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Do you bend over backwards to make sure your children do their homework correctly night after evening? You are wrong ! According to a sociologist specializing in education, this shared moment, which can be a source of tension, would even be harmful to their learning. And this for three reasons. We’ll explain it to you.
Homework. A time for the child to review his lessons at home, a stress for many parents who pay close attention to ensuring that everything is done well. But you know what ? You may be wasting your time. According to a study unveiled in 2022 by Katerina Bodovski, an American sociologist specializing in education and childhood, helping your children with their homework is useless, even counterproductive.
No link between success and homework help
This specialist thus followed two sets of data representative of 20,000 American children from kindergarten to fifth grade (our CM2) on their work in class and the way they did their homework.
Based on parents’ responses to questionnaires for each data collection and children’s results in mathematics and reading, the researcher is clear: the study showed no advantage of parental help with homework. “In other words, we found no statistically significant association between parental homework help and math and reading achievement.” she writes for the Slate American.
Three proofs that homework help is counterproductive
On the contrary, she continues, insisting on helping your child with his homework could possibly be the source of three problems in the home and the child’s development:
Cognitive loss
So, under pressure to do their homework, parents may think they are helping their children by providing them with the right answers. But this practice would ultimately deprive students of the main purpose of homework: to hone problem-solving and other skills. This parental intervention may also mask skill or knowledge gaps.
Harmful effects on the emotional climate of the home
Parents’ daily involvement in their children’s homework has also been associated with a negative effect on the family’s emotional climate. “Parents may be more critical than teachers, or they may apply too much pressure, or create an overall stressful situation by being too controlling and intrusive.” explains the expert. This type of parental behavior has been associated in other research with poorer academic performance.
A postponement of responsibilities
Finally, parents constantly checking on a child’s homework completion may also send a message to the child that the responsibility for completing homework lies with their parents, not themselves.
What is the right attitude then?
So should we stop worrying about our children’s homework? Not really. But according to the expert, involvement can be achieved through other means, much more productive according to her observations:
- Offer your child a calm living space conducive to learning during this homework time;
- Be available if the child has difficulty with a task, but acting only if the request comes from the child, without imposing help;
- Talk with your child in a positive way about school: about what happens there, the objectives, what they liked in class (which would have a positive impact on academic success).
“Parental support is of crucial importance for the development of children’s self-esteem, as well as building their self-confidence to achieve various goals. But it’s just as effective to encourage your child to do their best, rather than to achieve a certain defined outcome, like being a top student.” she writes.
In other words, be present, but then let your child do it, even if he or she makes a mistake.
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