Stay positive with homework help
15 March 2005
by Richard Conan-Davies
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Mothers being in a positive state of mind when helping their children with homework improves their long term attitudes to learning and school in general.
The study led by Dr. Eva M. Pomerantz, a psychology proffesor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign looked at 677 instances of homework from 109 mothers, who ranged in age from 24 to 53, and their 8- to 12-year-old children.
Mothers reported on whether they actively helped or just checked or correct homework and how they were feeling such as if they were frustrated or not. Children also completed questionnaires about their motivations such as what they liked about the topics and not just on whether they were doing homework to please their parents. Overall they discovered that if the mother were positive children improved their internal sense of wanting to learn.
Dr. Pomerantz explained that "It is important for parents to let children know that they are there to support them. Being able to put frustration aside and focus on what is enjoyable about the work is key to promoting children’s motivation in school. When the work itself is not enjoyable – for example, there is a lot of boring repetition – parents might focus on the positives of working together." |
Having a positive attitude when helping with homework goes a long way to helping through the rest of school
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Original news release from Univeristy of Illinois Urban Champaign |