Sociology Assignment: Social Work Practice With Children & Young People

Question

Task: Details of sociology assignment task: • Students will apply the 5 aspects of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems framework (micro, meso, exo, macro, chrono) to a case study analyis of River Smythe.
In order to undertake this case study analysis, the focus of this assessment task is to:
o Identify ONE relevant aspect of each level of River’s ecological system (microsystem, mesosytem, exosystem, macrosystem, chronosystem) relevant to his current situation

o Critically discuss each of your five chosen aspects through an engagement with relevant peer-reviewed literature, to demonstrate evidence-informed analysis of River’s current situation (a minimum of TWO different articles per ecological system level). • This written piece provides you with an opportunity to engage with relevant peer-reviewed journal articles/book chapters, and where relevant other evidence-based literature such as industry-based reports, in your critical analysis of River’s ecological systems framework.
• Students will identify a relevant aspect of each level of the ecological framework, which they think allows them to engage meaningfully with credible peer-reviewed literature, and contribute to developing evidence-informed insights about River’s current situation.
• PLEASE NOTE that the case study has been specifically developed to provide multiple relevant aspects for each level of the ecological framework. Different students might choose different examples.
• Students should draw upon at least 2 peer-reviewed journal articles or book chapters in relevant textbooks to show engagement with theoretical/evidence-based research literature at each of the five levels on your ecological framework. Students will therefore need to include at least 10 references in their reference list.

• The following core reading has been chosen to inform the development of this assessment task:
Paat, Y. (2013) “Working with immigrant children and their families: An application of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory” Journal of Human Behaviour in the Social Environment (23), 954-966.

Answer

Case study relevant to particular micro-system taken in the sociology assignment
River Smythe acquired delinquent behavior from his close peer group at school. The alcoholic, drug and stealing behavior of the peer group influenced his quiet and calm nature according to group behavior. Hanging around with such peer mates made him perform troublesome acts like carrying knife in pocket and pulled on another kid. He has a disturbed childhood with fragmented family structure. Detachment from father and single stay with mother has affected him. The inclusion of a new family member in the form of his mother’s boyfriend is disapproving of River. However, he somehow puts up with the changing situation (Onoyase&Ebenuwa-Okoh, 2018). Irving, his mother’s boyfriend is perceived to not like him or his behavior and his interest towards art. This tends to affect his mind he finds his mother happier but change of family structure or orientation makes him take the pressure and balance the situation somehow.

Analysis of system level aspect with evidence-based literature
Onoyase, A., &Ebenuwa-Okoh, E. E. (2018). Relationship among Adolescents’ Characteristics, Peer Group Influence and Anti-Social Behaviour. Journal of educational and social research, 8(3), 9. https://www.mcser.org/journal/index.php/jesr/article/view/10312

Relationship between adolescents and their peer groups are often strongly correlated with antis-social behavior. This research paper indicates study results where 596 students from adolescent age groups were assessed on extent of influence from peer groups. A high significance rate of 0.68 is found to indicate physical characteristic similarity index due to strong influence created to develop such anti-social traits. With intellectual characters, the regression statistical data shows socio-emotional through peer influences (Onoyase&Ebenuwa-Okoh, 2018). The peers with strong anti-social behavior create influence for other students to indulge in such group compliance activities. When the findings generated from this research paper correlate with the given context of case study, there is strong relationship understood as similarity. With the experiences that River Smythe went through, this research paper definitely correlates. River’s peer group influence with Jock and Billy also influenced him to use a knife and threaten other mates from class. The trait of delinquency developed in River despite his docile and calm character, which is statistically proven in this research paper as well.

Chan, T. Y., Chen, Y., Pierce, L., & Snow, D. (2020). The Influence of Peers in Worker Misconduct: Evidence From Restaurant Theft. Manufacturing & Service Operations Management. https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/abs/10.1287/msom.2019.0848

Behavioral misconduct out of peer influence leading to theft in a restaurant is the premise of research finding for the particular research paper selected. The behavior among children and young individuals often get shaped by their surrounding close relationships like parents and peer groups. When co-worker influence is as strong as productive to deliver misconducts like theft, the transfer learning is adapted by others to show similar behavior (Chan et al. 2020). Data from restaurants show 76% of increase in theft from delinquent peer group. These finds substantiate the understanding the fact that is related with River’s case study relation. With peer compliance relationship the negative influence is shown with positive correlation.

Conclusion
The microecosystem theory is well evident from the close and strong interrelationship of River Smythe with his peer group. This reflects how the peer group is able to possibly establish a strong impact upon the children or young adolescents (Chan et al. 2020). When the two research papers with instance of theft as misconduct led by peer influence upon children is revealed and anti-social behavior is reflected through that research paper indicates strong influence, the case of River is related with. This shows how he also developed misconduct activities under peer influence. Keeping knife in hand and applying on other mates is learned from other peer influences.

Case study relevant to particular Chronosystem
Looking analytically upon River Smythe’s enrolment history, the personal record indicated his age to be 15 instead of 10 years. He is found to belong from a broken family where the structure and orientation of parental guidance has been disproportionate. This acts in alignment and cause for the delinquent nature in his behavior and easy influence to acquire such anti-social troublesome behavior coming in contact with similar peer group behavioral compliance (Ottosson, 2016). The single parent broken family structure of River shows prominent link with his current behavioral manifestation. He lived with his mother and father left them and does not stay with them. With an unknown address as listed for River’s father. River made association of self identity with Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. They lived in high rise housing estate in the local city. River’s mother’s relationship with her boyfriend has led them to shift from Queensland to new housing estate in the city which impacted as a Chronosystem element.

Analysis of system level aspect with evidence-based literature 250
Ottosson, Å. (2016). “Don't Rubbish Our Town”:“AntiSocialBehaviour” and IndigenousSettler Forms of Belonging in Alice Springs, Central Australia. City & Society, 28(2), 152-173. https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ciso.12078
The above research paper indicates how Australian racial community discrepancy between indigenous and non-indigenous groups in experiences from childhood leading to inequality. It shows that deprivation of rights for the indigenous groups eventually make them direct towards anti-social behaviors. As differences in state of belongingness are resulting divergence and convergence between indigenous and non-indigenous groups, the variation in shared values and beliefs exist (Ottosson, 2016). This research paper truly brings out the children’s life experiences to be distinguished due to community and racist mental belief. The case of River Smythe shows coherent relationship with the research results. The racial discrimination is felt by River on attending the new school. This discriminated the societal beliefs, behaviors and values, but converged and collectively combined the racial internal community members. Similarly, River formed peer group with Jock and Billy despite their anti-social behavior traits due to solely similarity in racial indigenous group.

Barrett, E. (2017). The wellbeing of Aboriginal children who attend a'two-way'independent separatist school in remote Australia: a post-colonial case study.
https://researchdirect.westernsydney.edu.au/islandora/object/uws:49905/ From the research paper it indicates how Aboriginal children attend schools in Australia. This culture based struggle brings the strong sense of independence, proving their existence and rights secured with equality as non Aboriginal community culture in Australia are born from within. This typically shows how their mindsets are rigidly formulated through the learning process. This relates intrinsically with the battle that River’s case study represents of their fight (Barrett, 2017). The racial statements proposed at classroom by non-Aboriginal community students directly targets the Aboriginal group and looks down upon them. This shows how wellbeing of the children at school is at stake and a responsible and better disciplinary action from school’s management end needs to be taken. From this research paper educational priority and equality maintained across school leads to advantage and disadvantage indicate the wellbeing condition assured for the children. The poor state of wellbeing is clear from the research on 200 children in school indicated from this study which also supports the case seen in River Smythe’s case.

Conclusion
The research papers used have a converging substantiating impact to make the understanding of racial and community feeling through Aboriginal children experiences. The case of River Smythe in getting suffered and bullied due to the community origin of Aboriginal race is signified in the research backgrounds. Each of the papers studied and findings generated show a positive correlation between the Indigenous community racial backgrounds of children and the struggles in schools, education and equality of rights faced by them. River’s case is a strong evidence to prove that indigenous communities show cohesive bonds as he did with Jock and Billy irrespective of anti-social behavior conducts like theft acquired. Unity among community group strengthens and division between community beliefs widen.

Case study relevant to particular Mesosystem
River Smythe is one of those kids who have been suffering from broken family structure. The quiet and calm nature is brought to wrong influence of peers. A non-familial situation was introduced to him by shifting to city school at the age of 15 years (Maughan, Rowe & Murray, 2017). The surrounding environment has strong influence of boisterous, troublesome and delinquent trait possessing peers and mates’ group. In order to save him from getting bullied at new school environment, making friendship and grouping up with the powerful and hard hitting boys of the school was the decision made by River Smythe. The other peers could not make fun or bother him as a new comer, yet he fell into the behavioral persuasion of Billy Maxwell and Jock Duarte. He acquired the similar rebellious behavior, kept knife, threatened other kids and voiced out with anger outburst when Indigenous or Aboriginal groups were looked down and stated as advantage seeking societal cluster. This led them River to become rebel against racist statement by responding in violent manner. Analysis of system level aspect with evidence-based literature Maughan, B., Rowe, R., & Murray, J. (2017). Family poverty and structure. The Wiley Handbook of Disruptive and Impulse-Control Disorders. John Wiley and Sons, 257-274. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/9781119092254#page=266

From this chapter of “The Wiley Handbook of Disruptive and Impulse-Control Disorders”, it becomes clear that family state of poverty and the structural orientation is one big cause for shaping children’s behavior throughout community. This shows socio-demographic background determines the antisocial behavioral inclination derived and developed within a child (Maughan, Rowe & Murray, 2017). A stable and affluent family raises a child with balanced upbringing where needs to steal, conduct theft and other acts like shoplifting and threatening mates are irrelevant. When the family background, economic status defines their education, values and concern or care shown, children’s behaviors change.

Piang, T. B., Osman, Z. J., &Mahadir, N. B. (2017). Structure or relationship Rethinking family influences on juvenile delinquency in Malaysia. Asia-Pacific Social Science Review, 17(2), 171-184. http://apssr.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/1_Piang-revised-112317-1.pdf

A family structure defines the mental peace, wellbeing and harmonious balance in upbringing of any child. However, when children experience broken family structure the contribution towards delinquency automatically rises in young individuals. A sample of 196 juveniles was assessed in rehabilitation who were suffered of broken family structure and eventually became juvenile delinquents. This research study corroborates with River Smythe’s experience when his father left them and he was brought up by his mother (Piang, Osman &Mahadir, 2017). The new boyfriend of his mother disapproving his talents and disliking him prominently makes him withdrawn from home and new school settings drives him towards delinquent behavior under peer influence. The data from research paper helps to substantiate River’s case when it suggests of a significant number of juveniles subjected to broken families have eventually turned to juvenile delinquents.

Conclusion
The above two research paper and book’s chapter helps in understanding about children’s direction to grow delinquent traits are associated with family structure, broken home and poverty and socio-demographic backgrounds. River’s case gets justified when significant cases of broken family structures are found to be the cause of delinquency in children as research proven data. River’s personal experience is also evidence of similar family structure background for him to show such change if behavior (Piang, Osman &Mahadir, 2017). This shows how his mother’s boyfriend’s inclusion in family and absence of father kept a significant mark to rent his mind towards delinquent ideas.

Case study relevant to particular exosystem
On analyzing and discussing with River Smythe it was found that his family and parental orientation has deprived his upbringing. His mother’s work, going out for office with her boyfriend, Irving and entrapping him to this undesired environment has led to unbearable pain. Asking about his Nan, River stated that she has been sent away. The only positive and likable association in the house was taken away from him to leave him alone (MUTAKWASUKU, 2018). This has led him to only strike friendship with Billy and Jock. It is due to the anger of Irving that she went back to her church. He also states that he has been restricted of visiting church as children are claimed to get abused in the churches. He started believing that Billy and Jock are his supporters and believed that he is talented. Analysis of system level aspect with evidence-based literature MUTAKWASUKU, Y. (2018). Family Conflicts, Trauma and Ignorance: The Barrier of Social Protection in Muhanga District: Case study of Bureau Social de Developpement de Muhanga (Doctoral dissertation, University of Rwanda). http://dr.ur.ac.rw/handle/123456789/750

For a child to get a stable and growing environment throughout their childhood, the parents are prime responsible members. Any kind of misconduct, conflict in family orientation and parental relationship troubles has significant interfering impacts upon child. This research shows data from 20 respondents as children to experience social barrier and coping problems as a result of trauma faced from family conflicts and disruptive relationship ties. Ignorance and conflicting experiences faced in childhood made the situation worse for children to encounter barriers in social spheres in dealing with life (MUTAKWASUKU, 2018).

Rozah, U. (2017). The Parental Responsibility Concept in Replacing Criminal Responsibility of Child to Parent (The Study of Indonesian Tribes Culture in Lampung and Aga Balinese Tribes). Diponegoro Law Review, 2(2), 342-348. https://ejournal.undip.ac.id/index.php/dlr/article/view/18171/12752

Parental responsibility towards children’s drive to criminality through their conducts practiced at home is evident enough. This shows that crimes are legal penalized no matter what age it is performed at. When juveniles are driven towards criminal activities, a significant amount of liability is dependent upon their parents (Rozah, 2017). The ignorance, lack of care, poverty or broken structure and daily conflicts in family internal ties are reasons that parents need to reflect before accusing the child.

Conclusion
The two research areas chosen put together the idea how children’s behavior and mentality depend upon their parents. A significant amount of care responsibility and liability has to be taken by parents for the family structure and orientation they are providing their children for the person they are becoming. Hence, when children out of misjudgment and lack of maturity take up wrong behaviors and decisions a significant responsibility share needs to be taken by the parents of such children forming the cause for such consequence.

Case study relevant to particular macro system
The attachment that River Smythe developed with Aunty Lois as his nan was disrupted with the strong imposition and anger of Irving who is his mother’s boyfriend. The Aboriginal and Indigenous community connection that River Smythe has established with his nan was the snatched away from him during his childhood. Stolen Generation family is where he feels he belongs from. It is due to the sudden and devastating shock he received from the accident that killed River’s nan and his sister Kiara that River developed the feeling of joining with Jock and Billy when they gave him company in the new school environment and he got the lost connection with Aboriginal or Indigenous group of community feeling (Tatnell et al. 2017).

Analysis of system level aspect with evidence-based literature
Tatnell, R., Hasking, P., Newman, L., Taffe, J., & Martin, G. (2017). Attachment, emotion regulation, childhood abuse and assault: examining predictors of NSSI among adolescents. Archives of suicide research, 21(4), 610-620. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13811118.2016.1246267 Child’s experiences gathered from family, close bonds and attachment figures are relationship trust areas that he or she develops. In case of intense deprivation from the attachment figures, the areas of emotion and dependence get impacted severely. If the child undergoes abuses, the psychological state deteriorates. From this research result strong correlation is indicated between negative emotional impacts created when attachment figures are associated with abusive conducts with the children. This helps to justify the River Smythe’s case when he was disapproved and disliked by his mother’s boyfriend Irving (Tatnell et al. 2017).

Baryshnikov, I., Joffe, G., Koivisto, M., Melartin, T., Aaltonen, K., Suominen, K., ... &Isometsä, E. (2017). Relationships between self-reported childhood traumatic experiences, attachment style, neuroticism and features of borderline personality disorders in patients with mood disorders. Journal of affective disorders, 210, 82-89. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165032716311879

Children develop traumatic or favorable experiences from their attachment relationships. When the close relationship bonds are disrupted, destroyed or snatched away, the children get traumatized and mood or other symptoms of difference in normal behavior appear in the child. There is moderately strong correlation established between childhood trauma experience and the attachment anxieties (Baryshnikov et al. 2017). When River established close relationship bonds with two attachment figures of his nan and his sister, it indicated how their departures through accident from his life has indicated severe mental trauma.

Conclusion
These two above research papers have integrated the understanding that childhood trauma results interference with attachment relationships in children. River’s negative relationship results to be separated from his nan, sister and father have impacted his childhood effectually. the research papers on attachment relationships and emotions impacted through ignorant behaviors have supported River’s case understanding. This shows how River has undergone mental traumatic experiences and difficult to perform in social life after his attachment relationships are impacted heavily.

References
Barrett, E. (2017). The wellbeing of Aboriginal children who attend a'two-way'independent separatist school in remote Australia: a post-colonial case study. https://researchdirect.westernsydney.edu.au/islandora/object/uws:49905/

Chan, T. Y., Chen, Y., Pierce, L., & Snow, D. (2020). The Influence of Peers in Worker Misconduct: Evidence From Restaurant Theft. Sociology assignmentManufacturing & Service Operations Management. https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/abs/10.1287/msom.2019.0848 Maughan, B., Rowe, R., & Murray, J. (2017). Family poverty and structure. The Wiley Handbook of Disruptive and Impulse-Control Disorders. John Wiley and Sons, 257-274. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/9781119092254#page=266

MUTAKWASUKU, Y. (2018). Family Conflicts, Trauma and Ignorance: The Barrier of Social Protection in Muhanga District: Case study of Bureau Social de Developpement de Muhanga (Doctoral dissertation, University of Rwanda). http://dr.ur.ac.rw/handle/123456789/750 Onoyase, A., &Ebenuwa-Okoh, E. E. (2018). Relationship among Adolescents’ Characteristics, Peer Group Influence and Anti-Social Behaviour. Journal of educational and social research, 8(3), 9. https://www.mcser.org/journal/index.php/jesr/article/view/10312

Ottosson, Å. (2016). “Don't Rubbish Our Town”:“AntiSocialBehaviour” and Indigenous Settler Forms of Belonging in Alice Springs, Central Australia. City & Society, 28(2), 152-173. https://anthrosource.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ciso.12078 Piang, T. B., Osman, Z. J., &Mahadir, N. B. (2017). Structure or relationship Rethinking family influences on juvenile delinquency in Malaysia. Asia-Pacific Social Science Review, 17(2), 171-184.

http://apssr.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/1_Piang-revised-112317-1.pdf Rozah, U. (2017). The Parental Responsibility Concept in Replacing Criminal Responsibility of Child to Parent (The Study of Indonesian Tribes Culture in Lampung and Aga Balinese Tribes). Diponegoro Law Review, 2(2), 342-348. https://ejournal.undip.ac.id/index.php/dlr/article/view/18171/12752

Tatnell, R., Hasking, P., Newman, L., Taffe, J., & Martin, G. (2017). Attachment, emotion regulation, childhood abuse and assault: examining predictors of NSSI among adolescents. Archives of suicide research, 21(4), 610-620. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13811118.2016.1246267

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