2. Graduating teachers know about learners and how they learn

A: Have knowledge of a range of relevant theories and research about pedagogy, human development and learning

Position Paper

Link provides full detail of this paper

https://eportfolio.manukau.ac.nz/view/view.php?id=6641

 

Assessment on Attachment Theory

MARY AINSWORTH

Mary’s Biography:

Birth:   1^st December 1913

Died:    21^st March 1999

Nationality:     Canadian

Fields:  Psychology – Started research as Bowlby’s student in the 1950’s on Attachment Styles in Children (Bretherton, Inge 1992).

Ainsworth studies are focused on babies and toddlers and how they learn from caregivers how much love, care and comfort they receive.  This forms the attachment to the caregiver.

Mary and her assistant designed a structured laboratory situation to examine individual differences in the responses of 56 middle-class infants aged 11 months, to the departure of a caregiver.

They termed this the Strange Situation Procedure.

This was a study that identified patterns in infant responses, according to the relationship they’ve developed to their caregivers.

The Strange Situation Assessment

The Strange Situation is a 20-minute miniature drama with eight episodes.

Mother and infant are introduced to a laboratory play room where they are later joined by an unfamiliar woman.

While the stranger plays with the baby, the mother leaves briefly and then returns. A second separation ensues during which the baby is completely alone. Finally, the stranger and then the mother return’s (Ainsworth & Bell, 1970).

Mary Ainsworth classified her findings in the assessment in three ways – Secure, Resistant and Avoidant.

Secure – Group B

Infants with a secure attachment style are able to use their mother as a secure base from which to explore the environment, learn and thrive, and derive comfort and reassurance when they are upset or tired (Levine, Amir; Heller, Rachel S. F, 2011).

Anxious Resistant – Group C

The child fails to develop any feelings of security.  Accordingly they exhibit difficulty moving away from the attachment figure to explore novel surroundings. When distressed they are difficult to soothe and are not comforted by interaction. This behavior results from an inconsistent level of response to their needs from the primary caregiver (Ainsworth, 1970).

Anxious Avoidant – Group A

Those who have an insecure attachment style (anxious or avoidant) are too preoccupied with the mother's whereabouts to be easily soothed or too seemingly indifferent toward her to use her as a secure base for comfort in times of need (Levine, Amir; Heller, Rachel S. F, 2011).

They do not seek contact with the attachment figure when distressed. Such children are likely to have a caregiver who is insensitive and rejecting of their needs (Ainsworth, 1979).

Infants classified as Anxious-Avoidant (Group A) did not exhibit distress on separation, and ignored the caregiver on their return.

Infants classified as Secure (Group B) used the caregiver as a safe base from which to explore and protested at their departure, but sought the caregiver upon his or her return.

Ainsworth noted, however, a third category of behaviour in a minority of cases would be classified as Anxious-Ambivalent/Resistant (Group C).  They showed distress on separation, and were clingy and difficult to comfort on the caregiver’s return.

A further category was introduced at a later stage called, Insecure disorganised/disorientated (Berryman, J, Hargreaves, D, Herbert, M, Taylor, A, 1991).

How is Ainsworth’s research relatable to Early Childhood..

Mary Ainsworth has identified that the infant’s signals (crying) do not discriminate. 

If a caregiver is responsive to the needs and can engage the infant in social interaction  (Schaffer & Emerson, 1964),  attachment can form and infants are able to use the attachment figure as a secure base for exploration of the environment and as a safe haven to which to return for reassurance (Ainsworth, 1967; Schaffer & Emerson, 1964).

How effectively the attachment figure can serve in these roles depends on the quality of social interaction (Bretherton, Inge 1992).

This can therefore apply to early childhood teachers.  If they are responsive to the child’s needs (signals) and can engage positively with the child.  Then the possibility of attachment can form between early childhood teacher and child/infant.

 4.         Examples of how these theories/models are relevant for teacher’s everyday

Practice in early childhood environments…

1)      Being responsive to the infant/child.  Paying attention to their signals – crying. Attending to their needs – feeding, changing, comforting when tired or distressed.

“At nursery school age—the age at which most research into dependency has been undertaken, it was assumed that the dependency shown by the child toward his teachers was essentially the same that he concurrently manifested toward his parents at home (Ainsworth, M D S, 1969).

 2)      Allowing the child/infant to socially interact and explore their environment safely – giving positive cues through, smiling, gentle guidance and using gentle vocal approval.

References

Levine, Amir; Heller, Rachel S. F. (Jan/Feb 2011). Get attached: Scientific Mind. 21(6), 22-29.

Wright, M J. (2010). The secure preschooler: Nurturing creativity with courage, wisdom with responsibility, 51(4), 231-240.

Ainsworth, M D S. (1969). Object relations, dependancy and attachment: A theoritical view of the mother-infant relationship: Child Development, 40(4), 969.
 

3. PAULO FREIRE

 



 Link to Presentation:  https://eportfolio.manukau.ac.nz/view/view.php?id=6641