The Effect of Attachment on Preschoolers’ Involvement in learning Activities

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of attachment on preschoolers’ involvement in learning activities. It was carried out in three nursery schools with a pre-nursery section in Buea. A survey research design was used for the study. Children of ages 2-4 (50) enrolled in pre-nursery schools and 7 teachers were involved in the study. Purposive sampling were used. Quantitative (questionnaire) and qualitative methods (naturalistic observation) of data collection was used. The Preschool Behaviour Questionnaire (PBQ) developed by Behar &Stringfields, (1978) was adapted for the study. The main research question was; how does attachment affect preschoolers’ adjustment in nursery school? The preschoolers were observed for three months and the PBQ was used for the teachers. The systematic process of content and narrative analysis was used in analysing responses from qualitative data, while descriptive statistics were used for quantitative data analysis. The findings showed that; i) most pre-schoolers are negatively affected at short separations, they cry, and are not easily comforted, and reject physical contact towards teachers, ii) despite their short attention span, they have a good concerntration span especially when activities are of interest to them, iii) most pre-schoolers are not friendly to other peers especially those they do not consider as friends; they bully and tend to be inconsiderate of others. Iv) most pre-schoolers show either a secure or insecure attachment towards their teachers. These findings were discussed and some recommendations made; parents who desire to encourage pre-schoolers to make the most of their abilities should; interact with the child often, provide opportunities for the child to do many things independently. Educational institutions that habour children of preschool age should provide conducive environments for them to make meaning for themselves, teachers of pre-schoolers should be responsive and show concern for each pre-schooler despite their attachment patterns.