Ecological Approach To Bullying
The bullying is an educational problem but also social. Therefore, it is necessary to take action based on an ecological approach against bullying .
In this sense, all environments in which children grow and develop must be involved, as each context can contribute with its grain of sand to solve the problem of violence at school.
The right to solve the problem of bullying
According to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CDN), approved by the General Assembly of the United Nations on November 20, 1989, children have a series of rights that States must guarantee.
One of these rights, defined in article 19 of the CDN, is the preservation of physical and personal integrity and protection against all forms of violence and ill-treatment.
Thus, one of the places where children must be protected is educational environments, since there are many students exposed to violence at school. This cannot be tolerated, and everything possible must be done to avoid this situation by providing quality education in a safe and welcoming environment.
Indeed, the education system is uniquely positioned to solve the problem of bullying , as it can provide students and their families with the knowledge and skills needed to communicate, negotiate and resolve conflicts in a constructive and positive way.
The ecological approach against bullying
To deal with bullying , Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory must be taken into account. This theory describes human development as the interaction between biological qualities and relationships with different environmental contexts. Thus, she defends the existence of five different systems:
- Microsystem.
- Mesosystem.
- Exosystem.
- Macrosystem.
- Chronosystem.
These systems can be applied to children’s lives as described below.
Ecological approach against bullying : interaction systems for children
Microsystem
It refers to the child’s closest and most immediate context. It is basically composed of the family as the closest context. But it also includes the school (classroom, teachers and peers) and friendship groups.
Mesosystem
It is the relationship established between the systems most immediate or closest to the child, such as, for example, the family environment with the educational context. And, also, the connection between these two environments with the social and health context.
Exosystem
It encompasses the social contexts with which the child has a psychological but not a physical relationship. In the case of the bullying phenomenon , both the laws that defend Human Rights and the media that echo the serious problem of bullying promote the development of children.
Macrosystem
It refers to the cultural beliefs, political ideology, religion, etc., with which the child is related. In some cases, they are often a reason for discrimination and bullying .
Chronosystem
It is the historical context in which the life of a society as a whole unfolds. Therefore, it refers to the culture in which the child grows and develops.
The importance of the ecological approach against bullying
It is important that an ecological approach against bullying is taken, since, if these environmental systems collaborate in the preventive intervention of bullying , a greater effectiveness of the measures taken can be guaranteed.
Therefore, schools that apply strategies against bullying must follow an education model that facilitates interaction between the different contexts in which students develop.
