Educational Psychology

Question: Discuss about the Educational Psychology. Answer: Bronfenbrenners Bioecological Model of Development discusses the influences of the environment during the various phases of a child's growth and how each influence shapes the personality of child along the growth curve. Joseph Schooling's is an example of how good parenting, selection of the right schools and coaches during his formative years helped him achieve the goal of sporting excellence. It is important to note that the right genetic makeup may help the child to achieve brilliance and the careful choice of the various components of the environment help the gifted reach their goals with greater success. Bronfenbrenner described four components of child's ecological environment- the microsystem, the mesosystem, the exosystem and the macrosystem. The microsystem refers to the immediate layer or environment of the child's ecosystem. Family members, school, neighbourhood and the day care comprise the child's microsystem. The child interacts with people in this system on an everyday basis. But the influences are bi-directional in nature. Just as the parents influence the child's beliefs and thinking, the child also influences the beliefs of the parents. In an interview with Joseph Schoolings parents said that no matter how good an environment parents provide to the child, success ensues only if the child is focussed and that they were fortunate that their remained focussed throughout his journey to become an Olympic champion. The choice of the school that Joseph Schoolings' parents made when he was just 14 years of age played a great role in shaping the sports career of the accomplished swimmer. The Bolles School was chosen for him because it served the twin goals of facilitating his training as a swimmer and academics (Association, March 30, 2015). Joseph was able to make the most of the opportunity because he was a resilient kid. It was not an easy path for him because he struggled in the beginning since he was far from his home, school and friends in Singapore. It amounted to a sudden change in his microsystem (360, January 30, 2014). His parents did not protect him from the challenges he faced but were supportive of him. Another point that stands out is that Joseph's parents advised him to adhere to formal education. His move from school to Texas University was one such move. Joseph admits that a career in swimming is rather short and the education he receives will offer him opportunities much beyond his years in swimming. The mesosystem, according to Brofenbrenner encompasses the interactions between the components of the microsystem, for example, the interaction between parents and teachers. The careful choice of coaches in case of Joseph Schooling points to such an interaction (Bronfenbrenner, 1986). According to Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model of development the next layer that impacts a child's development is the exosystem. How the environment is perceived by an individual has immense impact on the way it affects the development of a person. The child does not directly function as part of the exosystem. The working schedule of a parent is not a prt of the child's ecosystem, but it does affect the child's development. cultural values, traditions, customs and laws form part of the macrosystem in which the child lives. Indirectly it affects the child's ecology and has an impact on shaping of a child's development. The components of the macrosystem can affect the microsystem in which the child's parents interact with her. he influence of Genetics on the superlative performance by Joseph Schooling cannot be undermined (Ahmetov Rogozkin, 2009). He has also acknowledged his parents for their unfailing support throughout the journey that saw him win the first Olympic gold medal for Singapore. Their role as motivators, providers and their readiness to make several sacrifices during his career have been important cornerstones of Joseph's success (Sin Li, 2017). They identified his talent as early as age 6 and nurtured his gift in the run-up to long and tedious journey that saw him beat Michael Phelps, a role model he had always admired. In Joseph Schooling's case the manner in which his natural talent was nurtured from very young age played a crucial role in his success. His immediate microenvironment was altered by sending him to the United States at an early age. It appears less likely that he would have achieved similar levels of success had he been trained in Singapore. The move enabled him to face world level competition frequently from a young age. World class trainers and coaches were able to help him lift his ability to the top echelons of the sport of swimming (Joseph Baker, et al., 2003). Even with the same levels of discipline, grit, motivation and focus his success on training on the home turf may not have materialised. So, nurture did play an important part in his success story. In conclusion, the four systems of Bronfenbrenner bioecological model of development do appear to influence the development of an individual through childhood and youth. The microsystem, mesosystem, the exosystem and the macrosystem appear to play an important role in who one grows up to become. The influence of the surrounding environment on a child is immense. The impact of the family, school, neighbourhood and the child care on the child cannot be small, since the child constantly interacts, communicates and learns in this environment. The shaping of Joseph Schooling's sports career on an international stage the inputs made to his microsystem appear to have yielded the enormous success in his sporting career. The role of his parents s mentors was indeed phenomenal. References 360, H., January 30, 2014. The Schooling Family talks to SuperSports 360 on fine art of parenting a top athlete. [Online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkhaHYfe5fs Ahmetov, I. Rogozkin, V., 2009. Genes, athlete status and training -- An overview.. Medicine and Sports Science, Volume 54, pp. 43-71. Association, S. S., March 30, 2015. Joseph Schooling's Development at The Bolles School. [Online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzt6ckNC0y0 [Accessed 11 February 2017]. Bronfenbrenner, U., 1986. Ecology of the Family as a Context for Human Development: Research Perspectives. Developmental Psychology, 22(6), pp. 723-742. Joseph Baker, ?. S. H. J. R.-W. a. M. W. B. J., Horton, S., Robertson-Wilson, J. Wall, M., 2003. Nurturing Sport Expertise: Factors Influencing the Development of Elite Athlete. Journl of Sports Science and Medicine, 2(1), p. 19.. Sin, Y. Li, T., 2017. ST Singaporean of the Year 2016: Joseph Schooling pays tribute to parents after trio win award. The Straits Times, 7 February.