by he world’s largest study on homework reflects that family involvement is only positive if it promotes the student’s autonomy and counterproductive if they insist on using strategies other than the teacher, stick to controlling time or directly assuming tasks.
These are the conclusions of a study carried out by scientists from the universities of Mississippi (USA), Bohai (China), Oviedo and the Center for Cognitive and Brain Neuroscience (Liaoning, China), based on the analysis of research from the last thirty years. . , with almost 380,000 participants.
In an interview with EFE, the professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Oviedo, José Carlos Núñez, explains that the help of fathers and mothers with schoolwork is only relevant in primary school (6-12 years), not so in secondary or high school, and the results are not different depending on the subjects.
Spain, one of the countries where the student perceives more pressure
“In general, it was always thought that in subjects like mathematics the involvement of parents could be more important. And that is not the case, it is the same in all subjects,” adds the professor, who has been researching homework since the beginning of 2000.
According to a study by the World Health Organization (WHO), 25% of Spanish girls and 34% of 11-year-old boys say they feel pressured by homework, and the percentage increases with age: 55% at age 13 and 70% at age 15 years.
These figures place Spain as one of the countries where youth perceive greater pressure derived from these tasks.
At a global level, Núñez details, “the general conclusions of our study show a negative effect on academic performance, but the conclusion is not ‘parents, do not help’, this is not the case, because multiple dimensions must be taken into account.”
Help is negative or null if it is not focused on strengthening the student’s autonomy. supporting your ideas and motivationattend to the children’s emotions, their anxiety and stress, adds the psychologist.
Do not hinder the teaching staff
“It is even counterproductive when the only thing parents do is help with the content, explain their homework so that they can complete it because many times what they do is hinder the teachers: they explain it in one way and the families of another and, in the end, the children get angry because they don’t clarify things.
According to the professor at the University of Oviedo, “More than quantity, what is important is quality and quality is always related to helping autonomy, trust them; be attentive to your motivation; “I try to get them excited and see that it is important for them to do their homework.”
It also advocates carrying out “intervention studies, that is, trying to teach parents to learn to give children independence from a very young age, to relieve their stress and anxiety and not expect their children to do poorly in school” to work with them and exercise more control.
You have to provide a fair amount of homework
Independently of this study, the professor believes that teachers must propose “the right amount of homework, not just because there are too many of them will be better; they must be adjusted to the needs of your students; better designed, more will be achieved. The same happens with the Parents, it is not better for you to explain their homework or spend many hours with them.
In summary, according to the research results, family involvement will be positive when:
1. It helps with organization of spaces and times:
• to locate the materials they need.
• find a quiet place to do homework.
• to keep a record of tasks completed and those that remain to be done.
• to establish priorities and plan the task in advance to optimize time.
• don’t procrastinate.
• to eliminate potential distractors.
• not burdening them with extracurricular activities.
2. Support for motivation management and the emotions of their children:
• showing attitudes that denote interest, value and usefulness of duties.
• trying to convince them that they can do tasks, even when they feel it is too difficult.
• praising them for their effort and encouraging them in difficult moments.
• calming them down and helping them re-establish motivation when they have difficulty addressing them appropriately.
• asking them to be deeply involved and value personal initiatives, as this will facilitate the promotion of personal autonomy and the skills necessary for self-regulated learning.
The family involvement It does not have positive results if only control is provided or only after negative academic results:
• when the help is limited to controlling time, completion, etc., especially if it is only done after poor results.
• when family involvement consists of doing tasks that the children do not know how to do.
• when they use procedures not used by their teachers.
• when children observe negative attitudes towards homework in their parents.
