Toddlers\u27 attachment relationships and its association with school adjustment

Case studies of eight toddlers separation and reunion episodes upon school entry were conducted, focusing on the different ways by which each child adjusted to the school setting, the duration of the children\u27s adjustment phase, the effectivity of the strategies utilized by the caregivers in order to help ease each child\u27s adjustment to school, and the possible emerging attachment relationships with the teachers in the classroom. The toddlers that participated in this research consisted of six girls and two boys were aged between 1.1 to 2.4 years old at the start of the study and were accompanied to school by their mothers and/or yayas. To obtain information from the participants, the researcher made use of multiple sources of evidence in order to ensure the construct validity and reliability of the case study data. These were composed of video documentations, unstructured interview guides, participant observations, and researcher-designed checklists. The findings attained indicate that the success of a child\u27s adjustment to school depends primarily on the quality of the attachment relationship established by the child with the primary caregiver prior to school entry, the ways by which the primary caregivers prepared the toddlers prior to school entry, the caregivers consistency of care, attitudes and behaviors toward the toddler in the classroom during separation and reunion episodes, the interaction patterns established between the primary caregiver and the child in the classroom, and the interaction patterns established between the teachers, teachers assistant, and the toddlers in the classroom