregiver of Antonio and his brother, Fondas,

8 years old Antonio, Athena and Fondas live together in a three bedroom unit. Antonio’s father, died suddenly when coming home from work in a Car Accident,

July 2008. Antonio attends “Little Explorers Long Day Care Centre”, five days a week Athena works as a Shop Manager, Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm – earns

$937.50/week. Antonio’s Grandparents are the informal carers of Antonio and Fondas (Monday to

Friday afternoons, until Athena collects the children) On Saturday mornings Antonio plays soccer, in the Minor Leagues Antonio’s Sundays are usually spent with his brother, mother and grandparents for

a picnic.

Settings Characteristics Avatar Statistics

Microsystem Family Athena, 31 year old mother is the Sole Carer of Antonio and his older brother Fondas, 8 years old.

The Australian Institute of Family Studies states that there are 10.7% of families with a sole parent, supporting dependent children

Home Setting Antonio, Fondas and Athena live in a rented 3 bedroom flat.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics, shows that 60% of population are sole parents renting a flat.

Grandparents Grandparents are the informal carers of Antonio and Fondas, after they have been collected from Pre-School and School for Fondas

The Australian Institute of Family Studies indicates that 25.8% use either formal or informal care

Pre-School Antonio attends “Little Explorers Long Day Care Centre”, Monday to Friday

The Australian Institute of Family Studies shows that 25% of children aged 0 – 11 are placed in formal care for 5 – 9 hours

Mesosystem Child Care Setting

Antonio's Room Leader often discusses his progress with his mother in the morning and his grandparents in the afternoons

Exosystem Socio Economic Status

Athena works as a Shop Manager, 9am - 5pm, Monday to Friday. Her hourly rate is $25/ hour. Her weekly income is $937.50 (does not get paid for lunch breaks)

The Australian Bureau of Statistics indictate that 46.3% of women working, are single parents with dependent children

Social Experience

Soccer - Minor Leagues on Saturday

Macrosystem Culture Greek According to the 2006 Census data retrieved from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 3.9% of the Australian population are Greek

Religion Orthodox, only go to church for special ocassions

14.7% of Australian population are Catholic. Australian Bureau of Statistics

Chronosystem Events Father was killed in a car accident when Antonio was 3 years old.a

References

Australian Bureau of Statistics (2008). Children and Youth Statistics Children and Youth Releases. Retrieved March 17, 2009, http://www.abs.gov.au/websitedbs/c311215.NSF/20564c23f3183fdaca25672100813ef1/93f51a7925f6d465ca256fc60026081e!OpenDocument .

Australian Bureau of Statistics (2007). 2006 Census of Population and Housing. Retrieved March 17, 2009, http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/7d12b0f6763c78caca257061001cc588/5a47791aa683b719ca257306000d536c!OpenDocument.

Australian Institute of Family Studies (2009). Family Facts & Figures. Retrieved March 14, 2009, http://www.aifs.gov.au/institute/info/charts/menu.html.

Gould, .K. & Nixon, .D. 1999. Emerging: Child Development in the first three years (2nd edition). Melbourne: Thomson