The motivational benefits of homework: a social-cognitive perspective

Theory Into Practice, Summer, 2004 by Janine Bempechat

As previous research has shown, homework is a critical means of communicating standards and expectations (Natriello & McDill, 1986). Regardless of social class, teachers' standards for homework completion improve academic performance, something that Catholic educators have realized for some time. Catholic schools are institutions where the poorest children in the United States do exceptionally well, as evidenced by lower dropout rates, higher GPAs and SAT scores, and greater college acceptance rates (Bryk, Lee, & Holland, 1993). Catholic schools help poor students attain high levels of proficiency through demanding coursework and consistently high expectancies and standards for schoolwork and homework. If anything, Catholic school teachers of low-income students report feeling particularly bound to demand hard work of their students, in part because they are aware of the hurdles they will face in the future (Polite, 1996).

At the other end of the social class spectrum, many middle-class parents complain that their children's elementary school homework is stressful for the whole family, robbing parents and children of opportunities to pursue other family activities and interfering with children's extracurricular interests. Some parents report feeling resentful that their own limited time to relax is taken up by their children's homework (Xu & Corno, 1998), while others report that they routinely send notes to their children's teachers explaining that they do not allow their children to finish homework that they feel takes too much time (Bempechat, 2000). In short, they feel sorry for their children when they have challenging homework. These are often the same parents who will later demand an exacting course of study from their children's high school teachers, in order for their children to be as well prepared as possible for the increasingly competitive college application process.

Many parents do not realize that, in advocating for little or no homework, homework that is not "stressful," or homework that does not become "their" homework, their children will pay the price in the long run in lack of preparedness for the academic demands and obstacles that will eventually come their way. These parents, in effect, rob their children of countless opportunities to develop adaptive learning beliefs and behaviors. Parents who actively protest a school's homework policy on the grounds that it is too demanding run the risk of communicating to their children both low expectations and a belief that they lack the ability to rise to a teacher's standards. This can serve to undermine children's confidence and developing beliefs about themselves as effective learners. Parents who are not supportive of teachers' homework policies will communicate their dissatisfaction to their children, who are likely to take on their parents' negative attitudes (Epstein & Van Voorhis, 2001).

Conclusion

As they progress through elementary to secondary and post-secondary schooling, the tasks teachers require of their students become increasingly complex. For many students, mistakes, confusion, and academic struggle become a common aspect of learning. Children need to know that their teachers and parents believe in their ability to acquire knowledge and master new skills, especially when they are confronted with setbacks. Despite concerns and outright objections from some parents, teachers need to maintain appropriate standards of performance for their students through homework requirements. Under the guidance of adults who challenge their intellectual growth, homework provides students with the training they need to develop adaptive achievement beliefs and behaviors. All children, rich and poor, need to be pushed, not pitied, as they struggle to become mature learners.