Books & book chapters

From theory
to the page.

I write for researchers who want to use developmental theory well, for educators who want to teach it meaningfully, and for students who want to understand the world around them.

Jessica Navarro browsing books in a library
Published

Understanding and Teaching Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological Theory

Jessica L. Navarro & Jonathan R. H. Tudge

Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory is one of the most cited frameworks in developmental science, yet it is also one of the most frequently misapplied. Researchers cite the nested circle diagram. They name the microsystem and the macrosystem. But the theory is far richer than its most recognizable image, and far more demanding than a literature review citation.

This book corrects that. Written for students, researchers, and educators at every level, it walks through the complete bioecological model, including the Process-Person-Context-Time framework, the proximal process at its core, and the distinction between the bioecological theory and earlier ecological models, and shows what it actually looks like to ground empirical work within it. Each chapter pairs conceptual depth with practical application, making this both a reference for scholars and a teaching tool for courses in developmental science, family studies, human services, and education.

The book draws directly from decades of Tudge's foundational work on Bronfenbrenner and from Navarro's experience teaching the theory across undergraduate and graduate courses. It is designed to be read, taught from, and returned to.

Routledge · June 2025 Get the book on Amazon →
Cover of Understanding and Teaching Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological Theory
Forthcoming

Reframing Costa Rica: An Anthology of Counter-Stories and Critical Perspectives

Edited by David Chamberlain, Julia Gil Ortiz & Jessica L. Navarro

Costa Rica is the top non-European study abroad destination for U.S. students, welcoming more than 5,000 each year. Yet almost all the English-language resources available to them were written by outsiders, and most are more than two decades old. They present a country of pura vida and pristine beaches, with little room for the complex realities of land rights, inequality, migration, and resistance that shape everyday life.

This anthology corrects that gap. Thirty essays by Costa Rican and Central American scholars, activists, jurists, artists, and community organizers offer an unmediated view of the country as it actually is: politically complex, ecologically contested, culturally rich, and in active transformation. Contributors include former Supreme Court justices, Indigenous and Afro-descendant advocates, feminist researchers, environmental experts, and public intellectuals. Their essays span law, sociology, ecology, literature, public health, and the arts.

Written in accessible language for first-year students and general readers, the book is organized for flexible classroom use. Chapters can be read independently or in sequence, with guiding questions, discussion prompts, and suggested reading pathways for different course contexts. This is the resource educators have been asking for, written by the people who know Costa Rica best.

Palgrave Macmillan · Forthcoming

Seven thematic units

  • 01Setting the Stage
  • 02Nation, Identity, and the Social Fabric
  • 03State, Power, and the Politics of Reform
  • 04Green Myths and Environmental Realities
  • 05Costa Rica, Central America, and the World
  • 06Collective Struggles and Social Change
  • 07Media, Culture, and the Politics of Representation
Book chapters
  • In press

    Mercón-Vargas, E. A., Navarro, J., & Tudge, J. R. H. (in press). Misuses and uses of Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory. In P. A. Fisher & J. Lombardi (Eds.), The Cambridge Handbook of the New Ecology of Early Childhood. Cambridge University Press.

  • 2022

    Navarro, J. (2022). Fortnite: A context for child development during COVID-19 (and beyond). In V. Katz & B. Bond (Eds.), Children and Media Research and Practice during the Crises of 2020. Routledge.

  • 2022

    Jensen, M., Weinstein, M., Brown, M., & Navarro, J. (2022). The role of digital media in health risk and externalizing behaviors in adolescence. In J. Nesi, E. H. Telzer, & M. J. Prinstein (Eds.), Handbook of Adolescent Digital Media Use and Mental Health. Cambridge University Press.

  • 2020

    Navarro, J., Doucet, F., & Tudge, J. R. H. (2020). The bioecological theory of Urie Bronfenbrenner. In D. F. Gullo & M. E. Graue (Eds.), Scientific Influences on Early Childhood Education: From Diverse Perspectives to Common Practices (pp. 55–68). Routledge.