Attachment, school attachment and student-teacher relationship

Abstract

Primary attachment plays a fundamental role in children’s social and emotional development. Early attachment patterns are definitive even in the later stages of childhood and significantly affect how the child can cope with new social experiences in later years. At the same time, it has been demonstrated that early attachment may change under the influence of different environmental effects, and changes can be supported by pedagogical means. Teachers might establish ’attachment-like’ relationships with their students, particularly with vulnerable and challenging children. Close teacher-student relationships influence students’ personal development and school success not only in early childhood but also in adolescence. Therefore teachers have to understand the process of attachment and their students’ attachment patterns. There are few Hungarian researches that investigate school and teacher-student attachment, so teachers have little information on this issue.