ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model of human development provided a focus on nested layers of influence that impact on a child's learning and development, including both proximal and distal contexts. It outlines how the model evolved over time to provide a greater emphasis on proximal processes, interactions that take place on a regular basis and over extended periods of time. Looking at a late phase of the evolution of Bronfenbrenner's theory, the chapter focuses on the process–person–context–time (PPCT) structure and the implications of PPCT factors for early years learning and development. The chapter elaborates on the chronosystem, detailing some of the subsystems associated with this level of context – macrotime, mesotime and microtime. Bronfenbrenner emphasised three kinds of characteristics of the developing child: active behavioural characteristics/dispositions, resource characteristics and demand characteristics. The 'version' of an ecological model of human development conceived of development of the individual within the environment characterised as four systems: microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem and macrosystem.
