Effect of parents and peer attachment on academic achievement of late adolescent nursing students - A comparative study

Abstract

Background: Parental and peer attachment have been shown to affect students' academic performance and educational outcomes. Although low attachment to parents and peers was not the single predictor of poor academic performance, strong attachment was found to influence the college students' sense of self and promoted higher self-esteem. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of parents' and peer attachment on academic achievement of late adolescent nursing students and compare this effect among Saudi and Egyptian students. In spite of that the total sample were taken from Arab countries, each sample differ in many ways mainly the conservative culture and economic status that was reflected in parent and peer attachment among both countries which foster the researcher to compare it. Subject: A total subject of 492 nursing students was enrolled in the study (which is representative of the nursing students from level 3 to level 8). Tool: Two tools were used for this study. Tool I: demographic data of the students & GPA. Tool II: Attachment inventory scale The IPPA consists of 25 items for the mother, 25 items for the father, and 25 items for the peers. A comparative study design was used and a self-report questionnaire with a five point Likert scale response was filled by the study subject. Results: Attachment of Egyptian students to their peers was significantly higher than Saudi students. A significant subscales of attachment between Saudi and Egyptian students were mother's alienation and peer alienation, high parent and high peer attachment group working more better on academic achievement, however the low parent and peer attachment group wasn't considered as the single predictor of poor academic performance. Conclusions: Parent's attachment in our study appears to have no effect on academic achievement of both countries. Peer attachment seemed to have a significant effect on academic performance for Egyptian students and not for Saudi students.