Correct Answer - Option 2 : School
Urie Bronfenbrenner (1979) has proposed one of the most influential theories explaining the role of context in our development. His theory is known as “Ecological System Theory”.
- The ecological system theory proposed that human development is influenced by many socio-cultural or environmental forces.
- He has envisioned the environment consisting of five structures namely, microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem.
Let's understand all 5 ecological system in sequential order:
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Microsystem: This is the immediate environmental structure where an individual has direct interaction with their significant others such as parents, siblings, teachers, and peers. According to Bronfenbrenner, in this system, the relationship between individual and significant others is bidirectional.
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Mesosystem: This is the second level structure of this model. This level is comprised of connections between microsystems. For example, how parents of a child relate to the teachers or how parents treat their child’s friends affects a child’s behavior.
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Exosystem: It includes those social contexts on which a developing individual has no control such as parent’s transfer, work schedule, availability of maternity, paternity leave, or availability of hospital.
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Macrosystem: It includes cultural values, customs, and laws. It is the outermost level and does not have a specific context.
- A mother, her workplace, her child, and the child’s school are part of a larger cultural setting.
- For example, the macro system in India includes the ideology of democracy and individual freedom which affect the growth of the child as a responsible citizen.
- The macrosystem evolves and each posterity may develop in a unique macro system.
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Chronosystem: The term ‘Chrono’ refers to time. According to Bronfenbrenner, it is a temporary level; it changes quickly and refers to any socio-historical events such as war or economic condition of the country.
Hence, we can conclude that the school does not belong to the Macrosystem of the child.
