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Question: Alicia is a 6-year-old girl in Grade 1 in a public Primary School near Pinetown. Her parents are originally from Mozambique, her mother fled from Mozambique due to the physical abuse from Alicia’s father and came to South Africa last year in search of a better life for her children. Alicia lives in an informal settlement with her mother and 2 younger brothers. Her mother hand weaves mats and sells them by the roadside, Alicia helps her after school and during weekends. She has not found work yet and use the little money she gets from selling mats to support her children. Alicia speaks Swahili and Portuguese at home and does not understand any of the South African languages. The school that Alicia attends uses IsiZulu as a language of instruction and she does not understand the teacher due to the language barrier. Alicia’s birth card indicate that she was born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) a condition that results from alcohol exposure during the mother’s pregnancy. Her teacher tries her best to accommodate her by relying on demonstrations when instructing her to do tasks, it is however, still difficult for Alicia to comprehend and her teacher suspects that Alicia’s academic challenges are not only a result of the language barrier. She seems to lack concentration in class and appears to be in a world of her own. She also struggles to interact and engage with other learners in her class. Her teacher has noted that she is usually tired in the mornings and lacks energy, her energy levels seem to improve after break when she has eaten a meal provided by the school. Her teacher called her mother for a meeting to address Alicia’s academic challenges, her mother came to school intoxicated and communication between her and Alicia’s teacher was difficult. She did demonstrate that the teacher must hit Alicia if she gives her any trouble. Despite Alicia’s academic challenges her teacher has noted that she is very artistic and enjoys drawing, singing, and dancing. How is this theory applicable to Alicia's case. Bronfenbrenner's Ecological system theory
Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory suggests that child development is influenced by various interconnected systems that surround them. Here's how these systems might be related to Alicia's case: 1. Microsystem: This is the closest layer to the child, and contains the structures with which the child has direct contact. This includes family, school, neighborhood, or childcare environments. Alicia's microsystem includes her supportive teacher, her abusive and alcoholic mother, her younger brothers, her school, and her local community in her informal settlement. Her interactions with these entities are impacting her personal growth and emotional well-being. 2. Mesosystem: This layer represents the interrelations among two or more settings in which the developing person actively participates. In Alicia's case, this includes the dynamic relationship between her school and her home. Her difficulty in understanding the language used at school and the absence of educational support at home are key issues. 3. Exosystem: This involves links between a social setting in which the individual does not have an active role and the individual's immediate context. Alicia's mother's struggle to find work and the socio-economic condition of the settlement in which they live is impacting Alicia's life and her mother's ability to provide her with adequate care. 4. Macrosystem: This refers to the broad system of cultural values, economic conditions, and other societal-level factors. The larger social and economic issues of immigration, poverty, language-barrier, racial or cultural dynamics, and societal views on alcoholism and abuse affect Alicia and her family significantly. 5. Chronosystem: This refers to the patterning of environmental events and transitions over the life course as well as sociohistorical events. Alicia's life events such as moving to South Africa, starting schooling in a language she doesn't understand, and the physical and mental condition inherited from her mother's alcohol abuse during pregnancy are part of her chronosystem. In applying Bronfenbrenner's theory to Alicia’s case, it's evident that Alicia's developmental challenges are not just individual issues, but a complex interplay of multiple factors at different levels of her environment. Addressing her needs would require multi-level interventions.
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