Relationships between perceptions of attachment to parents and primary school achievement

Various studies have been conducted on the possible links between attachment and education, in particular school performance. These studies show a link between attachment to parents and academic performance. Nevertheless, despite the specificity of the parental attachment relationship, few studies have focused on comparing father-child attachment to mother-child attachment. The aim of this study is to examine the links between attachment to each parent and school performance. A total of 149 second and third grade students were assessed using Kerns’ security scale, distinguishing between attachment to the mother and the father, and the School Acquisition Test in mathematics and French. The results show that attachment is linked to academic achievement and that this link is different according to the parent. Regression analyses suggest a closer relationship between attachment and performance in French, compared to performance in mathematics.