Attachment and Social competence: How Sedibeng West township schools can be secure bases for all learners

Abstract

Ensuring secure and safe environments is crucial for fostering children's emotional growth, preparing them to become prosocial adults and future leaders. Crucially, when children are in danger, they will naturally seek closeness to their primary caregiver to obtain both comfort and care. Children who remain close to their attachment figures are more likely to receive comfort and protection, and as a result, have a higher chance of surviving into adulthood. Attachment relationships are essential because they provide a stable basis for emotional regulation. This allows infants and children to learn how to manage their emotions by receiving attentive and supportive care from their caregivers. Studies suggest that most learners in township schools in South Africa come from insecure attachment backgrounds, which can result in challenging relationships with family members. However, these learners from insecure backgrounds need more skills and developmental experiences to form positive and satisfying relationships with their peers, hindering their social competence. The current study aimed to investigate attachment and social competence among learners in Sedibeng West Township schools, Gauteng. One of the study’s objective was to determine the types of parent-child attachments exhibited by grade 10 learners in township schools and investigate the factors that contribute to secure and insecure attachment styles. The study was informed by two theories: the Attachment Theory, and the Ecological Systems Theory and the research was based on the interpretivism paradigm, and multiple case study research design was utilized. The sampling frame comprised 6 teachers, 18 grade 10 learners, and 3 deputy principals in 3 selected secondary schools in the Sedibeng West district. The research participants were chosen using a purposive sampling technique and data collection from all participants was conducted using semi-structured interviews. A purposive sample strategy was used to select grade 10 learners and the participants were chosen based on their attachment histories and their display of social and antisocial behaviour in schools. Deputy principals were chosen to gather information on how schools provide assistance to learners with secure and insecure attachment. The criteria for selecting teachers required a minimum of 3 years of teaching experience and the choice of teachers was based on the belief that Life-Orientation teachers have a significant impact on the overall development of learners. The amalgamation of these participants, possessing extensive information, experiences, and expertise, made a valuable contribution to the research. The findings revealed that learners exhibited both secure and insecure attachment types in their home environments and that secure parent-child attachment patterns were influenced by characteristics such as emotional availability within the home, parental support and motivation, parental supply and supervision, and family protection. The findings led to a development of a specialized model tailored for township secondary schools.