Quinn, Siobhan
(2012)
Using attachment theory as a lens to understand the role of an adult educator.
Masters thesis, National University of Ireland Maynooth.
Abstract
The attachment theory created by John Bowlby has had a lasting impact on our
understanding of child development and more recently on adult development. The
primary aim of this dissertation is to show how attachment theory can be used as a
tool to inform educators about teaching and learning. There is an abundance of
literature on attachment from infancy to adulthood, incorporating all forms of
relationships. However, there is little research carried out on attachment and the
implications for adult teaching and learning. This thesis outlines the key tenets of
Bowlby’s theory, while drawing on the recent research studies of leading theorists, to
lay the foundations for the study. Concepts such as the attachment behavioural
system, secure and insecure attachment styles, internal working models and the
strange situation are discussed. The study also explores how adult learners and
educators are influenced by their own attachment styles and internal working models
and how this impacts on the teacher-student relationship. The paper also looks at the
implications for both the learner and educator when handling new situations and new
knowledge. In addition, the concept of educational biography and narrative is
explored as a means of altering or transforming an individual’s internal working
models and facilitating the creation of new knowledge.
A qualitative approach was used in the study. Three participants work in the area of
counselling and adult education. The fourth participant is a project co-ordinator and
adult educator with a children’s charity advocacy organisation. The participants were
invited to narrate their stories of their attachment experiences from childhood to
v
adulthood, which aimed to offer a potentially developmental and reflective space for
each participant in revisiting their lived attachment histories. Stories were gathered
through the interviews to gain insight into how these experiences play out in the
educator-student relationship. The participants’ stories were presented in the form of
four core narratives. The narratives and findings were then further analysed and
significant themes emerged in the stories told.
The findings from this study show that the attachment paradigm offers definite value
and useful insights for educators and facilitators of adult teaching and learning.
| Item Type: |
Thesis
(Masters)
|
| Keywords: |
M.Ed. in Adult and Community Education; M.Ed.; attachment theory; adult educator; educator; teacher; |
| Academic Unit: |
Faculty of Social Sciences > Adult and Community Education |
| Item ID: |
9656 |
| Depositing User: |
IR eTheses
|
| Date Deposited: |
05 Jul 2018 11:31 |
| URI: |
|
| Use Licence: |
This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available
here |
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