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Nested or Networked? Future Directions for Ecological Systems Theory
Abstract
Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory (EST) is among the most widely adopted theoretical frameworks for studying individuals in ecological contexts. In its traditional formulation, different levels of ecological systems are viewed as nested within one another. In this article, we use Simmel's notion of intersecting social circles and Bronfenbrenner's earlier writing on social networks to develop an alternative ‘networked’ model that instead views ecological systems as an overlapping arrangement of structures, each directly or indirectly connected to the others by the direct and indirect social interactions of their participants. We redefine each of the systems discussed by EST—micro, meso, exo, macro, and chrono—based on patterns of social interaction, and then illustrate how this alternative model might be applied in the classic context of the developing child. We conclude by discussing future directions for how the networked model of EST can be applied as a conceptual framework, arguing that this approach offers developmental researchers with a more precise and flexible way to think about ecological contexts. We also offer some initial suggestions for moving a networked EST model from theory to method.
... Ecological Model (Neal & Neal, 2013) Relationship types form the basis for organizing ecological systems. Multiple microsystems exist contributing to the understanding of development. ...
... Conceived by Neal and Neal (2013), the networked ecological model redefines ecosystem levels by patterns of social interactions relative to the individual. Multiple microsystems can be present in the ecological systems model and vary by interaction context. ...
... An illustrative example provided by Neal and Neal (2013) places a child as the person at the center of a model represented by a network node. Two microsystems are present in the examplethe family microsystem and the school microsystem. ...
Military veterans experience a transition process when returning to civilian life that involves reintegration across life domains. Reintegration has been shown to be a significant challenge for a contingent of former servicemembers that can be exacerbated by an erosion of social support networks. Difficulty accessing peers due to wider social trends away from community connectedness and geography have inspired the creation of virtual gathering spaces for a wide range of populations. The emerging evidence for peer-driven online support groups suggests the potential for facilitating development of new supportive interpersonal connections and improved access to tangible resources. The current study seeks to increase knowledge about behaviors driving interactions among veterans in online support groups. To accomplish this, the dissertations’ theoretical framework called the Networked Neo-Ecological Framework is developed using foundations from Bioecological Theory, Neo-Ecological Theory, and Networked Ecological Models. This Networked Neo-Ecological Framework is used as a lens for identifying mechanisms contributing to participation, peer support, and negative interactions in an online support group for veterans. Descriptive statistics are used to examine the conversational topics and comment engagement in the support group. Relational event modeling is employed to examine the network structural mechanisms associated with three types of interactions: general participation, peer support, and negative interactions. Findings suggest that peer support is most strongly associated with the mechanism of interactional reciprocity and that volatility may contribute to negative interactions. Implications for social work practice include using online support groups as a potential source of information for determining what topical areas of need may exist for veterans and what factors social workers might consider in implementing online support group interventions. Research implications are presented detailing how web scraping and social network analyses can be used in conjunction to examine people in their digital environments. Implications for social work policy include recommendations for moderation policies in online support groups and other online service delivery systems. The implications for social work education include incorporating the Neo-Ecological Theory as a supplement to the dated Ecological model to help students understand how development occurs in the context of their digital and physical environments.
... We do so by complementing the funds of knowledge (FoK) framework with Bronfenbrenner's [17,18] ecological systems theory (EST) and Neal and Neal's [19] reconceptualization of EST as a networked rather than nested model. The College Knowledge Academy (CKA) (The College Knowledge Academy (CKA) is a pseudonym) is a 12-week parent college outreach program that provides the context from which Latine families first came together to learn about college preparation. ...
... Each system arises from a setting where individuals engage in social interactions, and the system level is determined by the position of the focal individual relative to those interactions. In this paper, we utilize Neal and Neal's [19] definitions of each system construct as presented in Table 1 to inform our analysis. ...
... Note. Definitions by Neal and Neal [19], pages 728-729. ...
Latine parent educational engagement literature has established that parents employ rich cultural resources across their environments to support the P-20 attainment of their children. In this qualitative case study, we combine the funds of knowledge framework with constructs of ecological systems theory to add a clearer l perspective of how and with whom Latine parents and communities mobilize their funds of knowledge, highlighting their advocacy and agency. Findings identify instances in which Latine parents navigate different social interactions and spaces at various system levels and demonstrate the ways in which college outreach programs can have positive influences beyond the immediate systems of the home and school.
... With the individual positioned by the researchers at the centre of the environment, each system is represented by critical actors interacting with the individual and differing systems. Different systems need to be understood as networked rather than nested (Neal & Neal, 2013), meaning that systems overlap and, therefore, interact with each other through the social interactions of the individuals within. ...
... Figure 1 explains the definition of each system for the individual who is defined as a 'refugee footballer'. While EST is originally used in various disciplines other than sociology (Neal & Neal, 2013), the theory has also been applied to studying career development (King & Madsen, 2007;Leong & Tang, 2016;Xie et al., 2019). The focus of EST on human development allows the precise but flexible use of the theory to explore interactions between the environment and the individual in different instances. ...
... In the sociology of sport, EST has been used to evaluate sport for development programmes (Burnett, 2015;Robledo et al., 2022), as well as a lens to explore barriers faced in sport (Marshall et al., 2023), and specifically in relation to refugee footballers careers . However, a thematic exploration of the factors that shape the challenges and facilitators of a refugee footballer career is still missing, as the theory suggests that multiple factors across the interactive environment influence development (Neal & Neal, 2013). There is a much deeper need to immerse with the journey and trajectory of refugee careers in football, to identify what a successful pathway may look like and further comprehend where challenges arise. ...
In the aftermath of the never completely resolved ‘European refugee crisis’ and amid the ‘Russian invasion of Ukraine’ (as well as other emergencies around the world), this project examines the process of integration of athletes with a refugee background in football clubs across Europe. The project employs an instrumental case study of Germany and Italy, two countries with significant immigration of refugees and asylum-seekers. Drawing from 38 qualitative interviews conducted with different actors within the football system, data is analysed to specifically focus on the processes of both refugee players and football clubs. By applying socioecological theory and thematic analysis, the research explores the interactions with and for refugees amidst their pursuit of a football career in Europe. In doing so, the report evidences both barriers and facilitators for a successful and safe career pursuit, benefitting both football clubs and refugee players.
Success in sports depends on talent, social inclusion, appropriate support, hard work, and health, with refugee players facing additional physical, psychological, social and economic pressures. Resilience is crucial for refugee athletes pursuing an elite football career despite the burdens of forced migration. Football players with refugee experience have different biographies, mainly influenced by age differences in migration, geopolitical situations and gender.
Although football is fundamentally open, it is tough for refugees to become elite footballers. The lower professionalisation of women’s football is a further obstacle for women. Legal hurdles for refugee players are considered surmountable, but they are still an additional challenge. Football clubs have enormous potential for integration, but professional clubs face economic risks when recruiting refugees. Although openness and empathy prevail in football clubs, exclusion strategies, institutional discrimination, and the presence of right-wing groups pose fundamental problems for the integration of refugee players.
The inductive analysis of the data and its interpretation through the ecological system theory are applied to provide recommendations for optimising the inclusion of players with a refugee background in football clubs. The analysis identifies critical actors involved in the integration process and thematically highlights challenges and elements of success across the different environments of refugees. In this way, the methodological implications, positionalities, responsibilities, complications and ongoing necessities of studying elite football as a particular social and cultural space can be illuminated. The research results aim to support relevant sports organisations and actors in refugee aid in the integration process.
... This literature review is rooted in the Networked Ecological Systems Theory (NEST), an extension of Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory (EST) (1994), which explores the intricate connections between environments and individuals and how these interactions, spanning various systems, shape individual development (Neal & Neal, 2013). NEST aims to organize these connections among environmental contexts, shedding light on their impact on the developing individual (Neal & Neal, 2013). ...
... This literature review is rooted in the Networked Ecological Systems Theory (NEST), an extension of Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory (EST) (1994), which explores the intricate connections between environments and individuals and how these interactions, spanning various systems, shape individual development (Neal & Neal, 2013). NEST aims to organize these connections among environmental contexts, shedding light on their impact on the developing individual (Neal & Neal, 2013). Central to EST are the concepts of heterogeneity and intersectionality, emphasizing that diverse contextual factors influencing students' learning interact with one another and with the individual ultimately impacting their learning (Scholes, 2019). ...
... Bronfenbrenner posited that a person's environment shapes their growth, comprising five systems : chronosystem, macrosystem, exosystem, mesosystem, and microsystem (1994). Although EST traditionally envisions these systems as nested layers, Neal and Neal (2013) propose a networked approach to more accurately depict the fluid and intersecting nature of these relationships. For example, whereas the traditional EST model might depict the family microsystem as embedded within a broader exosystem, such as educational policies or community resources, the NEST perspective acknowledges that the family's influence can intersect directly with various systems without being confined to a single layer. ...
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... that may already be operating today to influence what human beings may became tomorrow'' (Bronfenbrenner & Evans, 2000, p. 117), rather than being overly concerned with the past. Bronfenbrenner's ideas about systems were further expanded by Neal and Neal (2013), who proposed that we should view "ecological systems as an overlapping arrangement of structures, each directly or indirectly connected to the others by the direct and indirect social interactions of their participants" (p. 722). ...
... Better interconnections between all government departments at local and provincial levels are thus recommended. These recommendations progress from Bronfenbrenner's (1979) eco-systemic model and support the proposed networked system of Neal and Neal (2013). Van Vuuren (2022) thus theorized a broader multi-level networked system, with greater interactions between different elements, to better support children with barriers to learning. ...
In this article, we report on three recent research studies conducted in Eastern Cape school settings, to motivate for changes that are possible within the system to better meet learners' needs. Beginning with a recognition of the diverse and extensive needs of learners in this challenging and very inequitable context, we describe systemic challenges. Although the studies each had different emphases in different phases of education, we drew from aspects of the bioecological systems model based on the constructivist paradigm. Using interventionist and qualitative methods in each study, we worked collaboratively alongside educators, parents, and district officials to explore possibilities for changes in practice. In the first study, we highlight the challenges in the system for learners with special educational needs, from the perspectives of different stakeholders, illustrated in a complex eco-systemic diagram. This is followed by two action research-based case studies: a parent - practitioner partnership trialled in an Early Childhood Development centre to promote parental involvement and communication with educators; and one that illustrates a collaborative intervention with educators in the Further Education and Training phase, focused on career education in Life Orientation. Each of the projects demonstrates the need for interactions between people in the educational system, given the difficulties faced by individual practitioners at systemic levels. Two case studies provide examples that link adults in the systems (parents with educators and educators from different schools). The common emergent themes evidence the potential for beneficial changes through partnership working, building on people's combined knowledge of local contexts and circumstances, and using bottom-up collaboration.
... Ecological models of learning acknowledge that learning happens across the lifespan and across life's many contexts [14], [15], [18]. Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory [14], [19] provides a useful lens to consider how an individual's development can be influenced by both proximal and distal factors in a series of nested systems -and how, over time, the impact of those systems can shift. Not surprisingly, young learners' engagement with others in the most immediate layer -the microsystem, which includes parents, siblings, and other close connections with whom children directly interact -have an outsized influence on their growth and development in their early years. ...
... More recent perspectives on learning ecologies call for the consideration of Bronfenbrenner's [14] nested systems to be considered more flexibly and dynamically [19] as well as further research that investigates connections across and between formal and informal learning settings [15]. At present, studies that have explored the home-school connections in STEM and engineering education highlight the ways in which parents and caregivers can engage with educators in co-constructing science and engineering activities that draw on the lived experiences of families [33], [34] and provide examples of how parents can engage with children within a teacher-facilitated setting [35]. ...
... A networked version of Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory of human development was used to analyze the data. [13][14][15][16] Bronfenbrenner's theory posits that development of an individual is supported by an array of support systems (known as ecological systems) that are nested. The microsystem includes those spaces with which an individual is directly interacting and a part of. ...
... A networked version of this theory has been proposed, where the systems interact with each other in a non-hierarchical manner. 13 We adapted this conceptualization using the themes identified by the study team from the interview transcripts ( Figure 1). The first-generation participants were considered to be the central individuals, who interacted directly with individuals within three microsystems: personal support All rights reserved. ...
Introduction: Physician-scientists are uniquely positioned to contribute translational research that will impact patient care and our understanding of disease. Having a diverse cadre of physician-scientists is critical to ensuring that the biomedical research enterprise explores the breadth of problems affecting the nation's health. The National Institutes of Health has identified diversity, including educational background, to be important for the biomedical workforce. In 2020, less than ten percent of MD-PhD program matriculants were the first in their families to pursue higher education (first-generation) despite the majority of the US population having less than a Bachelor's degree. Little is known about the specific challenges that first-generation students face, which makes it challenging to address this gap in matriculation.
Methods: This qualitative study used a phenomenological approach to examine the experiences of first-generation individuals, from the applicant stage to the early-career stage. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 41 participants and analyzed responses in accordance with a networked ecological systems theory.
Results: The interviews revealed that first-generation individuals put together a patchwork of support. Whereas many MD-PhD trainees struggle at some point in their training, first-generation individuals tend to lack a support system that may provide proactive advice and prepare them for milestones. Interviews shared a common sentiment of isolation due to both a lack of social capital within medicine and academia, as well as a growing disconnect from their families and community.
Discussion: Key interventions that would support first-generation students include greater access to high-quality information about the pathway, tailored mentorship throughout training, and more financial resources at the application stage. Trainees and early career physician-scientists seek more flexibility, opportunities for finding community, financial guidance and options, and mentorship around building their careers.
... The ecological system theory holds that individual development is nested in the context in which it is located (Neal & Neal, 2013;Wu & David, 2002), and the interaction between the individual and the environment promotes learning engagement (Bundick et al., 2014;Luo et al., 2022). Class organization and management, teacher-student interaction, and peer relationships together constitute the class social environment, which is an important micro-environment that affects learning (Guenther & Miller, 2011;Neufeld et al., 2006). ...
This research delves into the intricate relationship between special education majored students’ perceptions of classroom atmosphere and their learning engagement, while also investigating the mediating influence of professional identity and the moderating effect of future orientation. A survey involving 582 special education majored students was conducted, utilizing the Student Perceived Class Atmosphere Scale, Learning Engagement Scale, College Students Professional Identity Scale, and Future Orientation Questionnaire for data collection. The collected data underwent thorough organization and statistical analysis using SPSS 24 software.
The research results show that: (1) Special education majored students’ perception of class atmosphere has a positive predictive effect on learning engagement; (2) Professional identity plays an important mediating role between perception of class atmosphere and learning engagement; (3) Future orientation significantly moderates the direct path between special education majored students’ perceived class atmosphere and learning engagement, and moderated the second half of mediation models, the relationship between professional identity and special education majored students’ learning engagement. These research results enrich the theory of special education and have practical significance for improving the quality of special education teacher training.
... The current study adopted the Ecological Systems Theory (EST) proposed by Bronfenbrenner (2000) as an overarching theoretical framework to explore the contextual factors within the youth environment that influence their decisions to study agricultural programs at college. The EST posits that individuals are surrounded by a series of interrelated systems that influence their choices, decisions, and behavior (Bronfenbrenner, 2000;Neal & Neal, 2013). EST conceptualizes development as a valid process that encompasses interactions and interdependence within and across contexts (Duerden & Witt, 2010). ...
Technological advancements in the United States' agricultural sector have created a demand for young and innovative workforce to replace the aging working population. While existing research shows that most of the youth are not attracted to the agricultural related jobs due to their low economic benefits, the motivations for those entering the sector are not yet documented. This study, therefore, employs the Ecological Systems Theory to explore the motivations for youth pursuing agricultural careers in the University. A qualitative content analysis approach was adopted by analyzing 45 video presentations by undergraduate students. The results showed that family influence through practical agriculture engagement, value for sustainability, and connections with educational institutions coupled with school activities and emerging opportunities in the agricultural sectors were the main motivating factors for youth engagement in agriculture studies. Our findings suggest the need to involve the microsystem elements such as family values and school activities in policies and youth agricultural program development to increase youth involvement in the sector.
... This aligns with the integrated intervention strategies proposed by Telama, Yang, Viikari, Välimäki, Wanne, Raitakari 62 and further validates the nested systems interaction described in ecosystem theory, where various levels of the system interact and collectively impact individuals. 22,63 Additionally, the findings highlight that perceived barriers exert a stronger negative impact on MVPA among Chinese adolescents, 19 which may be related to the high level of obedience to parents and teachers observed in prior studies on Chinese adolescents. 26 The study also confirms that negative attitudes from school leaders and teachers towards physical activity can significantly affect adolescents' MVPA levels. ...
Background
The lack of physical activity poses a major challenge to adolescents’ healthy physical and mental development. Despite growing attention, research on how the school physical activity climate affects Chinese adolescents’ participation in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) remains scarce. This study explores this relationship through the lens of ecological systems theory, focusing on the mediating roles of physical education satisfaction and perceived barriers. It also proposes strategies to promote MVPA among Chinese adolescents.
Methods
This cross-sectional study employed convenience and snowball sampling methods to examine the impact of the school physical activity climate on adolescent participation in MVPA. It also explored the mediating roles of physical education satisfaction and perceived barriers. Four variables in the study were measured using established scales: Physical Activity Climate, Perceived Barriers to Physical Activity, Physical Education Satisfaction, and Physical Activity Assessment. The data were analyzed using AMOS v.23 to construct and test a structural equation model.
Results
A total of 612 adolescents aged 12 to 18 from six key middle schools in central China participated in the study. The findings showed that a positive school physical activity climate significantly promotes MVPA participation. Physical education satisfaction positively correlated with MVPA (β = 0.322, p < 0.001), while perceived barriers negatively correlated with both physical education satisfaction (β = −0.449, p < 0.001) and MVPA (β = −0.366, p < 0.001). Satisfaction with physical education and perceived barriers mediated the relationship between the school climate and MVPA, emphasizing their importance in shaping adolescent physical activity behavior. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) results (χ²/df = 1.928, GFI = 0.969, AGFI = 0.956, NFI = 0.962, CFI = 0.981, RMSEA = 0.037) confirmed the model’s robustness and good fit.
Conclusion
Adolescents in a positive physical activity climate are more likely to overlook perceived barriers, enjoy higher satisfaction in PE classes, and actively engage in MVPA. Schools and educators are advised to foster a supportive physical activity environment to boost adolescent MVPA participation, considering the unique context of China’s educational system.
... Theoretical framework. This research is in line with Social-Ecological Theory (SET; Bronfenbrenner, 1979), which offers a comprehensive framework for understanding how an individual's well-being is shaped by their interactions with various layers of their environment (Neal and Neal, 2013). This theory proposes that human development is a product of the dynamic interplay between personal, social, and environmental factors, organized into interconnected systems ranging from immediate settings like workplaces to broader societal influences like cultural norms (Bronfenbrenner and Morris, 2007). ...
This research investigates the relationships between perceived school climate, collective teacher efficacy, teacher self-compassion, and their combined impact on the subjective well-being of Chinese university teachers (n = 617). Utilizing a social-ecological framework, we employed structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine these relationships. Our findings reveal direct positive associations between perceived school climate and collective teacher efficacy with teacher subjective well-being. Furthermore, teacher self-compassion emerged as a significant mediator in these relationships, highlighting its role as a crucial personal resource that links the school environment to individual well-being. These results underscore the importance of fostering positive school climates, enhancing collective efficacy, and cultivating self-compassion to support teacher well-being in the context of Chinese higher education. The implications of these findings for educational policies and practices aimed at promoting a more sustainable and flourishing academic environment are discussed.
... At the mesosystem level, the interactions between the various microsystems, such as family and school, peer groups, and healthcare professionals, greatly impact the SRHRs of MRY [46,47]. The various factors indicated by our data are as follows. ...
Citation: Aibangbee, M.; Micheal, S.; Liamputtong, P.; Pithavadian, R.; Hossain, S.Z.; Mpofu, E.; Dune, T.M. Abstract: (1) Background: Migrant and refugee youth's (MRY's) sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHRs) are a global health issue. MRY encounter adverse SRH experiences due to limited access to and knowledge of SRHRs services. Using a socioecological framework, this study examined the barriers affecting MRY's SRHRs. (2) Methods: A cross-sectional study utilising a participatory action research design was used. A total of 87 MRY (ages 16-26, from 20 cultural groups within Greater Western Sydney, Australia) completed seventeen focus group discussions on their SRHRs experiences. The focus groups were co-facilitated by youth project liaisons to ensure their authenticity and validity. The data were analysed thematically and interpreted using socioecological theory. (3) Results: The findings identified socioecological barriers, a lack of awareness about and access to services, and sociocultural dissonance as leading to the under-implementation of SRHRs services. These barriers included cultural disconnects, language barriers, remote service locations, intergenerational cultural conflicts, and ineffective SRHRs services. The key themes identified included traditional and institutional stigma, lack of SRH education, reliance on social media for SRH information, and privacy concerns. (4) Conclusions: There is a limited consideration of MRY's SRHRs and the impact of intergenerational discordance and stigma on MRY's rights. The findings suggest the necessity for a collaborative SRHRs strategy and policy design that empowers MRY's agency across multicultural contexts.
... My definition of agency grows out of this central premise: students' educational attitudes, goals, and achievements are malleable products of their experiences and social interactions, and these particular contexts, which are also shaped by cultural norms, enable students' continued development (Brofenbrenner, 2009;Neal & Neal, 2013). ...
How can we promote the learning and well-being of all students, especially those who come from some of the most disadvantaged backgrounds? Anindya Kundu argues that we can fight against deeply rooted inequalities in the American educational system by harnessing student agency―each person’s unique capacity for positive change. To make his case, Kundu draws powerful narratives from a population of individuals who beat the odds to become academically and professionally successful. These strivers have overcome challenges such as broken families, homelessness, unexpected pregnancies, forms of abuse, incarceration, and more, to make it in the world. But it wasn’t simply individualism, tenacity, resilience, or grit that helped them. Rather, as Kundu illustrates, it was a combination of social and cultural supports that paved the path towards their dreams, harnessing the inherent power of their agency.
... In the realm of social science and interdisciplinary studies, the concept of social organization is frequently related to an ecological system, wherein social actors engage at various tiers of social systems and subsystems (Colding -Barthel, 2019;Keels, 2022;Neal -Neal, 2013). The relationships within these social-ecological systems are interconnected, with each being directly or indirectly influenced by social interactions. ...
The fall of the communist regime ushered in a wave of hope and optimism across Albanian society, especially among survivors of labor camps, prisoners, and political detainees. This paper seeks to analyze the strategies adopted to assist and reintegrate these survivors into society, employing the social-ecological systems framework and Transitional Justice theory as its lens. In conclusion, it highlights the necessity of adopting a holistic approach that encompasses legal and policy reforms, alongside addressing social and psychological needs, to facilitate a seamless transition to a democratic society.
Il crollo del regime comunista ha portato un senso di speranza e ottimismo per la società albanese, in particolare per i sopravvissuti ai campi di lavoro, dei prigionieri e degli internati politici. Questo articolo si pone l’obiettivo di esaminare le misure implementate per supportare e integrare i sopravvissuti del regime attraverso la lente dell'approccio dei sistemi socio-ecologici e della teoria della giustizia transizionale. In conclusione esalta l'importanza di un approccio completo che includa misure legali e politiche, nonché supporto delle esigenze sociali e psicologiche, per garantire una transizione di successo verso una società democratica.
... As may have been anticipated, spiritual content (e.g., connection to ancestors and the land, ceremony, guidance by Elders or medicine people, spirtual teachings or traditions) was only identified in a single study (Cesaroni et al., 2019). Neal and Neal (2013) suggest that socioecological systems are networked, rather than nested (i.e., with one ecological domain fitting within the other), producing an "overlapping arrangement of structures, each directly or indirectly connected to the others by the direct and indirect social interactions of their participants" (p. 722). ...
Indigenous youth in Canada face disproportionately high rates of criminal justice involvement, rooted in colonial history. This paper uses the Integrated Indigenist Ecological Systems Model (IIESM) for a scoping review of literature on Indigenous youth justice involvement. By mapping studies onto the IIESM framework, this review identifies gaps and provides insights into often-overlooked socio-ecological and historical contexts. Findings show most research focuses on individual-level risk factors, neglecting broader ecological and historical dimensions. The review suggests a wholistic approach which integrates Indigenous knowledge systems and emphasizes culturally relevant research and interventions. The IIESM offers a valuable framework for future studies addressing the multifaceted nature of Indigenous youth criminal involvement, promoting more effective, culturally sensitive policy and practice.
... This theory, which categorizes a child's environment into various interrelated systems, helps in understanding how different aspects of their environment, from immediate settings like family and school to broader societal contexts, impact their development (Garbarino, 2017). The theory's emphasis on the interconnectedness of these systems is particularly relevant for exploring the complex realities of left-behind children (Neal & Neal, 2013). ...
Objective
This study examines the impact of parental migration on the psychological well‐being and development of left‐behind children (LBCs) in Zhejiang, China, within the broader context of the country's rural transformations and urban migration. It investigates how intellectual and relational engagement (RE), autonomy (AUT), competence (COM), and relatedness (RES) contribute to resilience (REL) and post‐traumatic growth (PTG) in these children, reflecting on the shift from viewing parental separation merely as a source of trauma to recognizing its potential to foster significant personal growth.
Methods
Utilizing a cross‐sectional design, the research was conducted in April and May 2023 with 1348 LBCs from a total sample of 4049 students inZhejiang. A two‐step random, stratified, cluster‐based sampling strategy was employed, and structural equation modeling was used to examine the hypothesized relationships among the constructs.
Results
The statistical analysis demonstrated significant positive effects of intellectual engagement (IE), AUT, COM, and RE on both REL and PTG (p < .05 for all). IE strongly correlated with AUT (r = .68, p < .001) and COM (r = .71, p < .001), enhancing REL and facilitating PTG. Additionally, the presence of secure and consistent relationships was identified as crucial for maintaining psychological well‐being, with high correlation coefficients (r > .60) underscoring their importance. Notably, REL was found to moderate the relationships among RES, COM, and PTG, highlighting its critical role in the psychological adaptation of left‐behind children.
Conclusion
The study underscores the importance of nurturing intellectual and REs, AUT, and COM to enhance psychological REL and well‐being among LBAs. These elements are crucial for supporting the mental health and developmental needs of children facing the challenges of parental migration. The findings advocate for targeted interventions that can address the unique needs of this vulnerable population, emphasizing the potential for growth and adaptation despite adversities.
... Acest cadru oferă psihologilor o platformă pentru a studia relațiile individului în diverse contexte, atât în interiorul comunităților, cât și în cadrul societății în ansamblu (Bronfenbrenner, 1994). Aceste sisteme sunt descrise de cercetător în felul următor, după cum urmează (Bronfenbrenner, 1994;Bronfenbrenner, 1979;Neal & Neal, 2013): ...
Delincvența la tineri constituie frecvent un subiect semnificativ de discuție la nivel global și național, fiind percepută ca o entitate conexă cu mecanismele globale ale societății. Aceasta include familie, instituțile educative, procesul educațional, credințele religioase, interacțiunile umane, standardele și regulile sociale, privarea de oportunități, lipsa resurselor, ostracizarea și dezorganizarea colectivului social (Rădulescu & Dâmboianu, 2003; Agnew, 1992; Murzea, 2015).
Pentru o analiză comprehensivă a fenomenului delincvenței juvenile, atât în sens general cât și în contextul specific al României, se recomandă o perspectivă multidimensională. Aceasta implică considerarea factorilor biologici, psihologici și sociali asociați cu delincvența, care pot funcționa ca elemente corelate, predictive sau catalizatoare ai acestui fenomen.
... 205). Such a theory is provided (1977, 1993Neal and Neal, 2013) and has been identified as a framework for feedback that encourages student agency (Niemann et al., 2022). Furthermore, the framework has been previously employed in practitioner research to investigate the influence of context on classroom-based assessments e.g., Hill and Ducasse (2022). ...
This study investigated a semester-long feedback loop activity carried out by six colleagues in four
different language programs at the same university. 38 students participated from six different classes
with varied proficiency levels in Chinese, French, Japanese and Spanish. The goal of this activity was to
provide tailored feedback with a view to enhancing the feedback process and improving learning.
While the success of the activity varied across the six classes, there was evidence of increased student
engagement with feedback and improved understanding of their role in the feedback process.
Unexpected differences emerged in the way the feedback loop activity was implemented in the respective
classrooms. The reasons for these differences as well as for differences in levels of learner engagement
were explored using Bronfenbrenner’s (1977, 1993) ecological framework, demonstrating its usefulness
as a model for understanding feedback practices in university language programs.
Practitioner Research in Higher Education Online First
(ISSN: 1755-1382)
... While this multi-level analysis has allowed us to highlight the extent to which value can be generated within a broad and diverse ecosystem, we should recognize the current limitations of the analytical framework adopted. As indicated at the outset, other frameworks have adopted a roughly similar approach, such as Woolcott et al. (2019) who, drawing on Bronfenbrenner's (1994) social ecology approach and integrating this with social network theory, emphasized networks and the 'nestedness' (Neal & Neal, 2013) of various networks across different levels. Bringing both approaches together in future would go beyond an organizational focus that is common in network governance literature, while also facilitating a more complete understanding of value creation at different ecosystem levels. ...
From qualitative research undertaken in Scotland, the authors analyse procurement policy reforms. Utilizing a public service ecosystem framework, barriers to value creation were found, including overly bureaucratic practices, centrally devised rules, and conflicting organizational aims. The authors develop insights into ways policy design and implementation creates (or does not create) value across the many levels of an ecosystem where procurement policy reforms have impact, demonstrating the benefits of using a service ecosystem framework for understanding nuanced impacts and perceptions of policy implementation.
... Building upon fundamental principles of ecology, an ecological systems model of SRH addresses the biological and behavioral SRH conditions of individuals within their social and physical environment (Bronfenbrenner 1995;DiClemente et al. 2005). While ecological models of human health and development date back to the 1800s, Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory has been the most widely utilized and cited ecological model to conceptualize issues of human health (Hayden 2014;Neal & Neal 2013). Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory proposed that human development occurs through a series of reciprocal interactions between an active human subject and the persons and objects in their immediate environment (Bronfenbrenner 1999). ...
People in Greenland experience disparate sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes relative to populations in other circumpolar countries and Denmark. SRH in Greenland is intrinsically linked to multiple levels of an individual’s life, including family, partner relationship, healthcare access, and unique sociocultural factors. In this article we advocate for the use of ecological systems theory to design SRH programs in Greenland that incorporate the many interrelated systems that affect individual health outcomes. We introduce key concepts and strengths of ecological systems models for SRH programs, and we elucidate specific constructs of ecological systems theory that complement the existing Greenlandic health environment. We suggest that ecological systems theory is culturally congruent with how people in Greenland understand the interconnectedness of individuals, families, communities, and the natural and built environment. Incorporating ecological systems theory in SRH program design may promote interorganizational collaboration of SRH services, and integrate SRH education across family, school, and healthcare settings.
... This study draws on an ecological perspective (Chong, Isaacs, & McKinley, 2023;Ehrenfeld, 2022) to investigate whether and how an innovation was implemented in the intertwined environments created within the CTEP. In a nested Ecological Systems Theory framework (Bronfenbrenner, 1979;Neal & Neal, 2013), human development is situated within a four-layer context encompassing the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem. In the present study, a TESOL QUARTERLY 4 microsystem is the setting where the focal teachers interact with others and includes linkages between a teacher and their colleagues within a teaching study group (TSG). ...
This paper reports on the implementation of a 6‐month collaborative teacher education project (CTEP) in China, designed to help teachers adopt CLIL in response to new primary school curriculum requirements. A multi‐site case study was conducted to track two focal teachers' changes in CLIL implementation and its sustainability. Adopting ecological theory, the study investigated how teachers' interactions with university‐based, district‐based, and school‐based teacher educators in the project contributed to their professional development. Our research focused on an innovative dimension of the project, namely, close collaboration among university researchers, teacher educators, and primary teachers who all contributed to the CTEP ecosystem. Data collection involved semi‐structured interviews at the pre‐stage, while‐stage, post‐stage, and delayed post‐stages of the project, classroom observation notes, lesson study minutes, field notes, informal exchanges, and project documents. Our data analysis revealed that although both teachers had a positive attitude towards CLIL, they exhibited different trajectories of changes in their pedagogical practices. The teachers' interactions with teacher educators within and across the four sub‐contexts in the CTEP ecosystem played a significant role in their professional development. Notably, the school‐based teacher educators contributed by establishing a collaborative teaching study group (TSG) that ensured sustainable professional development for the teachers. The findings of this study have important implications for educational policymaking and for designing and implementing collaborative teacher education programmes that offer an alternative to traditional top‐down modes of language teacher professional development.
... At the mesosystem level, interactions between various microsystems, such as family and school, peer groups, and healthcare professionals, greatly impact the SRHR of MRY (Coatsworth et al., 2002;Neal & Neal, 2013). The various factors indicated by the data are as follows. ...
Purpose
Migrants and refugee youths’ (MRY) sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) is a global health issue. MRY tend to encounter adverse SRH experiences because of their limited access to and knowledge of SRHR services. Using a socioecological framework, this study examined the barriers affecting MRY’s SRHR.
Methods
A cross-sectional study utilising a participatory action research design was used. 87 MRY (ages 16-26, from 20 different cultural groups living in Greater Western Sydney, Australia) participated in the study and completed seventeen focus group discussions on MRY’s experiences of SRHR. Focus groups were co-facilitated by youth project liaisons for authenticity and validity. The data were analysed thematically and interpreted using socioecological theory.
Results
The findings identified socioecological barriers such as lack of awareness and access to services, sociocultural dissonance, and under-implementation of SRHR services. These barriers include cultural disconnects, language barriers, remote service locations, intergenerational cultural conflicts, and ineffective SRHR services. Key themes included traditional and institutional stigma, lack of SRH education, reliance on social media for SRH information and privacy concerns.
Conclusion
There is limited consideration of MRY’s SRHR and the impact of intergenerational discordance and stigma on MRY's rights. The findings suggest the necessity for a collaborative SRHR strategy and policy design that empowers MRY's agency across multicultural contexts.
Purpose
This study aims to use solution-focused cognitive group intervention (SCGI), which combines cognitive behavioral therapy with solution-focused brief therapy, to improve the benefit finding of petitioners.
Method
This intervention includes six sessions and two follow-up tests (at three months and six months). Sixty-four petitioners (mean age = 44.31, standard deviation = 4.43) were randomly assigned to the intervention group (32 participants) and the control group (32 participants). The SCGI group aims to enhance benefit finding and reduce anxiety. Solution-focused thinking, strength knowledge, and strength use make up the intervention components.
Results
The intervention effectively improved participants’ benefit finding and reduced their anxiety, with long-term effects. The control group did not change. Network analysis indicates that strength use has the greatest influence in the network.
Discussion
For future research, it is imperative to focus on participants’ strengths to comprehend the efficacy mechanisms and enhance the intervention framework.
Discover a groundbreaking perspective on personal and collective flourishing in this transformative book. Unveiling a dynamic synthesis of wellness, fairness, and worthiness, it presents a blueprint for thriving on personal, relational, occupational, systemic, community, and planetary scales. Move beyond the confines of individual well-being; embrace a holistic approach that encompasses entire groups, workplaces, communities, nations, and the world. While traditional psychology focused on personal thriving, the need for fostering the common good is now more urgent than ever-to combat pandemics, address climate change, champion peace, battle injustice, and elevate well-being globally. Dive into a compelling conceptual framework that guides theory, research, and action to tackle pressing global issues. This book pioneers a concise and powerful framework-three pillars of thriving: wellness, fairness, and worthiness. Join the movement towards a world where collective thriving is not just a goal, but a reality for all.
In the past decade, numerous literature reviews have delved into understanding the factors influencing STEM achievement. While prior studies have concentrated on specific associations, a holistic synthesis of diverse factors is crucial for comprehensive comprehension. This review, guided by Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory, offers an overview of factors associated with secondary school students' STEM achievement by scrutinising literature from 2019 to 2023 through content analysis. Within the myriad associations and subfactors, 15 factors across four ecological levels (i.e., individual characteristics, psychological factors, learning abilities, learning approaches and educational involvement at the self‐level; classroom characteristics and culture, teacher characteristics and instructional practices, family support and influence, and access to resources and technology at the microsystem level; teacher‐parent interaction at the mesosystem level; school characteristics and culture, school leadership and practices, school resources and technology, educational policies, and local environment at the exosystem level) emerged. Methodologically, the reviewed studies predominantly employed quantitative analyses, often utilising statistical and variable‐centred approaches, concentrating on science and mathematics domains of STEM, and employing achievement tests. This review sheds light on the current landscape and provides valuable insights for future policies, practices and research directions.
Context and implications
Rationale for this study
Numerous reviews have explored specific factors influencing STEM achievement, emphasising the need for a holistic synthesis of available factors to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the complex interaction between these influences and how they collectively impact student outcomes in STEM education.
Why the new findings matter
Students' achievement in STEM is influenced by various factors, suggesting that attributing success solely to minimal number of factors may oversimplify the complex nature of the factors that influence achievement.
Implications for policy makers, practitioners, the public and researchers
A thorough understanding of the factors influencing success in STEM achievement can inform the development of educational policies and investments across different levels, from local schools to national initiatives. Educators can use this knowledge to implement tailored early interventions that enhance student achievement and foster better prospects in STEM careers. Additionally, students and parents can benefit from valuable insights to make informed decisions about educational and career pathways. This review also sheds light on future research directions.
Substantial literature has focused on language teacher agency and identity in relation to learners in classrooms. Relatively little research exists regarding the nature of language teacher identity shaped by contextual factors brought on by the internationalization of education. To address the gap in the literature, this study explored how student teachers in a TESOL program negotiate their language teacher agency and identity in the ecosystems of an internationalized institution of higher education while contributing to different ESL programs. While pursuing an MA degree in TESOL with a teaching opportunity at an Intensive English program for non‐matriculating students or an ESL service program for pathway program students at a US university, seven student teachers participated in semi‐structured interviews, which were triangulated with the student teachers’ portfolios of lesson plans and reflection papers. The analysis demonstrated the student teachers’ agentic beliefs, choices, and practices in relation to contextual factors in the nested ecosystems of internationalized higher education, such as international students’ needs in the microsystem, training opportunities in the mesosystem, institutional policy and practice in the exosystem, and broad cultural norms in relation to language education in the macrosystem.
The International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) investigates how young people are prepared to undertake their roles as citizens across a wide range of national contexts, and it is the only international study dedicated to this learning area. ICCS 2022 gathered and analyzed data from representative national samples on students’ conceptual knowledge and understanding of civics and citizenship, as well as their attitudes to, and engagement with, aspects related to civic and citizenship education. Building on previous IEA studies in this field dating back to 1971, and especially since 2009, ICCS 2022 continued to monitor changes in students’ civic knowledge and understanding, patterns of and dispositions toward civic engagement, attitudes to citizenship and equal rights as well as the school and classroom context for learning about citizenship. Furthermore, ICCS 2022 gathered data related to new developments such as increased globalization and migration, the way schools address increasing social diversity, young people’s civic engagement with digital technologies, their views of their political systems, and aspects of globally oriented citizenship. Delivered for the first time on computer in about two thirds of the participating education systems, ICCS 2022 collected a rich set of data using an international student assessment, an international student questionnaire, regional student questionnaires for European and Latin American countries, a teacher questionnaire, a school questionnaire, and a national contexts survey.
This chapter presents a conceptual review of the obstacles to the implementation of positive psychology interventions among first-year students at universities. The chapter begins with a brief introduction on challenges to developing psychological interventions among students in universities. It then presents Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems as the theoretical framework. The obstacles from psychological and social perspectives are discussed at the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem levels. Key obstacles at the microsystem level are family dynamics and expectations, peer relationships, academic stress and adjustment. At the mesosystem, the key obstacles are school-family communication and interpersonal relationships while at the exosystem, university policies and resources as well as economic and social factors are the major obstacles. Moreover, at the macrosystem, cultural views on mental health and economic and policy context are the main obstacles. Finally, the chronosystem level comes with life transitions and developmental changes as well as historical and sociological changes are the main obstacles. Finally, the chronosystem level comes with life transitions and developmental changes as well as historical and sociological changes. The findings in this chapter provide important literature on existing obstacles and recommend alternatives for developing positive psychology interventions.
The quality of the UK’s doctorate training system plays a fundamental role in fostering vibrant research outputs and attracting global talent. However, while maintaining a consistently high standard of quality remains static and challenging, little is known about how the employability of international doctorate students is shaped and at what juncture it is opportune to support their employability during their research studies. This paper aims to understand the employability of international doctoral students within business schools at British universities, drawing on Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory as a framework. The qualitative study involves 15 international doctoral students from 9 business schools. The findings uncover various environmental systems impacting their employability. In addition, this study theoretically extends employability research by applying Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory to provide a multi-layered understanding of the international doctorate employability, offering a novel framework for targeted career support interventions. Further, the implications highlight the urgent need for tailored support to build industrial connections, promote departmental collaboration to scaffold a dynamic research environment, proffer multiple resource channels, and create employment opportunities both inside and outside of the university.
Background
The adolescent borderline personality disorder (BPD) diagnosis has been widely debated for many years. Strikingly, young people's experiences of both receiving a diagnosis of BPD, and of living with BPD, are largely under‐explored. The current study seeks to address these gaps in the literature in a multi‐perspectival design utilising young people–parent dyads.
Methods
Young people (aged 16–18 years) with a diagnosis of BPD ( n = 5) and their mothers ( n = 5) were recruited from two NHS Community Mental Health Services in the West Midlands and participated in semi‐structured interviews. Data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis [IPA].
Findings
Analysis identified two superordinate themes with five subthemes: (1) The “ugly” reality of living with BPD (providing a stark insight into what it is like to live with the unpredictable nature of experiences labelled as BPD), and (2) The diagnosis that dare not speak its name (highlighting the complexities of how the diagnosis itself is experienced by participants as a symbol of personal and permanent defectiveness and danger).
Discussion
Findings highlight a clear commonality of experience centred around the intensity of the young people's emotional distress and the accompanying pressure on parents to keep young people safe, both of which services must strive to do more to contain. Ultimately, the costs of receiving a BPD diagnosis appear to outweigh the benefits, and this paper adds support to calls for change in respect to how we conceptualise difficulties labelled as BPD and how we communicate about these difficulties, in order to avoid causing harm.
Objective
To develop theory about how and why the supervision and support model used by the Remote Vocational Training Scheme (RVTS) addresses the professional and non‐professional needs of doctors (including many international medical graduates) who are training towards general practice or rural generalist fellowship while based in the same rural or remote practice.
Design, setting, participants
We conducted a realist evaluation based on the RAMESES II protocol. The initial theory was based on situated learning theory, networked ecological systems theory, cultural theory and geographical narcissism theory. The theory was developed by collecting empirical data through interviews with 27 RVTS stakeholders, including supervisors, participants and RVTS staff. The theory was refined using a project reference and a stakeholder advisory group and confirmed using individual meetings with experts.
Main outcomes measures
Theory about how the contexts of person, place and program interacted to address professional and non‐professional needs.
Results
The RVTS program offers remote access to knowledgeable and caring supervisors, real‐time tailored advice, quality resources and regular professional networking opportunities, including breaks from the community. It worked well because it triggered five mechanisms: comfort, confidence, competence, belonging and bonding. These mechanisms collectively fostered resilience, skills, professional identity and improved status; they effectively counteracted the potential effects of complex and relatively isolated work settings.
Conclusion
This theory depicts how a remotely delivered supervision and support model addresses the place and practice challenges faced by different doctors, meeting their professional and non‐professional needs. The participants felt valued as part of a special professional group delivering essential primary health care services in challenging locations. The theory could be adapted and applied to support other rural and remote doctors.
The Further Education and Training (FET) sector in Ireland offers a significant level of diversity, in student population, level of study, and form of delivery. As such, inclusive provision is crucial to the sector’s success as a viable learning pathway. Key to this process is the work of leaders, as there is ample evidence of their impact on effective inclusive policy and practice. The vast majority of existing research in this area has focused on primary, post-primary and higher education sectors with an evident lack of such work in FET. This project addresses this gap, illuminating perspectives and practices around leadership for inclusion in Irish FET settings, based on first-hand accounts from senior leaders. Five leaders in a range of FET settings participated in an exploratory qualitative inquiry with two researchers. The findings reveal a common conceptualisation of inclusion as rights-based and far-reaching where leaders are evidently committed to fully including all members of their respective populations. Leaders acknowledge their own role in modelling inclusive practice, but somewhat dichotomously highlight a lack of visibility around inclusive teaching and learning. Finally, they acknowledge that FET’s diminished status in comparison to other sectors has resulted in difficulties around gaining and employing supports for learners, but they also demonstrate a belief that this same status has undergone a sense of renewal in recent times.
This chapter discusses the pitfalls and barriers of allyship in organizational contexts. It emphasizes how ineffective allyship can harm marginalized group members, often stemming from performative actions driven by the need for external validation. Barriers to effective allyship include social ostracism, emotional labor, cognitive and motivational barriers, lack of support from dominant group members, organizational constraints, and the complexities of intersectionality. Additional challenges involve allies’ reluctance to confront prejudice, paternalistic attitudes, white consciousness and fragility, and allyship burnout. The chapter underscores the need for continuous education, self-awareness, and systemic change within organizations to foster genuine allyship and create inclusive, equitable workplaces.
Sono pochi, a oggi, gli studi che hanno investigato empiricamente la resilienza economica dei sistemi produttivi locali, attraverso le molteplici crisi degli anni Dieci. Il presente lavoro mira a colmare questa lacuna, offrendo una Ratio Analysis combinata di oltre 30mila imprese, collocate nel territorio di Monza e Brianza. L'articolo costituisce la prima parte di una ricerca più ampia, che si pone lo scopo di indagare, nel suo complesso, il funzionamento dell'ecosistema imprenditoriale brianteo, esplorando tanto lo stato di salute delle aziende del territorio, quanto l'efficacia dei rapporti tra amministrazione locale e universo imprenditoriale. Nel caso particolare del lavoro qui presentato, l'analisi longitudinale degli indici di bilancio, della quasi totalità delle imprese del territorio, nel periodo 2011-2020, da un lato ci consente di descrivere in maniera accurata le performance degli attori economici locali, dall'altro ci offre una lente tramite cui indagare le capacità dell'ecosistema imprenditoriale brianteo, di navigare tempi travagliati.
Purpose:
This paper examines the current state of services and support for children and young people with intellectual disability in Vietnam through the perspectives and experiences of parents and professionals in the education and health systems.
Materials and methods:
We undertook 24 semi-structured interviews with parents and professionals from two Vietnamese central provinces to ask about their experiences and support needs. We draw on the networked model of ecological systems to identify contextual factors in the micro-, meso-, exo- and macro-systems.
Results:
Access to education and healthcare services were found to be limited for children, young people, and families in central Vietnam. Barriers to provision, accessibility and quality of services were identified at multiple intersecting levels and systems. Parents reported high needs for formal services provided by trained professionals as well as information and education for themselves to provide optimum support for their children. For professionals, further training and government investment and oversight are needed to improve access and ensure quality of services.
Conclusions:
Services and support in education and healthcare for children and young people with intellectual disability and their families remains lacking and needs significant improvement. Further information and support for parents, capacity building for professionals, strengthened disability policies and regulations, and public awareness are required.
Discover a groundbreaking perspective on personal and collective flourishing in this transformative book. Unveiling a dynamic synthesis of wellness, fairness, and worthiness, it presents a blueprint for thriving on personal, relational, occupational, systemic, community, and planetary scales. Move beyond the confines of individual well-being; embrace a holistic approach that encompasses entire groups, workplaces, communities, nations, and the world. While traditional psychology focused on personal thriving, the need for fostering the common good is now more urgent than ever-to combat pandemics, address climate change, champion peace, battle injustice, and elevate well-being globally. Dive into a compelling conceptual framework that guides theory, research, and action to tackle pressing global issues. This book pioneers a concise and powerful framework-three pillars of thriving: wellness, fairness, and worthiness. Join the movement towards a world where collective thriving is not just a goal, but a reality for all.
In 2022, Stanford University’s Katie Meyer and at least four other college athletes in the United States died by suicide. If used appropriately, social media is a potential platform to destigmatize mental health through initiating discussions and providing educational resources. The study explores how Stanford University’s athletic department utilized Twitter to address mental health in the year after Meyer’s passing. Guided by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory and Fairclough’s approach to critical discourse analysis, this study examined 59 tweets posted across Stanford University’s athletic department and program platforms. The current study found that Stanford’s social media messaging reinforced mental health stigma and the sport ethic across the micro-, meso-, exo-, and macrosystem, which discourage sport consumers from changing their perceptions of mental health stigma in sport. Furthermore, the social media messaging does not demonstrate future institutional emphasis on mental health. We conclude with best practices for college sport administrators.
There is an open access copy of the article available here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09500782.2024.2337658
This narrative scoping review examines ethical practice in educational and school psychology from a bioecological systems’ perspective. A search of four databases yielded 34 articles in the final narrative synthesis. Informed by Bronfenbrenner and Morris’ bioecological systems theory, the ethical experiences of educational and school psychologists were analyzed using the concepts of Process, Person, Context and Time. The complexity, intensity and frequency of ethical dilemmas are reviewed in Process. The demand, resource, and force characteristics impacting on psychologists as Person are reviewed. Within Context, studies identified dilemmas that arose for psychologists across systems. In Time, issues including implications of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on psychologists’ ethical practice with the emergence of Artificial Intelligence are examined. This paper demonstrates the synergies and the interrelated influences on psychologists’ ethical practices arising from a systematic review of their experiences and their professional training needs.
This chapter delves into the bi-cultural context shaping second-generation Chinese Australian children’s school transition, through a cultural-historical framework. Grounded in Vygotsky’s cultural-historical theory, it asserts the indispensable role of culture in child development and critiques the decontextualized study on child development in existing literature. Employing Veresov’s model, it distinguishes between broad socio-cultural context, bi-cultural context, and the social situation of development to analyze the construction and reconstruction of the bi-cultural context. A case study illustrates these concepts, emphasizing the dynamic interaction between children’s development and the bi-cultural context in which children are situated. The chapter argues for a non-judgmental view of culture and stresses the need for understanding the complex interplay of cultural contexts in child development. By focusing on the second-generation Chinese Australian children’s experiences, it contributes to the cultural-historical discourse on child development, advocating for a holistic approach that considers the bi-cultural nuances of children's transitional experiences.
Online hate speech (OHS) is a prevalent issue on social media with harmful consequences for individuals and society. Counteracting this issue requires a better understanding of the factors that drive behaviors such as posting hate speech or making hateful comments. The present study contributes to this need by investigating the personal, social, and digital determinants for OHS perpetration. By conducting a two‐round Delphi study, data was collected from an interdisciplinary sample of experts. Practitioners were included in this sample to bridge gaps between research and fieldwork on OHS. The first survey collected information through open‐ended questions, which was then organized in different themes and lists of determinants in a thematic analysis. These determinants were rated for relevance in a follow‐up survey. Data analysis of the second survey used nonparametric statistics. From a total list of 129 determinants, the participants reached a consensus on 27 determinants as most relevant (median > 4) for facilitating the production and dissemination of OHS. An ecological perspective was applied to interpret these findings. As a result, we propose an ecological model of personal, social, and digital determinants for online hate perpetration to illustrate their influence on individual behavior as well as their possible connections. The model provides a comprehensive overview of factors facilitating OHS perpetration, which can help to identify points for intervention.
In this article, the authors argue that the notion of local capacity needs to be rethought in light of the extraordinary demands for learning imposed on local educators by the current wave of instructional reforms. Confining their discussion to the local education agency (LEA), the authors argue that the LEA’s capacity to support ambitious instruction consists to a large degree of LEA leaders’ ability to learn new ideas from external policy and professional sources and to help others within the district learn these ideas. Drawing on a study of nine school districts, they identify three interrelated dimensions of this capacity—human capital, social capital, and financial resources.
Reviews research on the influence of external environments on the functioning of families as contexts of human development. Investigations of the interaction of genetics and environment in family processes; transitions and linkages between the family and other major settings influencing development, such as hospitals, daycare, peer groups, school, social networks, the world of work (both for parents and children), and neighborhoods and communities; and public policies affecting families and children are included. A 2nd major focus is on the patterning of environmental events and transitions over the life course as these affect and are affected by intrafamilial processes. External systems affecting the family are categorized as meso-, exo-, and chronosystem models. Identified as areas for future research are ecological variations in the expression of genotypes, relations between the family and other child settings, relations between family processes and parental participation in other settings of adult life, and families in broader social contexts. (4 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
The purpose of this chapter is to present a parsimonious explanatory framework for the complex body of knowledge on risk and protective factors for adolescent drug abuse. This explanatory framework is described as Structural Ecosystems Theory (SET; J. Szapocznik and R. A.Williams, 1999). First, the authors describe general trends and qualitative reorganizations in the risk and protective factors literature. The risk and protective factors of adolescent drug abuse are emphasized. Second, SET as a framework for organizing the literature on risk and protective factors for adolescent drug abuse is offered. Third utility of the framework in organizing the existing body of empirical findings is illustrated with examples from various research programs examining risk and protective factors in the development of adolescent substance use and other behavior problems. Lastly, the authors discuss the implications of the SET framework for formulating theory-driven preventive interventions that encompass the complexity of findings of risk and protective processes across social domains and life span development and the usefulness of the SET framework in avoiding iatrogenic effects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Proposes a broader approach to research in human development that focuses on the progressive accommodation, throughout the life span, between the growing human organism and the changing environments in which it actually lives and grows. The latter include not only the immediate settings containing the developing person but also the larger social contexts, both formal and informal, in which these settings are embedded. In terms of method, the approach emphasizes the use of rigorously designed experiments, both naturalistic and contrived, beginning in the early stages of the research process. The changing relation between person and environment is conceived in systems terms. These systems properties are set forth in a series of propositions, each illustrated by concrete research examples. (1¼ p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
In a cross-sequential study spanning 5th-12th grade, 220 White working-and middle-class youth provided reports on their experience at 16,477 random moments in their lives. Amount of time spent with family was found to decrease from 35% to 14% of waking hours across this age period, indicating disengagement. However, transformation and continued connection were evident in stability across age in time talking and alone with parents; an age increase in family conversation about interpersonal issues, particularly for girls; and with age, adolescents' more frequent perception of themselves as leading interactions. After a decrease in early adolescence, older teens reported more favorable affect in themselves and others during family interactions. Last, the age decline in family time was found to be mediated not by internal family conflict but by opportunities and pulls an adolescent experiences from outside the family. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
There are a large number of techniques that try and determine areas within a network in which individuals are more closely linked to each other than outsiders. However, once these cohesive subgraphs have been identified researchers are often left with a long list of overlapping subgroups and have no means of assessing the structure or importance of these groups. In this paper we examine techniques for describing and reducing the amount of overlap so that the analyst can better understand the complex underlying clique structure.
Developed and validated instruments for urban and culturally diverse adolescents to assess their self-reported transactions
with family, peer, school, and neighborhood microsystems for the constructs of social support, daily hassles, and involvement.
The sample of 998 youth were from schools in three Eastern cities with high percentages of economically disadvantaged youth.
Data were collected before and after the transition to junior high school or to senior high school. Blacks constituted 26%,
whites 26%, and Latinos 37% of the sample. Factor analyses confirmed and enhanced the hypothesized four-factor microsystem
factor structure for support, hassles, and involvement; internal consistency and stability coefficients were consistent with
these structures. In general, the microsystem factors were common across gender, ethnicity, and age. However, when group differences
did occur on these demographic variables, they tended to validate the salience of microsystem specificity. In contrast to
the total scores, the microsystem-specific factors yielded more meaningful and differential information with regard to demographic
differences and the mediating processes across a school transition.
Recent scholarship suggests the importance of school district offices in supporting reform. These studies provide strategies for building relations between central offices and sites in order to improve change efforts. However, what is frequently overlooked is that organizational reform efforts are socially constructed. Therefore, examining the underlying reform-related social networks may provide insight into how relational structures support or constrain efforts at reform. This longitudinal case study draws upon social network analysis and interviews to examine the reform-related knowledge, advice, and innovation network structures of central office and site leaders in a district facing sanction for underperformance and engaging a district-wide reform. Findings indicate that over time the networks increased the number of superficial interactions and more frequent exchanges remained unchanged resulting in a centralized network structure.
A review of efforts at social system change in 526 universal competence-promotion outcome studies indicated that 64% of the interventions attempted some type of microsystemic or mesosystemic change involving schools, families, or community-based organizations in an attempt to foster developmental competencies in children and adolescents. Only 24% of the reports provided quantitative data on the change that occurred in targeted systems. However, studies containing the necessary information produced several mean effect sizes that were statistically significant, and ranged from modest to large in magnitude. These data indicate that attempts to change social systems affecting children and adolescents can be successful. Future work should measure more thoroughly the extent to which the systemic changes that are targeted through intervention are achieved, and investigate how such changes contribute to the development and sustainability of the outcomes that might be demonstrated by participants of competence-promotion programs.
The modern science of networks has brought significant advances to our understanding of complex systems. One of the most relevant features of graphs representing real systems is community structure, or clustering, i. e. the organization of vertices in clusters, with many edges joining vertices of the same cluster and comparatively few edges joining vertices of different clusters. Such clusters, or communities, can be considered as fairly independent compartments of a graph, playing a similar role like, e. g., the tissues or the organs in the human body. Detecting communities is of great importance in sociology, biology and computer science, disciplines where systems are often represented as graphs. This problem is very hard and not yet satisfactorily solved, despite the huge effort of a large interdisciplinary community of scientists working on it over the past few years. We will attempt a thorough exposition of the topic, from the definition of the main elements of the problem, to the presentation of most methods developed, with a special focus on techniques designed by statistical physicists, from the discussion of crucial issues like the significance of clustering and how methods should be tested and compared against each other, to the description of applications to real networks. Comment: Review article. 103 pages, 42 figures, 2 tables. Two sections expanded + minor modifications. Three figures + one table + references added. Final version published in Physics Reports
Conventional thinking about preventive interventions focuses over simplistically on the "package" of activities and/or their educational messages. An alternative is to focus on the dynamic properties of the context into which the intervention is introduced. Schools, communities and worksites can be thought of as complex ecological systems. They can be theorised on three dimensions: (1) their constituent activity settings (e.g., clubs, festivals, assemblies, classrooms); (2) the social networks that connect the people and the settings; and (3) time. An intervention may then be seen as a critical event in the history of a system, leading to the evolution of new structures of interaction and new shared meanings. Interventions impact on evolving networks of person-time-place interaction, changing relationships, displacing existing activities and redistributing and transforming resources. This alternative view has significant implications for how interventions should be evaluated and how they could be made more effective. We explore this idea, drawing on social network analysis and complex systems theory.
We used a five-year longitudinal study of children's teacher-child relationships and social-emotional competence to examine the relative contributions of preschool social-emotional climate and early individual child-teacher relationships and behavior problems in predicting second grade social competence with peers. Three hundred and seven children (152 girls) had complete second grade data on peer social competence. We used the Peer Play Scale to measure the climate of peer social competence in preschool classrooms. We used the Classroom Behavior Inventory to measure behavior problems and the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale to measure child-teacher relationship quality at both the classroom and individual level. Children's second grade social competence with peers could be predicted by preschool classroom social-emotional climate, four-year-old behavior problems and child-teacher relationship quality, and contemporary child-teacher relationship quality. The particular pattern of these predictors differed by aspect of social competence with peers.
It is now more than a decade ago that, being somewhat younger, I presumed to challenge the then-prevailing conventions of my field by describing the developmental research of the day as “the study of the strange behavior of children in strange situations with strange adults for the briefest possible period of time” (Bronfenbrenner, 1974). Instead, I argued (as if it were simply a matter of choice), we should be studying development in its ecological context; that is, in the actual environments in which human beings lived their lives. I then proceeded to outline, in a series of publications, a conceptual framework for analyzing development in context, and to offer concrete examples of how various elements of the schema might be applied both to past studies and to studies yet to come. I also emphasized the scientific and practical benefits of a closer linkage, in both directions, between developmental research and public policy (Bronfenbrenner, 1975, 1977a, 1977b, 1979a, 1979b, 1981).
This study examined the extent to which teacher ratings of the frequency of parent–teacher contacts and quality of parent–teacher relationships in prekindergarten were associated with teachers' perceptions of the quality of their relationship with children and children's social development. Participants were a diverse sample of 2966 four‐year‐olds who attended publicly funded prekindergarten programs in the USA. Results indicated that after controlling for child and family characteristics, the perceived quality of the parent–teacher relationship during prekindergarten was associated with prekindergarten teachers' ratings of children's social development during prekindergarten and kindergarten teachers' ratings at the beginning of kindergarten. Furthermore, the association between quality of the parent–teacher relationship and reductions in problem behavior was stronger among children who experienced social/economic risks.
To understand the way children develop, Bronfenbrenner believes that it is necessary to observe their behavior in natural settings, while they are interacting with familiar adults over prolonged periods of time. His book offers an important blueprint for constructing a new and ecologically valid psychology of development.
This study examines whether structural (class size, gender composition, and grade level) and relational (normative behaviors and teacher support) aspects of classrooms are associated with increased social connections among children experiencing peer victimization. Peer sociometric and social network measures were collected from 418 African-American children in 33s to fourth grade classrooms. Classroom observations were conducted to assess teachers’ provision of emotional support. Analysis accounting for children nested within classrooms demonstrated that classroom structural and relational characteristics attenuated the negative association between peer victimization and network centrality. In classrooms with fewer students or more female students, as well as in classrooms with higher levels of teacher emotional support, peer victims were less isolated in the peer network. Furthermore, several classroom structural factors (i.e., grade level and gender composition) and relational factors (i.e., peer normative behaviors and teacher emotional support) predicted network centrality. Findings generate hypotheses for future research and classroom intervention to build access to social resources for peer victims in urban schools.
Teachers and students in 39 1st, 3rd and 5th grade classrooms participated in a study of teaching practices and classroom peer networks. Teachers reported on their attitudes towards aggression and withdrawal, provided rationales for their seating arrangements, and were observed on patterns of emotional and instructional support and classroom organization. Students were surveyed or interviewed for peer nominations of friendship, popularity, being cool, and aggressive and prosocial behavior, and from these nominations classroom-level indices were derived concerning the richness of positive and negative social ties among children, the egalitarian or hierarchical nature of social status hierarchies, and classroom norms for aggressive and prosocial behavior. Preliminary results suggest that teachers' attitudes towards social behavior are associated with the degree of liking and disliking their students express; teachers' grouping patterns are associated with numerous features of classroom social networks; and teachers' observed emotional support was associated with higher rates of friendship reciprocation.
Abstract We review research on the family's role in gender development during childhood and adolescence. Our discussion highlights children's dyadic family relationship experiences with their parents and siblings; additionally, we describe ways in which the larger system of family relationships, including gendered dynamics in the marriage and the differential family experiences of sisters versus brothers may have implications for gender development. We also emphasize the significance of contextual factors—ranging from situational demands and affordances to forces emanating from the larger social ecology—in family gender socialization. We conclude that family experiences may have a more important impact on gender development than has previously been believed, and we highlight directions for future study. These include: (1) applying more complex models of parent socialization and family dynamics to the study of the family's role in gender development; (2) expanding on research directed at the socialization of sex differences to study how family dynamics are linked to individual differences in girls’ and boys’ gendered qualities and behaviors; and (3) further exploring how contextual factors exert an impact on gender socialization in the family.
Early adolescent friendships have often been assumed to be especially intense and especially significant for psychological development. Recent research indicates that the intimacy of friendships increases dramatically between middle childhood and early adolescence. In competitive situations, early adolescents act more prosocially toward their friends than do younger children because they more often try to achieve the mutually satisfying outcome of equality. During early adolescence, friends are similar in their orientation toward school and toward peer culture (rock music, fashion, and so on). Similarity is due partly to the selection of friends like oneself and partly to the influence of friends on each other. In certain other ways, early adolescent friendships do not differ substantially from those among younger children or late adolescents. Recent research suggests that the stability of friendships changes little between fourth and eleventh grade. Girls often seem to have more intimate and exclusive friendships than boys do, although the overall pattern of sex differences in friendships is more complex. The features of early adolescent friendships appear to be determined partly by the biological, social, and cognitive changes during this period of life. The effects of these friendships on social and personality development have been extensively discussed, but supporting evidence currently is scarce.
Sociologists since Simmel have been interested in social circles as essential features of friendship networks. Although network analysis has been increasingly used to uncover patterns among social relationships, theoretical explanations of these patterns have been inadequate. This paper presents a theory of the social organization of friendship ties. The approach is based upon Homans's concepts of activities, interactions, and sentiments and upon the concept of extra-network foci organizing social activities and interaction. The theory is contrasted with Heider's balance theory. Implications for transitivity, network bridges, and density of personal networks are discussed and presented as propositions. The focus theory is shown to help explain patterns of friendships in the 1965-66 Detroit Area Study. This paper is intended as a step toward the development of integrated theory to explain interrelationships between networks and other aspects of social structure. Implications for data analysis are discussed. Sociologists have long recognized the importance of patterns in networks of relations that connect individuals with each other. Simmel (1955) described modern society as consisting of loosely connected social circles of relationships. Granovetter (1973) has indicated the general significance of these social circles for communication, community organization, and social conflict. Various studies have supported this picture of the essential patterns in social networks, including Moreno's sociometry (1953), Milgram's "small world" experiments (1967), and Kadushin's observations (1966). Unfortunately, the study of social networks has often been carried out without concern for the origins in the larger social context. Most network analysis ends with description and labeling of patterns; and when explanations of patterns are offered, they frequently rely upon inherent tendencies within networks to become consistent, balanced, or transitive. As a consequence of such atheoretical and/or self-contained network theoretical approaches, data are collected and data analysis techniques are devised for
This October 2010 article is a reprint of the original May 1995 (V76N9) article and includes a new one-page introduction (on page 65 of this issue) by the author. The author highlights the importance of designing integrated, coordinated social contexts in which children can develop. She summarizes the results of many studies and the work of educators and families in elementary, middle, and high schools and describes how schools can develop more positive school/family/community connections. The introduction is included in the downloadable pdf.
Similarity breeds connection. This principle - the homophily principle - structures network ties of every type, including marriage, friendship, work, advice, support, information transfer, exchange, comembership, and other types of relationship. The result is that people's personal networks are homogeneous with regard to many sociodemographic, behavioral, and intrapersonal characteristics. Homophily limits people's social worlds in a way that has powerful implications for the information they receive, the attitudes they form, and the interactions they experience. Homophily in race and ethnicity creates the strongest divides in our personal environments, with age, religion, education, occupation, and gender following in roughly that order. Geographic propinquity, families, organizations, and isomorphic positions in social systems all create contexts in which homophilous relations form. Ties between nonsimilar individuals also dissolve at a higher rate, which sets the stage for the formation of niches (localized positions) within social space. We argue for more research on: (a) the basic ecological processes that link organizations, associations, cultural communities, social movements, and many other social forms; (b) the impact of multiplex ties on the patterns of homophily; and (c) the dynamics of network change over time through which networks and other social entities co-evolve.
Preface to this edition, by Steven Lukes Introduction to the 1984 edition, by Lewis Coser Introduction to this edition, by Steven Lukes Durkheim's Life and Work: Timeline 1858-1917 Suggestions for Further Reading Original Translator's Note The Division of Labour in Society by Emile Durkheim Preface to the First Edition (1893) Preface to the Second Edition (1902) Introduction PART I: THE FUNCTION OF THE DIVISION OF LABOUR 1. The Method of Determining This Function 2. Mechanical Solidarity, or Solidarity by Similarities 3. Solidarity Arising from the Division of Labour, or Organic Solidarity 4. Another Proof of the Preceding Theory 5. The Increasing Preponderance of Organic: Solidarity and its Consequences 6. The Increasing Preponderance of Organic: Solidarity and its Consequences (cont.) 7. Organic Solidarity and Contractual Solidarity PART II: THE CAUSES AND CONDITIONS 8. The Progress of the Division of Labour and of Happiness 9. The Causes 10. Secondary Factors 11. Secondary Factors (cont.) 12. Consequences of the Foregoing PART III: THE ABNORMAL FORMS 13. The Anomic Division of Labour 14. The Forced Division of Labour 15. Another Abnormal Form Conclusion Original Annotated Table of Contents
This article provides an introductory summary to the formulation and application of exponentialrandomgraphmodels for socialnetworks. The possible ties among nodes of a network are regarded as random variables, and assumptions about dependencies among these random tie variables determine the general form of the exponentialrandomgraphmodel for the network. Examples of different dependence assumptions and their associated models are given, including Bernoulli, dyad-independent and Markov randomgraphmodels. The incorporation of actor attributes in social selection models is also reviewed. Newer, more complex dependence assumptions are briefly outlined. Estimation procedures are discussed, including new methods for Monte Carlo maximum likelihood estimation. We foreshadow the discussion taken up in other papers in this special edition: that the homogeneous Markov randomgraphmodels of Frank and Strauss [Frank, O., Strauss, D., 1986. Markov graphs. Journal of the American Statistical Association 81, 832–842] are not appropriate for many observed networks, whereas the new model specifications of Snijders et al. [Snijders, T.A.B., Pattison, P., Robins, G.L., Handock, M. New specifications for exponentialrandomgraphmodels. Sociological Methodology, in press] offer substantial improvement.
In approaching the contents of this book, the reader must not expect to find society or social groups considered as if they consisted of the sum of the individuals composing them. Wherever two or more people are functioning as a social group that group not only consists of those individuals, but, more important perhaps, if that is possible, than the individuals themselves and without which their functioning as a social group cauld not be expressed, are the relations which maintain between them. It is these intangible, imponderable and invisible aspects of the situation which enable the mathematical sum of a certain number of individuals to function as a social group. Dr. Moreno's book might he described briefly as a study of these relations between individuals. Dr. Moreno develops a technique for a process of classification which is calculated, among other things, to bring individuals together who are capable of harmonious inter-personal relationships, and so creating a social group which can function at the maximum efficiency and with the minimum of disruptive tendencies and processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Aims to provide school psychologists, child psychologists, and other mental health professionals working with children with the theoretical and technical basis for designing interventions that enhance relationships between children and teachers. The author draws on research in social development and relationship-systems theory to describe the role of child–adult relationships in the development of social and academic competencies and the potential of child–teacher relationships to promote healthy development. It is explicitly focused on the use of child–teacher relationships as a
preventive intervention and the role of the psychologist as a consultant to the classroom teacher, the school, and the school district. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This investigation examines the extent to which characteristics of the teacher–child relationship (closeness, dependency, and conflict) are predictive of changes in children's peer victimization and aggressive behavior over the course of a school year. Relational and physical forms of victimization and aggression were studied, and changes in peer acceptance and number of friendships were tested as possible mediators. Longitudinal data from 410 fourth- and fifth-grade students (193 boys; 217 girls) and their teachers (N = 25) were analyzed. Whereas dependency on the teacher predicted heightened victimization from peers, a close relationship with the teacher forecasted less physical aggression toward peers. Moreover, decreases in number of friendships partially mediated the link between dependency on the teacher and heightened relational victimization for boys. These findings have implications for understanding the continuing influence of teacher–child relationships on children's social development in late childhood and for identifying interpersonal risk factors associated with involvement in peer harassment.
Teachers' judgments of relational conflict are unique indicators of children's academic and social adjustment. Using a large, hierarchically nested sample of preschoolers (N = 2282) and teachers (N = 597) this study examines the individual and classroom factors associated with teachers' ratings of conflict, both before and after adjusting for problem behaviors ratings. Over half of the variance in teachers' reports of conflict with children was explained by ratings of children's problem behaviors. However, many children had more (or less) conflict than predicted based on teacher-rated problem behavior. Older children were more likely to have conflictual relationships with teachers than expected based on their level of problem behavior. Furthermore, teachers who reported more depression and lower self-efficacy and teachers who were observed to provide less emotional support in the classroom tended to report more conflict with students in their classroom than expected based on levels of problem behaviors.
We used a five-year longitudinal study of children’s teacher-child relationships and social-emotional competence to examine the relative contributions of preschool social-emotional climate and early individual child-teacher relationships and behavior problems in predicting second grade social competence with peers. Three hundred and seven children (152 girls) had complete second grade data on peer social competence. We used the Peer Play Scale to measure the climate of peer social competence in preschool classrooms. We used the Classroom Behavior Inventory to measure behavior problems and the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale to measure child-teacher relationship quality at both the classroom and individual level. Children’s second grade social competence with peers could be predicted by preschool classroom social-emotional climate, four-year-old behavior problems and child-teacher relationship quality, and contemporary child-teacher relationship quality. The particular pattern of these predictors differed by aspect of social competence with peers.
Youth activity involvement has received increasing research and theoretical attention and should be of particular interest to social development investigators. Involvement has been correlated with a wide range of positive developmental indices, although not for all activities nor for all children. However, our ability to interpret such findings has been restricted by measurement and design limitations. Greater attention needs to be given to assessment issues and to determining the unique effects of psychological vs. behavioral engagement, as well as to capturing the dynamic nature of engagement and the moderating role of individual differences. ‘Big picture’ models of the entire engagement process (such as the one presented here) will help identify gaps in our research knowledge and will integrate existing evidence and theory.
The purpose of this study was to test direct, additive, and mediation models involving family, neighborhood, and peer factors in relation to emerging antisocial behavior and social skills. Neighborhood danger, maternal depressive symptoms, and supportive parenting were assessed in early childhood. Peer group acceptance was measured in middle childhood, and data on antisocial behavior and social skills were collected when boys were 11 and 12 years old. Results were consistent with an additive effects model of child antisocial behavior. In contrast, peer relationships were stronger predictors of social skills than were family factors. Support for mediation was found in models involving neighborhood danger and supportive parenting. However, only peer group acceptance predicted change in antisocial and prosocial behavior. Implications for family and peer relations as socialization contexts are discussed.
Age and gender differences in perceived social support from parents, friends, classmates, and teachers were investigated in 304 boys and 351 girls aged 9–18 years. The social support scale for children and adolescents was used for this purpose. Analyses showed that the level of perceived social support from parents and friends was similar across age groups. The study of the prominence of social support sources showed that parents and friends were perceived as equally supportive; only for the ages 16–18 years did friend support exceed parent support. Support from teachers was lower in the older age groups, and this was related to the transition from primary to secondary school. Finally, girls perceived more support from teachers, classmates and friends than boys did.
This review addresses several areas of contemporary research in children's peer relationships during the elementary and middle school years, with primary foci on children's peer acceptance, the ability to make and maintain friendships, and their participation in larger peer networks. Particular attention is given to research examining the major developments and individual differences in each of these components of children's peer relations, how these different aspects of peer functioning relate to one another, and how they contribute to development more generally, including school adjustment and achievement. Finally, it is argued that children's psychosocial development may be best informed by an integration of these somewhat independent research traditions.
Part I. Introduction: Networks, Relations, and Structure: 1. Relations and networks in the social and behavioral sciences 2. Social network data: collection and application Part II. Mathematical Representations of Social Networks: 3. Notation 4. Graphs and matrixes Part III. Structural and Locational Properties: 5. Centrality, prestige, and related actor and group measures 6. Structural balance, clusterability, and transitivity 7. Cohesive subgroups 8. Affiliations, co-memberships, and overlapping subgroups Part IV. Roles and Positions: 9. Structural equivalence 10. Blockmodels 11. Relational algebras 12. Network positions and roles Part V. Dyadic and Triadic Methods: 13. Dyads 14. Triads Part VI. Statistical Dyadic Interaction Models: 15. Statistical analysis of single relational networks 16. Stochastic blockmodels and goodness-of-fit indices Part VII. Epilogue: 17. Future directions.
The goal of this research was to investigate the origins of social networks by examining the formation of children's peer relationships in 11 preschool classes throughout the school year. We investigated whether several fundamental processes of relationship formation were evident at this age, including reciprocity, popularity, and triadic closure effects. We expected these mechanisms to change in importance over time as the network crystallizes, allowing more complex structures to evolve from simpler ones in a process we refer to as structural cascading. We analyzed intensive longitudinal observational data of children's interactions using the SIENA actor-based model. We found evidence that reciprocity, popularity, and triadic closure all shaped the formation of preschool children's networks. The influence of reciprocity remained consistent, whereas popularity and triadic closure became increasingly important over the course of the school year. Interactions between age and endogenous network effects were nonsignificant, suggesting that these network formation processes were not moderated by age in this sample of young children. We discuss the implications of our longitudinal network approach and findings for the study of early network developmental processes.
In this article, we explored the belongingness hypothesis by examining the influence of youths' dyadic attachments and community connectedness on their experiences of loneliness. Fifth and sixth graders (N = 187) reported on their attachments to their mothers, fathers, best friends, and their connectedness to their schools and neighborhoods. Self-reports of global loneliness, loneliness in the school and neighborhood contexts, and emotional and social loneliness were obtained. Youths' dyadic attachment to their best friends was more significant in accounting for their loneliness experiences than their attachments to either parent. Youths' connectedness to their school and neighborhood communities was significantly associated with their experiences of global, social, and neighborhood loneliness. The data suggest that youths' sense of community within their different environmental contexts (i.p,, neighborhood, school) differentially influence their psychological well-being as demonstrated by their associations to loneliness. The importance of creating communities that meet youths needs is discussed. (C) 2001 John I Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Presented a description and initial findings from the Adolescent Pathways Project (APP). There is a dearth of developmentally and ecologically anchored knowledge concerning adolescents, particularly poor and ethnically diverse urban adolescents, other than that they are at greater risk for behavioral, emotional, and educational problems. As a result, our ability to develop and implement grounded prevention programs is severely limited. The APP was intended to fill this knowledge gap. Using an accelerated longitudinal design, the APP examines the developmental trajectories of an ethnically diverse sample of 1,333 black, Latino, and white youth from inner-city public schools in Baltimore, Washington, DC, and New York. It involves four interrelated studies: Youth, Parent, School, and Neighborhood. The project's major aim is to identify the critical psychological, developmental, and ecological factors that facilitate positive as well as negative outcomes. This initial description of the APP presents the overarching ecological-developmental framework and guiding questions, as well as initial findings central to the tenets of community psychology.
Join me in my flux capacitor; it makes time travel possible. Let’s go back just over two decades. Date: May 4-8,1965; Place: Swampscott, Massachusetts; Event: the Conference on Education of Psychologists for Community Mental Health.
This paper describes an ecological model of the behavior of social entities in a property space defined by sociodemographic dimensions. The model departs from the standard population ecology model in that it measures dimensions of the niche space, and assembles populations into a community. In this model, the time and energy of human individuals are the resource consumed by the social entities. While the model was originally developed for voluntary organizations, the paper argues that this model can be applied to a very wide variety of social phenomena, including firms, groups, associations, events, cultural artifacts, markets, social circles, collectivities, occupations, social movements, roles, identities, attitudes, beliefs, lifestyles, institutions, meanings, human cognitive structure, disease and other socially transmissible quantities. The paper concludes with some speculations based loosely on the model. Copyright 2004, Oxford University Press.
The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design Recent advances in research on the ecology of human develop-ment Development as action in context: Problem behavior and normal youth development Ecology of the family as a context for human development: Research perspectives
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School-home notes: Promoting children's classroom success
- M L Kelley
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An introduction to exponential random graph models for social networks Future directions in youth involvement research Fundamental principles of network formation among preschool children
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