ABSTRACT
Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological theory, a contextualist perspective, views child development as influenced by multiple environmental systems in which a child belongs and the ways s/he interacts between and within the interrelated contexts (microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem) over time. This chapter outlines a historical overview of Bronfenbrenner’s theory and how it has evolved and been applied as a theoretical lens for research concerning child development. Second, the critical concepts and characteristics of the theory of process-person-context-time (PPCT) model are reviewed. Then, the PPCT model is situated within the adapted physical education (APE) literature to elucidate the theoretical accounts on the issues of, and pedagogical practices regarding, the learning and development of children with disabilities in physical education. Finally, we suggest ways to incorporate the elements of the PPCT in APE research.
