An Ecological Framework for Conceptualizing Educational Risk

Abstract

Contemporary approaches to educational risk have been criticized because of their (a) lack of attention to student-environment interaction and (b) focus on populations at risk as opposed to individuals at risk. Ecological theory is presented as a conceptual orientation to educational risk that confronts both of these criticisms. Specifically, Bronfenbrenner's ecological network consisting offour nested interactive systems is adapted to educational risk. Educational risk is thus understood as discordant child-environment interaction that may occur in the classroom (microrisk), in the home (mesorisk), in the community (exorisk) and/or in the larger society (macrorisk). Conceptualizing educational risk as potentially occurring in each of these four ecosystems allows for organization of existing thought and praxis and also broadens the scope of viable intervention strategies.