Elon University Assistant Professor Jessica Navarro and developmental theorist Jonathan Tudge co-authored a new book offering fresh insight and practical tools into one of the most influential theories of human development.
Jessica Navarro, assistant professor of Human Service Studies at Elon University, has co-authored a new book with developmental theorist Jonathan Tudge titled “Understanding and Teaching Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Theory.” Published by Routledge in June 2025, the book offers a comprehensive and accessible guide for instructors, researchers and students working with Bronfenbrenner’s widely cited, yet often misunderstood, theory of human development.
The book explores the evolution of Bronfenbrenner’s model from its early ecological framework to the more complex bioecological theory and the Process-Person-Context-Time (PPCT) model, offering practical guidance on how to teach and apply the theory in a range of educational settings. It includes classroom-ready tools such as reading primers, lecture slides, discussion questions, case studies, and in-class activities, and introduces recent adaptations like inverse proximal processes and neo-ecological theory, which address how technology and digital environments shape development.
This summer, Navarro and Tudge traveled to Serbia and Scandinavia to give workshops based on the book, meeting with international educators and researchers who are applying the theory in diverse cultural and institutional contexts. “It was exciting to see how the framework resonates globally,” Navarro said. “People are eager for resources that make the theory more usable without flattening its complexity.”
Reviewers have praised the book as both timely and transformative.
“The book is a gamechanger… one of the most useful texts for the social sciences in the 21st century,” wrote Professor Iram Siraj at University of Oxford.
“A carefully constructed guide… that brings Bronfenbrenner’s theory to life for everyone,” added Professor Nóirín Hayes at Trinity College Dublin.
“To see information technology’s role in family life and individual development captured by Navarro and Tudge’s work is a gift,” said Professor Susan Walker at the University of Minnesota.
Navarro says the book reflects her long-standing interest in helping students engage meaningfully with complex ideas.
“Bronfenbrenner’s theory has shaped how we understand human development for decades,” she explained. “But too often, it’s taught in oversimplified ways. We wanted to create a resource that respects the theory’s complexity and makes it usable for real classrooms, researchers, and practitioners.”
“Understanding and Teaching Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Theory” is available now through Routledge and Amazon.