Introduction
Many factors will have an impact and influence on the child’s successful transition from primary to secondary school. This chapter will make use of Bronfenbrenner’s (1994) theory of human development and will thus examine a number of ‘social factors’ identified by the ESRI (2004) as having an impact and influence on the transition between the two educational levels.
Brooker (2008, p.5) refers to Bronfenbrenner as “the ‘father’ of transitions studies.” Bronfenbrenner’s (1994) ecological theory places the individual at the centre of development which is reflected by the “influence of several environmental systems” (Santrock, 2008, p.24). His theory is underpinned by the inherent social nature of people and the link between the various environmental systems. He has defined the ecology of human development as the study of “progressive, mutual accommodation, throughout the life span, between a growing human organism and the changing immediate environment in which it lives” (Bronfenbrenner, 1977, p. 519).
Bronfenbrenner’s systems form an interconnected framework through which the concept of human development is …show more content…
As a child develops socially they will form connections between micro-systems and other contexts, such as the relationship between family and school. Bronfenbrenner (1994) thus theorised the concepts of a meso-system and exo-system of ecological development. These two stages of development present us with the child at the centre of the learning. The systems of ecological development around them will have distinct relationships which will impact and influence the children. These links will not only influence the child as they transition but also as they develop as a