RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ATTACHMENT PARENTING PRACTICE AND ATTACHMENT STYLES AMONG EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PUPILS IN KADUNA METROPOLIS, NIGERIA

The study investigated the relationship between attachment parenting practice and attachment styles of pupils in early childhood education in Kaduna metropolis, Nigeria.The study had three objectives; three hypotheses were formulated and tested.The population for the study was 451 early childhood education pupils out of which 83 pupils were studied; 39 males (47%) while 44 females (53 %).Correlation type of survey was employed in the conduct of the research.The instruments used in collecting data were parenting practices and child attachment style checklists.The attachment style checklist was administered by the research assistants on the sampled pupils while the parenting practices checklist was administered to the parents of the sampled pupils.Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) was the statistical tool used in analyzing the data collected.Results of the analyses indicated significant correlation existed between attachment parenting practice and secure attachment style (p = .003),but there was no significant correlation between attachment parenting practice and ambivalent attachment style (p = .212)as well as between attachment parenting practice and ambivalent attachment style (p =. 081.Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended that parents and caregivers should employ best parenting practices like attachment parenting so that the child grows up in secure environment and develop secure attachment style among others.