UNIVERSITY OF CALOOCAN CITY

Biglang Awa St., Corner Catleya St., EDSA, Caloocan City

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

FAMILY SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY

PARTNERSHIP
 
SUBJECT CODE: ECE 020
TOPIC OR LESSON 1: Ecology of Community
SUB-TOPIC/S: Community: Structure and Functions

 OVERVIEW OF THE TOPIC

This module provides an overview about the ecology of a community. The community in which the child
grows up is a significant influence in his or her development.

LEARNING
OUTCOMES
At the end of this module, the students are expected to:
a. Define a community and explain its five functions.
b. Describe how a community influences socialization, including physical, social,
and personal factors in the community.

LEARNING
At the end of theOBJECTIVES
lesson, students should be able to:
a. Define a community and explain its five functions.
b. Describe how a community influences socialization, including physical, social,
and personal factors in the community.

ENGAGE

Class Activity:
Game : Virtual Charades

EXPLORE

Classroom Discussion:
1. Does the individual shape the community, or does the community shape the individual?

EXPLAIN

Community
 Is a group of people living in the same geographic area (neighborhood, town, or city) under
common laws; it is also a group of people sharing fellowship, a friendly association, and common
interests. The word community derives from the Latin communis, which means “shared.” The
concept of sharing can refer to space, norms, values, customs, beliefs, rules, or obligations.
 A community serves both the individual and the group. If children are to grow up to be
contributing members of adult society, they need positive role models, mentors, and leaders. They
need to experience democracy in action—involvement, discussion, collaboration, and
compromise
Community Ecology

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  Comprises the psychological and practical relationships between people and their social, as well
as physical, environment. Thus, the crucial component of a community is the relationship of
people to one another and the sense of belonging and of obligation to the group.
 Psychologically, humans need companionship and the emotional security that comes from
belonging to a social group whose members share the same ideas and patterns of behavior.
 Practically, humans need to cooperate with others in order to share in the necessities of life—
food, shelter, and security. Therefore, a community is structured to have five functions
1. Production, distribution, consumption. The community provides its members with the means to make a
living. This may be agriculture, industry, or services.
2. Socialization. The community has means by which it instills its norms and values in its members. This
may be tradition, modeling, and/or formal education.
3. Social control. The community has the means to enforce adherence to community values. This may be
group pressure to conform and/or formal laws.
4. Social participation. The community fulfills the need for companionship. This may occur in a
neighborhood, church, business, or other group.
5. Mutual support. The community enables its members to cooperate to accomplish tasks too large or too
urgent to be handled by a single person. Supporting a community hospital with tax dollars and donations
is an example of people cooperating to accomplish the task of health care.

The Community’s Influence on Socialization

 The neighborhood or neighborhoods (nearby geographic areas) in which we grew up conjure up
rich imagery of what constitutes a sense of community. We may picture a small town with a
mini-mall, the gas station, and the movie theater; the outlying streets with a church or two, the
school, and homes separated by bushes or fences. We may picture apartment houses grouped
closely together on the street, with the bus stop on the corner and the park and school several
blocks away. We may picture acres of farmland and the town, miles away, with a large mall that
we visited only once a week. We may picture a large housing tract with lawns, cars, bicycles, and
no sidewalks.
 The community is a socializing agent because it is where children learn the role expectations for
adults as well as for themselves. It is in the community that children get to observe, model, and
become apprentices to adults; it is in the community that children get to “try themselves out.”
Socialization requires active involvement.
Factors affecting Community Socialization
1. Physical Factors- Research has shown that certain characteristics of the physical environment of the
community influence the behavior of those who liv e there, especially children (Bell et al., 2005). These
characteristics are population density and composition, noise, arrangement and types of houses, and play
settings.
 Population Density and Composition
Population density- refers to the number of people occupying a certain area of space.
Population composition- refers to the stability or mobility of people in a neighborhood as
well as to their homogeneity or heterogeneity
 Noise
Is sound that is undesired or interferes with that to which one is listening . High levels
can lead to hearing loss, increases in arousal levels, and stress. It can interfere with
attention
 Community Design
Refers to the way houses and streets are arranged. Design affects the social interactions
among people living in a neighborhood as well as their physical activity
 Play Settings
Influence socialization by the types of activities that occur in them and by whether or not
adults are present to supervise. Some communities provide playgrounds for children, and
the type of equipment available appears to affect their use.
■ the traditional playground setting had swings, a slide, a teeter-totter, and a sandbox.
■ the modern playground had various sculptures on which children could climb, crawl,
and slide.
■ the adventure playground had old lumber, tires, crates, bricks, and rocks.
2. Economic Factors - In a community play a central role in shaping the daily lives of families who live
and work there. Local economic systems vary depending on the jobs, goods, and services provided by the
business sector of the community.
 Community economics affect the costs of housing, transportation, education, and health
care, all of which have risen steadily since the 1970s and today consume substantially
more of a typical family’s income than they did then. In recent decades, the average
working family’s tax burden has also risen.
 Children’s economic well-being is directly related to that of their families. When families
have an adequate income, they are better able to meet their children’s material,
intellectual, and emotional needs and help them become healthy, productive adults.

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  Failure to address the economic needs of families, especially the threat of poverty, leads
to social consequences affecting individuals, families, and the whole community.
Examples of such ills are
■ More crime and delinquency,
■ More substance abuse,
■ more school failure,
■ More child abuse and neglect,
■ More teenage childbearing,
■ More unhealthy children, and
■ Lower productivity by tomorrow’s labor force.
3. Social and Personal Factors - In addition to the physical and economic characteristics of a community,
certain other factors, less tangible and more individualistic, influence socialization. These factors include
the neighborhood setting and the patterns of community interaction.
 The Neighborhood Setting
Referring to people and places nearby, is the geographic setting in which children generally spend
their unstructured time. The neighborhood is where children explore, interact with other children,
observe adults engaged in work or other activities, and have various experiences themselves.
 Patterns of Community Interaction
Is an important factor in development because, according to Bronfenbrenner (1979, 1989), the
developmental potential of a setting—in this case, the community—is enhanced as a function of
the number of its supportive links with other settings the child might be in, such as the family or
school. Factors impacting patterns of community interaction are the size of the community, social
diversity, shared norms, and valued type of social relationships.
 Size of Community Patterns of interaction - vary considerably with the size of a community. In a
small town, one person may interact directly with almost every other person in a given week or
month. In contrast, a resident of a large city might conceivably roam the streets without ever
seeing a familiar face.
 Social Diversity - The degree to which an environment contains a diversity of roles and
experiences for children to learn from and for parents to draw upon affects families and children.
A diverse setting contains a variety of businesspeople as well as a variety of ages and cultural
groups.
 Shared Norms - Communities have norms that facilitate congenial social interactions. The norms
of a small town are more homogeneous than those of a large city, and are also more widely
understood and accepted
 Valued Types of Social Relationship –
 Gemeinschaft relationships are mutually dependent and caring. People relate to each
other because they are kin, because they live in a particular locality, or because they are
like-minded and wish to pursue a common goal.
 Gesellschaft relationships, on the other hand, are independent and contractual. People
relate to each other because it is a practical way of achieving an objective, like paying for
services rendered.

ELABORAT
E

Activity 1
Sample rubric

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 SCOR
RUBRIC FOR EVALUATION E
3 – The explanation 2 – The explanation 1 – The explanation is 0.5 – The 0–
RELEVAN

is directly relevant to is relevant to the quite relevant to the explanation is not Has no
the topic. Every detail topic. Most of the topic. Only few of the clear and has a very explanation
CE

points toward the details contribute to details contribute to rough transition of

topic. the development of the development of the idea. The details are
the topic. topic. not relevant to the
topic.
3 – The explanation 2 – The explanation 1 – The explanation 0.5 – The 0–
EVIDEN

ARGUM

shows at least 9 shows at least 6 to 8 shows at 3 to 5 explanation shows at Has no

CE/

correct/valid correct/valid correct/valid evidences most 2 correct/valid explanation

evidences to support evidences to support to support his/her evidences to support
his/her answer. his/her answer. answer. his/her answer.

2 – The explanation 1.5 – The 1 – The explanation is 0.5 – The 0–

CLARITY

is clear, has a very explanation is clear, somewhat clear and explanation is not Has no
good flow of has a good transition, has a rough transition clear and has a very explanation
discussion, every most of the details from one idea to rough transition of
detail is connected to are connected to each another. ideas.
each other. other.
2 – The explanation 1.5 – The 1 – The explanation 1.5 – The 0–
TECHNI-
CALITY

has no error in explanation has 1 to has 3 to 4 errors in explanation has at Has no

grammar, spelling, 2 errors in grammar, grammar, spelling, and least 5 errors in explanation
and punctuations. spelling, and punctuations. grammar, spelling,
punctuations. and punctuations.

OVERALL SCORE:

EVALUATE

Direction: Following are 2 hypothetical case studies involving families and children in a community.
Read each case studies and answer the questions.

Case Study 1: The Sullivan Family

You are a prekindergarten teacher at a local preschool. Brian is a student who turned 5 in November.
Brian’s behavior in class is causing problems for you and for the other students. He has difficulty sitting
still, paying attention for extended periods, completing any activities, and keeping his hands to himself.
Brian is easily frustrated and is prone to temper tantrums and outbursts of aggression. Mrs. Sullivan, a
single parent, has experienced the same problems with Brian at home. What could be the cause of Brian’s
behavior, and where would you refer this family for help?

Case Study 2: The Johnson Family

You are a first-grade teacher at an elementary school. You are especially worried about one of the
students in your class, Michael Johnson. He always seems to arrive at school extra early (usually about 30
minutes). He is never dressed appropriately for the weather, and his general appearance is sloppy. His
schoolwork is on grade level. However, at times his behavior is aggressive and hostile (especially toward
classmates). On several occasions you have noticed bruises on Michael, and when you ask him about
these, he is evasive. During your first parent–teacher conference, you share your concerns with Mrs.
Johnson. She breaks down and tells you that her husband, Michael’s stepfather, is very hard on him. He is
sarcastic, always belittling Michael, and at times gets physically violent with him. Mrs. Johnson asks you
for help. What is your role as a teacher? What assistance is available to Michael and to his family in your
community?

REFERENC
ES , Community Socialization and Support
Child, Family, School
8th Edition
Roberta M. Berns (2007)
(pp. 331-366)

ADDITIONAL
MATERIALS

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PREPARED BY:
MONIQUE [Link]
Instructor

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