Spring04_Flouhouse - Influence of Teacher-Child Attachment on Complexity of Play and Social Competence

Aug 27, 2026

The study examines preschoolers’ attachment to teachers and how attachment relates to the complexity of children’s play and their social competence. Forty-seven children from three child care centers participated, with free classroom play observed across three occasions and rated in multiple 5-minute intervals. Teacher surveys classified children as securely or insecurely attached. Secure teacher-child attachment correlated with higher play complexity and stronger social competence, suggesting combined social and cognitive development linked to teacher relationships, with guidance and consistent support promoting creative exploration.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

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Pages6

Reading Time15 min

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Influence of Teacher-Child Attachment on Complexity of Play and Social Competence

Attachment

Social Competence

KELLY FLOUHOUSE JENNETTE SCHORSCH MAUREEN VANDERMAASPEELER Elon University Inﬂuence of Teacher-Child Attachment on Complexity of Play and Social Competence We examined preschoolers’ attachment to teachers and the inﬂuence of attachment on complexity of play and social competence. We hypothesized that secure teacherchild attachment would positively inﬂuence a child’s complexity of play and social competence. Forty-seven preschoolers (26 boys, 21 girls) were recruited from three child care centers. Free play in the classroom was observed separately for each participant on three occasions and rated during six 5-min intervals. Teacher surveys categorized children as securely or insecurely attached. Results revealed that secure attachment was associated with higher complexity of play and social competence. Thus social and cognitive development result from combined factors that could transfer from teacher-child relationships to parents and/or other adults. Guidance, positive interaction, and constant support appear to enhance creative exploration. Classic research on attachment established a pos itive relationship between attachment security and children’s social interaction with their environment (Ainsworth & Wittig, 1969) . Early interaction and relationships with adults provide the context for the child’s development of competent social interaction with peers (Parke & Ladd, 1992). Expectations, competencies, and attitudes developed within the child’s relationships at school provide an important inﬂuence on child development (Howes, Matheson,& Hamilton, 1994) . Although previous research has focused mainly on attachment issues in infancy, 3 to 4 years old is the ﬁrst age children enter a school setting with both teacher and peer influences. Of the 19.3 million children younger than the age of 5 in the United States, 14.4 million (75%) are in some form of regular child care. Preschoolers spend an average of 28 hr/week in child care, and when parents are employed this time increases to 35 hr/week. Regardless of parental employment, 43% of children in childcare are there for educational purposes (U.S. Census Bureau, 1995) . In the context of the classroom the teacher serves as the primary academic and social model from which children gauge their own behavior. The teacher can guide children toward enhanced ingenuity and positive interaction with others. Consequently, the present study examined teacher- child attachment and its relationship to preschool children’s social competence and complexity of play. Attachment Bowlby (1969) proposed that a secure attachment relationship is one in which the mother represents for the child a trusting, predictable, and nurturant base from which the environment can be explored and to which the child can return with ease. This idea was applied in the laboratory by Ainsworth and Wittig (1969) using the Strange Situation procedure. Findings suggested that the parent-child bond allows for the child’s exploration and acceptance of the world. Securely attached children are perceived to be more resourceful and to use these skills they possess toward greater competence and individuality (Sroufe, Fox,& Pancake, 1983; Turner, 1993) . Securely attached children have also been found to exceed insecurely attached children in problem-solving capabilities (Matas, Arend, & Sroufe, 1978), task completion (Pastor, 1981), and peer competence (Waters, Wippman, & Sroufe, 1979) . Less research has examined the association between parent-child attachment and teacher-child attachment, although teachers have rated children with secure parent-attachment as being more competent and autonomous (Sroufe et al., 1983) . In addi- Spring 2004 ▫ PSI CHI JOURNAL OF UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH 39 Copyright 2004 by Psi Chi, The National Honor Society in Psychology (Vol. 9, No. 1, 39–44 / ISSN 1089-4136) . PLAY AND SOCIAL COMPETENCE ▫ Flouhouse, Schorsch, and Vandermaas-Peeler tion, recent extensions of attachmen

FAQs

What question does the study address?

The study asks whether preschoolers’ attachment to teachers influences the complexity of their play and their social competence.

How were children’s play and social outcomes assessed?

Children’s free play was observed separately across three occasions and rated during six 5-minute intervals, while teachers categorized attachment through surveys.

What were the main findings about secure teacher-child attachment?

Secure attachment was associated with higher complexity of play and greater social competence, indicating that supportive teacher-child relationships can foster both social and cognitive development.

Aug 27, 2026

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