Ecological engagement in the community: A methodological proposal for the study of families at risk

Abstract

This chapter describes Ecological Engagement methodology, a procedure based on Ecological Systems Theory that became an appropriated theoretical-methodological approach for research about development-in-context. The Ecological Systems Theory proposes that development must be studied through a scientific model that involves interaction between four nuclei: process, person, context, and time, denominated bioecological model. This chapter describes an operationalization of this model in a qualitative research with families under risk situation, which involved the longitudinal accompaniment of three families and included observations, informal chats, and interviews. The ecological engagement in community in this research allowed the accomplishment of a study with ecological validity, whereas permitted to include various levels of analysis.