With kids set to head back to the classroom next month, one word may divide parent and child again: homework.
There are a variety of approaches to schoolwork at home—including outright bans—but perhaps the largest debate outside its existence is how much parents should help when their child is struggling.
The issue comes down to a passion for learning, said John Froiland, an educational psychologist at Purdue University in Indiana and author of Inspired Childhood.
“So many children have lost their love for learning,” he said Saturday on CTV News Channel. They fear failing and have difficulty persisting with it. “When they have trouble with homework, they start to give up early and find themselves frustrated.”
Parents should help, he said, but not too much. When they become controlling, it can foster a negative relationship to the work. That’s why he suggests what is called an “autonomy and relatedness supportive style.”
“It includes being very empathic and patient when talking to kids about homework, but also highlight what’s interesting about it and how they could use what they learn to help someone,” he said. “It helps keep the relationship positive. It helps kids see why they would actually want to do their homework for some greater purpose.”
Seeing the work as “preparation for making the world a better place” was a common goal identified by many fourth and fifth graders in a study published by Froiland in the Journal of Humanistic Psychology. “Setting intrinsic life goals is something that kids never learn,” he said.
Banning homework has been a subject of debate for decades. A 1951 article in Maclean’s magazine titled “Let’s Abolish Homework” cited similar reasons still often heard today from parents, pupils and teachers alike: “that it doesn’t result in scholastic achievement; that it encourages deceit and dishonesty; teaches carelessness and poor work habits; creates friction between school and home; encourages students to rely on others to do their work for them; and destroys the friendly relationship between pupils, teachers and parents.”
While the reasons may be similar today, empirical evidence has evolved but is largely inconclusive. Some research has found that homework has a positive academic impact on secondary students, but is less evident with elementary students. Seemingly inspired by a growing body of research, some schools have even implemented homework bans in recent years, including a Quebec school last year.
Where homework isn’t banned, many schools offer online resources detailing policy and providing tips for parents. The Alberta Teachers’ Association writes that parents should stay in communication with the child and their teacher to understand expectations. At home, they should provide a “supportive environment” for homework completion, but that doesn’t necessarily mean helping their children.
“In fact, some educators believe that children master skills and learn to solve problems faster when they are allowed to work through their homework on their own, without parental assistance,” they write online. “What parents can do is to provide the space, the time and the materials that kids need to get their homework done.”
The Toronto District School Board provides similar resources online, including learning materials in language arts and mathematics for Grades 1 to 8. Parents are encouraged to show interest in the child’s school day, provide a set time for homework in a quiet place, praise the child and encourage them to seek help when needed. Suggested strategies even go beyond homework to include encouraging the child to assist in reading and writing everyday items like recipes, newspapers or shopping lists.
