Three Decades of Research on Individual Teacher-Child Relationships: A Chronological Review of Prominent Attachment-Based Themes

Abstract

Attachment theory has played a prominent role in the study of affective relationships between teachers and individual children in school settings. This review synthesizes three decades of attachment-based research on teacher-child relationships roughly covering the period between 1992 and 2022. Five key themes were discussed: (1) conceptualization and assessment, (2) secure base and autonomous exploration, (3) safe haven and self-regulation, (4) attachment history and relationship (dis)continuity, and (5) teacher sensitivity and mentalization. Following a narrative review approach, a selection of pivotal research studies was made and chronologically presented to illustrate research developments per theme. The results indicated that the conceptualization and assessment of teacher-child relationships holds largely, but not completely, across different developmental phases, cultural contexts, measurement methods, and informants. In addition, research confirmed the role of the secure base and safe haven functions of teacher-child relationships in promoting children’s emotional security at school. Furthermore, progression has been made through the development of multiple measurement methods for both teachers and children, by expanding research from early childhood education up to secondary education, and by more recent cross-cultural studies. However, there is still limited insight in mechanisms that explain (dis)continuity in relationships over time, and a striking lack of research on dyadic teacher sensitivity and mentalization as antecedents of teacher-child relationships. Research directions for the following decade(s) of research are discussed per theme.

Cultural universality and specificity of teacher-student relationship: a qualitative study in Belgian, Chinese, and Italian primary school teachers

“…Initially defined by Ainsworth et al (1974) , sensitive responsiveness refers to a caregiver’s ability to notice, interpret, and respond promptly and appropriately to an individual child’s signals. This concept has been extended to TSR, where teacher sensitivity also predicts the quality of the relationship ( Spilt and Koomen, 2022 ). However, it has been observed that caregiver or teacher sensitivity may not be present in some cultural contexts, as it does not align with local values ( Keller et al, 2018 ).…”

“…In contrast, United States mothers tend to direct their children toward objects in the environment, promoting independent exploration ( Bornstein et al, 2012 ). Consequently, teachers in collectivistic cultures may encourage children to rely on adults for guidance and support, resulting in a greater tolerance for emotional dependency, and emotional dependency may be viewed as similar to closeness ( Gregoriadis et al, 2021 ; Spilt and Koomen, 2022 ; Vahidi et al, 2022 ). In contrast, individualistic cultures prioritize independence and separation of the self from the social context.…”

Gambaran Self-Regulation Guru Paud Dalam Mengajar

“…Tanpa adanya self-regulation orang dewasa baik emosi maupun perilaku dalam lingkungan sekolah yang jenuh, self-regulation anak juga akan terhambat (Spilt & Koomen, 2022). Self-regulation dapat berdampak dalam rasa tanggung jawab anak dan membantu guru dalam profesionalitasnya (Sáez-Delgado et al, 2022).…”

Young children's social withdrawal and teacher–child relationship quality: A cross‐cultural comparison between the Netherlands and China

“…Research about parent–child relationships is relevant because it also concerns children's relationships with important adults in their lives. Furthermore, early research about affective teacher–child relationships was based on theory and research about parent–child relationships (Spilt & Koomen, 2022; Verschueren & Koomen, 2012). Although peer relationships are less comparable to teacher‐child relationships as peer relationships are more egalitarian, research on peer relationships could still provide meaningful insight for the present study.…”