Developed by Margaret Beale Spencer, the Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory (PVEST) is a framework that explains the behavior of ethnic minority youth by integrating two key concepts. The first is a phenomenological approach, which focuses on how an individual makes personal meaning of their experiences; for example, African American boys and girls may interpret their educational experiences differently. The second is Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, which posits that development is shaped by interactions with environments like school, family, and community.