Meso-system influences - Essay Example

Meso-system influence (College) Meso-system influence Meso-system influences on the school are based on its connection with other ecosystems. In fact, schools and teachers have a great role to play in the socialization of children. According to statistics, children spend about 180 days at school in a year, and the number of years they spend at school is about 12. Thus, the curriculum and other extracurricular activities adopted by the school determine what experiences the students will have. In other words, the schools play a role in deciding what culture is to be transmitted.

By exposing a child to various experiences, both directly and indirectly, the school plays a great role in the development of a child. For example, a school that provides its students movies on various countries is providing the children great exposure to the outside world, thus enhancing mental development. Similarly, the role of family in the socialization of children has been acknowledged by social scientists. In fact, socialization of children starts in the family, and what schools provide is the continuation of this.

Supporting this point, studies have shown that when schools and families work collectively, students perform much better in their studies and in future life. In addition, it has become evident from studies that the school achievement of a child is determined, to a great extent, by a family environment that encourages and values learning, and the involvement of family in the education. In addition, it has become evident that children from ethnic groups and low economic status fair poorly in studies and socialization.

In other words, as Paquette and Ryan opine, the effectiveness of socialization at school is, to a great extent, dependent on the family background too. The connection between school and media cannot be neglected. For example, almost all schools utilize media either in their classrooms or outside classroom. For example, many teachers suggest the use of various television and radio programs to supplement studies. In addition, it is common for teachers to suggest students to utilize online resources.

The link between schools and communities is strong. For example, the laws and decisions passed by the local community may decide how a school should function. In addition, studies have proved that small communities possess small schools and large communities have large schools. In addition, there is the finding that students in small schools enjoy more participation in curricular and extracurricular activities, and thus more socialization. On the other hand, students in large schools get less chances of socialization as there is more competition.

Thus, as Berns (2006, p. 248) points out, it becomes evident that the size and nature of community can directly and indirectly influence children’s learning and socialization. In addition, a particular community may have a specific culture that is reflected in the school. In total, it becomes evident that it is time for schools to consider each child as an independent individual with specific needs of learning and socialization. In addition, schools should start assessing the learning styles of each student and empower them accordingly.

References Berns, R. (2006). Child, family, school, community: socialization and support. Edition 7, Canada: Cengage Learning. Paquette, D & Ryan,J. “Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory”. Retrieved from http://pt3.nl.edu/paquetteryanwebquest.pdf