Chapter 5 Promoting Purpose Development in Schools and Beyond
A Complex, Dynamic, Bioecological Developmental Systems Perspective
In: Good Teachers for Tomorrow's SchoolsSearch for other papers by Matthew Joseph in
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Abstract
Purpose development is a complex, dynamic, highly individualized process that is interdependently influenced by coactions among individuals in the context of their multiple ecological levels over time. Traditional approaches to investigating purpose development have provided preliminary insights into how it may be fostered (inside and outside of the classroom), though the methods employed in these studies have largely failed to account for the complexity and unpredictability that is inherent in the purpose development process. The present work reviews the purpose development literature and highlights findings that may provide insights into teaching for purpose, while acknowledging their limitations. Three contemporary developmental frameworks – Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Systems Model, the Relational Developmental Systems perspective, and the Complex Dynamic Systems approach – are offered as lenses intended to advance theorizing about and empirical studies of how purpose develops, and how to promote it in schools and beyond.