Title: Homework in primary school: could it be made more child-friendly?
Source document: Studia paedagogica. 2016, vol. 21, iss. 4, pp. 13-33
Extent
13-33
-
ISSN1803-7437 (print)2336-4521 (online)
Persistent identifier (DOI): https://doi.org/10.5817/SP2016-4-1
Stable URL (handle): https://hdl.handle.net/11222.digilib/136284
Type: Article
Language
License: Not specified license
Notice: These citations are automatically created and might not follow citation rules properly.
Abstract(s)
Homework plays a crucial role in the childhood environment. Teachers argue that homework is important for learning both school subjects and a good work ethic. Hattie (2013, p. 39) referenced 116 studies from around the world which show that homework has almost no effect on children's learning at primary school. Some studies have also found little effect on the development of a good work ethic or that homework may be counterproductive as children develop strategies to get away with doing as little as possible, experience physical and emotional fatigue, and lose interest in school (Cooper, 1989; Klette, 2007; Kohn, 2010). The present article argues that the practice of homework in Norwegian primary schools potentially threatens the quality of childhood, using Befring's (2012) five indicators of quality. These indicators are: good and close relationships, appreciation of diversity and variety, development of interest and an optimistic future outlook, caution with regards to risks, and measures to counteract the reproduction of social differences. The analysis builds on empirical data from in-depth interviews with 37 teachers and document analysis of 107 weekly plans from 15 different schools. The results show that the practice of homework potentially threatens the quality of childhood in all five indicators. The findings suggest that there is a need for teachers to rethink the practice of homework in primary schools to protect the value and quality of childhood.
References
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[29] Rønning, M. (2010). Homework and pupil achievement in Norway: Evidence from TIMSS. Retrieved from https://www.ssb.no/a/publikasjoner/pdf/rapp_201001/rapp_201001.pdf
[30] Shirokanova, A. (2015). A comparative study of work ethic among Muslims and Protestants: Multilevel evidence. Social Compass, 62(4), 615–631. | DOI 10.1177/0037768615601980
[31] Sletten, M. A., Strandbu, Å., & Gilje, Ø. (2015). Norsk Pedagogisk Tidsskrift, 99(5), 334–350.
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[33] The Norwegian Directorate of Education and Training. (2015). Den generelle del av lærerplanen. [The general part of the curriculum]. Retrieved from http://www.udir.no/laring-og-trivsel/lareplanverket/generell-del-av-lareplanen/
[34] Tjora, A. H. (2010). Kvalitative forskningsmetoder i praksis. Bergen: Fagbokforlaget.
[35] Valdermo, O. H. (2014, May 7). Lekser i TIMMS og i norsk skole. Bedre Skole. Retrieved from http://utdanningsforskning.no/artikler/lekser-i-timss-og-i-norsk-skole/
[36] Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
[37] Weber, M. (1995). Den protestantiske etikk og kapitalismens ånd. Oslo: Pax Forlag.
[38] Yin, R. (1994). Case study research. Design and methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
[2] Apple, M. (1982). Education and Power. Boston: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
[3] Aronowitz, S., & Giroux, H. (1993). Education still under siege (Second edition). Westport, Conneticut: Bergin and Garvin.
[4] Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: Freeman.
[5] Bandura, A. (1999). A social cognitive theory of personality. In L. Pervin, & O. John (Ed.), Handbook of personality (Second edition) (pp. 154–196). New York: Guilford Publications.
[6] Befring, E. (2012). Skolen for barnas beste: Kvalitetsvikår for oppvekst, læring og utvikling. [School for the childrens best: Quality indicators for upbringing, learning and development]. Oslo: Samlaget.
[7] Bempechat, J. (2004). The motivational benefits of homework: A social-cognitive perspective. Theory Into Practice, 43(3), 189–196. | DOI 10.1207/s15430421tip4303_4
[8] Berglyd, I. W. (2003). Skole og hjem samarbeid – avstand og nærhet. Bergen: Fagbokforlaget.
[9] Blazer, Ch. (2009). Literature review homework. Miami, FL: Research services.
[10] Brøyn, T. (2016). Stress blant barn og unge. [Stress among children and young people]. Bedre Skole, (3), 38–40. Retrieved from https://www.utdanningsforbundet.no/upload/Tidsskrifter/Bedre%20Skole/BS_3_2016/7724-BedreSkole-0316-Stress.pdf
[11] Cooper, H. (1989). Homework. White Plains, NY: Longman.
[12] Cooper, H., Robinson, J. C., & Patall, E. A. (2006). Does homework improve academic achievement? A synthesis of research, 1987–2003. Review of Educational Research, 76(1), 1–62. | DOI 10.3102/00346543076001001
[13] Corno, L., & Xu, J. (2004). Homework as the job of childhood. Theory Into Practice, 43(3), 227–233. | DOI 10.1207/s15430421tip4303_9
[14] Dale, E. L. (1996). Læring og utvikling – i lek og undervisning. In I. Bråten (Ed.), Vygotsky i pedagogikken (pp. 43–73). Oslo: Cappelen Akademiske Forlag. E24. (2016, October 9). Undersøkelse: Japanere jobber seg til døde. [Research: Japanese work themselves to death]. Retrieved from http://e24.no/jobb/japan/undersoekelse-japanere-jobber-segtil-doede/23815775
[15] Ford, N. (2014). "The crisis of work", by Andre Gorz. Retrieved from http://abolishwork.com/2014/12/01/the-crisis-of-work-andre-gorz/
[16] Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, R. D. (1999). The discovery of grounded theory. Strategies for qualitative research. New York: Routledge.
[17] Goleman, D. (2013). Focus: The hidden driver of excellence. New Delhi: Bloomsbury Publishing India.
[18] Grønmo, L. S., & Onstad, T. (2009). Tegn til bedring. Norske elevers prestasjoner i matematikk og naturfag i TIMSS 2007. Oslo: Unipub.
[19] Hadwin, A., Tevaarwerk, K., & Ross, S. (2005). Are we teaching students to strategically self-regulate learning? A content analysis of 100 study skills textbooks. Paper presented at the Annual meeting of the American Educational Researchers Association, April 11–15, 2005, Montreal, QB.
[20] Hattie, J. (2013). Synlig læring – for lærere. [Visible learning for teachers]. Oslo: Cappelen Damm Akademisk.
[21] Johnson, J., Arumi, A. M., & Ott, A. (2006). Balancing the educational agenda. American Educator, (Fall 2016), 18–26.
[22] Klette, K. (2007). Bruk av arbeidsplaner i skolen – et hovedverktøy for å realisere tilpasset opplæring? [Workplans in school – a tool for individualizing education?]. Norsk Pedagogisk Tidsskrift, 91(4), 344–358.
[23] Kohn, A. (2006). The homework myth. Why our kids get too much of a bad thing. Philadelphia, PA: First Da Capo Press.
[24] Modrack, S. (2008). The protestant work ethic revisited: A promising concept or an outdated idea? (WZB discussion paper no. SP I 2008-101). Berlin, Germany: Social Science Research Center Berlin, research unit: Labour Market Policy and Employment.
[25] Montessori, M. (1936, 2009). Barndommens gåte. [The mystery of Childhood., Original title: Il segreto dell'infanzia]. Oslo: Montessori Forlaget.
[26] OECD. (2014). Table C7.4. Learning environment, by type of school (2012). In Education at a glance 2014: OECD Indicators (Chapter C: Access to education, participation and progression).
[27] Rice, G. (1999). Islamic ethics and the implications for business. Journal of Business Ethics, 18(4), 345–358. | DOI 10.1023/A:1005711414306
[28] Robson, C. (2002). Real world research (Second edition). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.
[29] Rønning, M. (2010). Homework and pupil achievement in Norway: Evidence from TIMSS. Retrieved from https://www.ssb.no/a/publikasjoner/pdf/rapp_201001/rapp_201001.pdf
[30] Shirokanova, A. (2015). A comparative study of work ethic among Muslims and Protestants: Multilevel evidence. Social Compass, 62(4), 615–631. | DOI 10.1177/0037768615601980
[31] Sletten, M. A., Strandbu, Å., & Gilje, Ø. (2015). Norsk Pedagogisk Tidsskrift, 99(5), 334–350.
[32] Smith, P. K. (2003). Play and peer relations. In A. Slater, & G. Bremner (Eds.), An introduction to developmental psycholog y (pp. 311–333). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.
[33] The Norwegian Directorate of Education and Training. (2015). Den generelle del av lærerplanen. [The general part of the curriculum]. Retrieved from http://www.udir.no/laring-og-trivsel/lareplanverket/generell-del-av-lareplanen/
[34] Tjora, A. H. (2010). Kvalitative forskningsmetoder i praksis. Bergen: Fagbokforlaget.
[35] Valdermo, O. H. (2014, May 7). Lekser i TIMMS og i norsk skole. Bedre Skole. Retrieved from http://utdanningsforskning.no/artikler/lekser-i-timss-og-i-norsk-skole/
[36] Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
[37] Weber, M. (1995). Den protestantiske etikk og kapitalismens ånd. Oslo: Pax Forlag.
[38] Yin, R. (1994). Case study research. Design and methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.