Family perception of homework as a function

Abstract

Introduction: The controversies caused by the subject of homework, both in the family and in educational centres, place it as one of the focuses of interest for educational research. It focuses on the diversity of support agents to which the student can turn, an aspect that has been scarcely dealt with, and considering that they can influence the homework completion process. Objective: To determine the perception of benefits, emotional exhaustion caused, the child's competences and the organisation of homework according to the family or non-family member who is the support agent. Method: A non-experimental, correlational, quantitative-cross-sectional research study was carried out with the aim of analysing this condition. For this purpose, the questionnaire "Coping with homework in the family" was applied to a total of 1787 families of infant (15.1%), primary (48.7%) and secondary (36.2%) school students. Results: The results revealed that the person who mainly accompanies, in the completion of homework, is the mother and that, based on the different support figures (fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters or external professional), significant differences are established in relation to the organisation with homework, the perception of the benefits of homework, the competences that students have to cope with homework and the emotional wear and tear that it can produce in the family. Conclusions: The need to educate families so that they see homework as a positive task for the child's learning and as a possibility of bringing the family closer together to strengthen ties instead of causing estrangement is evident.

keywords: family, homework, parent-child relationship, parent-school relationship, family accompaniment.