Israeli Parents' Involvement in Homework: Goals and Parental Motivations for Engaging and Assisting With Homework

• In Event: 45.067 - Family-School Partnerships: The Conditions and Benefits for the Teachers, Students, and Parents

Abstract

Objectives: Following increasing attempts to create parent-teacher partnerships, this study focuses on homework as an assignment that integrates learning in two separate settings – school and home. The qualitative study illuminates parents' engagement in their children's homework by exploring parents’ and teachers' perceptions of three categories: homework goals, motivations for parents' engagement in homework, and patterns of parental assistance with homework. A brief literature review, methods, and initial findings are presented alongside the study’s scholarly significance.

Framework: Homework (HM) has for many decades been part of learning and teaching processes. It is defined as “tasks assigned to students by schoolteachers meant to be carried out during non instructional time, is an integral part of the learning process” (Kuklianski, Shosberger & Eshach, 2016, p. 229). Following parents’ increasing involvement in the educational system, homework became an essential part of learning at home, as presented in Epstein’s model (2011). It is viewed as enhancing parents’ engagement in their children’s learning, and building parent-teacher partnerships (Leenders et al., 2018). Yet, the complexity of homework may create school-home conflict (Cooper, 2001), and reflected in different patterns of parental help-giving with their children’s homework: dependency-oriented, autonomy-oriented, and avoidance (Nadler, 1997, 2015).

Methods: This qualitative research is based on interviews with 12 teachers and 12 parents from a rural primary school in Israel. Twelve interviews (6 teachers and 6 parents) were conducted and analyzed separately for teachers and parents, by eliciting themes regarding the research categories: homework goals, parents’ motivation for engagement, and parental help-giving patterns Another twelve interviews are currently being processed. The initial findings are presented below. The complete findings will be presented at the conference.

Results: Regarding perceptions of homework goals, while teachers perceived homework as usually establishing collaborative relations with parents, parents indicated that homework issues could raise different conflicts with teachers. Apparently, while the teachers consider homework beneficial, the parents are more ambivalent. Regarding the motivations for parents' engagement, it was found that teachers perceived parents' motivation as intrinsic, (e.g. "parents believe in helping their children" or "the importance of knowing what their children learn is essential for parents." Parents, however, emphasize extrinsic motives (e.g. competition with other parents, desire to seem like “good parents,” aspirations for high grade for their children). Finally, concerning parental assistance with homework, teachers and parents identified different patterns: parents who regularly do their children's' homework; parents who help with homework "only when there’s a difficulty or problem"; and parents who are not involved at all ("they aren’t my assignments"). To conclude, differences were found in teachers’ and parents’ views regarding homework goals and parents' motivation. Both parents and teachers are, however, aware of the varied patterns of parental assistance in homework.

Significance: The study contributes to the understanding of parents’ engagement in homework and highlights their side in the parent-teacher partnership, as perceived by parents and teachers. It can enlarge knowledge on parents' attitudes and behaviors, and encourage educators to work productively with parents as part of the community (Epstein, 2018).

Authors

• Yael Grinshtain, Tel-Hai College and The Open University of Israel

• Gal Harpaz, The Open University of Israel