One of the biggest complaints of students of all ages is the amount of homework they are assigned. This is true for kindergarteners, college students, and everyone in between. Teachers expect that the students will do their own homework, perhaps with a little help from their parents. You don’t do your children’s homework for them, though, right?
An article in The Telegraph reveals some surprising things about who is really doing the homework that teachers assign. The information comes from a poll of 2,000 parents who had children between the ages of 5 and 15. The research showed that in one in six families it is the mothers and fathers who are completing all of the homework – not the students.
Why are the parents doing their kid’s homework for them? They are doing it because they perceive that choice to be the easiest path. A total of 70% of parents who responded to the poll said that their children were very happy to let their mom or dad do their homework for them. In about one-third of these situations, the child wandered off and left the parents to do all the homework by themselves.
Some parents said that it was easier to do their child’s homework for them because it prevented the nightly battle that takes place when parents try to force reluctant children to sit down and complete their homework. Respondents noted that fights over homework happened not only between a parent and a child but also between parents.
Other parents admitted that they do their children’s homework for them because the parents get exited when the teacher gives that homework a high score. Something about that situation makes the parents feel good about themselves.
An article in The Atlantic points out that helping a child with his or her homework may not end up producing the results that parents desire. A study was done that included three decades of data from longitudinal surveys from American parents. It tracked 63 different measures of parental participation in kids academic lives.
What they found may surprise you. One finding was that reviewing your child’s homework with him or her every night doesn’t actually result in higher test scores on standardized tests. In fact, once children enter middle school, that nightly review may be more harmful than helpful. Not all parents remember what they were taught in school, and some information may have changed since then.
The study did find some habits that are helpful. Parents should read aloud to young kids every night. Talking with teenagers at home about their college plans is also influential.
In short, there are some, limited, ways that parents can help their children with their homework. Don’t do your child’s homework for them, though. Give them the opportunity to practice their skills, engage in critical thinking, and reap the rewards of a job well done.
Image by Anna Gutermuth on Flickr.
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