This is the first ever introduction to Urie Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Framework written specifically for undergraduate students. The author provides a carefully structured, guided introduction to Bronfenbrenner's concepts, their interpretation, and their potential applications. Bronfenbrenner's scientific analysis of the role the environment plays in human development earned him a premier place alongside Jean Piaget, Sigmund Freud, and Erik Erikson as a contributor to our understanding of developmental processes. His ideas are essential for analysing how development happens, how it goes astray, how to right it when it does, and how to create environments that will promote healthy development.

The Bronfenbrenner Primer walks students through each component of the framework in a logical order, helping students build a solid, systematic understanding. It describes the background and context that led Bronfenbrenner to develop his framework, illustrates a wide array of potential applications, and provides activities students can do to practice applying the framework to their own experience. Honed over 25 years of teaching Bronfenbrenner's ideas, this text will be essential reading for students across the behavioral and social sciences.

About the Author
Lawrence G. Shelton is a Developmental Psychologist who has taught in the Human Development and Family Studies Program at the University of Vermont since 1971.

Reviews

"Few scientists have had as profound an impact on the study of human development as Urie Bronfenbrenner. This textbook does a terrific job of explaining Bronfenbrenner's most important ideas in a way that will help students really understand them and apply them to their own research. I recommend it highly." - Laurence Steinberg, Temple University, USA

"Lawrence Shelton has done a great service for generations of students to come by offering a comprehensive presentation of Urie Bronfenbrenner's approach to the ecology of human development. Shelton's book is clear, detailed, rich in its real world connections, and 'keeps faith' with Urie's vision of how to study and understand the complex processes by which the biological organism becomes the human person. As someone who knew Urie well I am pleased to see this important effort to keep his intellectual legacy alive and vibrant." - James Garbarino, Loyola University Chicago, USA

"Researchers and practitioners often use Bronfenbrenner's theory as a guiding framework for examining individual development within the context of a larger ecosystem. Thus, having an accurate understanding of his theoretical model is critical to improving the lives of children and families. Shelton reminds us of the importance of Bronfenbrenner's theoretical framework by offering a well-written primer that appropriately targets undergraduate students. Incorporating his book in the undergraduate human development curriculum would help students appreciate and understand the fundamentals of his framework in their undergraduate coursework and beyond." - Lauren E. Altenburger & Polina Soldatova, Journal of Family Theory and Review

Book Information
ISBN 9781138037168
Author Lawrence Shelton
Format Paperback
Page Count 150
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 200g