THE ROLE OF PARENTAL ATTITUDES IN CHILDREN'S MOTIVATION TOWARD HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS

Family Socioeconomic Status and Adolescent School Satisfaction: Does Schoolwork Support Affect This Association?

Background

The aim of this study is to explore the association of family socioeconomic status (SES) and internal and external schoolwork support with adolescents' school satisfaction and whether schoolwork support modifies these associations.

Methods

Data come from the cross-sectional Health Behavior in School-aged Children study collected in 2018 from Slovak 15-year-olds (N = 1127; 52.7% boys). SES was measured by Family Affluence Scale (low; middle; high). School satisfaction was measured via school engagement and attitudes toward education. Schoolwork support was measured regarding two groups of sources inside and outside the family, separately. Logistic regression models were used to explore the associations of SES and schoolwork support with school satisfaction as well as the moderating effect of schoolwork support.

Results

Adolescents with low SES were more likely to feel indifferent toward school and education (odds ratios/95%-confidence interval: 1.77/1.26-2.49), and similarly, adolescents who did not have schoolwork support inside or outside the family (1.38/1.02-1.87, and 1.50/1.01-2.22, respectively). Schoolwork support moderated the associations of SES with school satisfaction. Adolescents with low and middle SES without support inside or outside the family were more likely to feel indifferent than satisfied (2.72/1.21-6.10; 3.00/1.27-7.06; and 2.86/1.05-7.80; 6.04/1.72-21.24, respectively).

Conclusion

Adolescents from low and middle SES without schoolwork support inside or outside the family are more likely to feel indifferent toward school and education.

Student Perception of Teacher and Parent Involvement in Homework and Student Engagement: The Mediating Role of Motivation

Currently, there is much debate about the value of assigning homework. Organizations such as the OECD have concluded that doing more homework is not synonymous with better performance. This study was designed to analyze the mediating role of student motivation in the relationship between the involvement of parents and teachers in homework and the engagement of students in these tasks. Seven hundred and thirty students in Compulsory Secondary Education (7th-10th grade) participated from 14 schools in the north of Spain. Three competing models were developed and tested to study motivational mediation: a non-motivational mediation model (direct effects model); a total motivational mediation model (indirect effects model); and a partial motivational mediation model (mixed effects model). The best model was adjusted according to gender and school year variables. The total mediation motivational model demonstrated the best fit (indirect effects model). The results suggest the total mediation of student motivation in the relationship between the perception of parents' and teachers' involvement in homework and student cognitive engagement in these tasks. Some differences, albeit slight, were observed with respect to gender and school year. The results have clear theoretical and educational implications.

Homework Involvement and Academic Achievement of Native and Immigrant Students

Homework is a debated issue in society and its relationship with academic achievement has been deeply studied in the last years. Nowadays, schools are multicultural stages in which students from different cultures and ethnicities work together. In this sense, the present study aims to compare homework involvement and academic achievement in a sample of native and immigrant students, as well as to study immigrant students' relationship between homework involvement and Math achievement. The sample included 1328 students, 10-16 years old from Spanish families (85.6%) or immigrant students or students of immigrant origin (14.4%) from South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. The study was developed considering three informants: elementary and secondary students, their parents and their teachers. Results showed higher involvement in homework in native students than in immigrant. Between immigrants students, those who are more involved in homework have better academic achievement in Math at secondary grades. There weren't found gender differences on homework involvement, but age differences were reported. Immigrant students are less involved in homework at secondary grades that students in elementary grades. The study highlights the relevance of homework involvement in academic achievement in immigrant students.