Whose homework? researching parental labour in socio-economically diverse communities
conference contribution
posted on 2004-01-01, 00:00authored byKirsten Hutchison
Recent government education policies in Britain, USA and Australia advocate increased parental involvement in schooling. In the context of inadequate resourcing of public schools, increasingly parents assume significant responsibility for their children's education through active involvement in schools and at home. However, numerous studies have identified barriers to inclusion in the life of schools faced by families living in poverty, by families whose first language is not English, by Indigenous families. Class linked analyses of homework suggest that homework can be a source of stress in many families which serves to reinforce educational and social inequalities and underline cultural differences.
This paper reports on a feminist ethnographic study of homework which examines the nature and underlying purposes of tasks children bring from school for completion at home, the impact of homework on families, and the kinds of parental labour performed in homes where homework is completed. It reconceptualises homework as a 'field of practice' and develops a Bourdiueian analysis of parental management of homework across 2 socio-economically diverse communities. The paper argues that the pedagogical work in the home is increasingly complex and that the labour performed by parents is misunderstood and devalued in policies which shape homework.
History
Event
Australian Association for Research in Education. Conference (2004 : Melbourne, Vic.)
Pagination
114 - 114
Publisher
Australian Association for Research in Education
Location
Melbourne, Vic.
Place of publication
Melbourne, Vic.
Start date
2004-11-28
End date
2004-12-02
ISSN
1324-9339
Language
eng
Publication classification
E3 Extract of paper
Editor/Contributor(s)
P Jeffrey
Title of proceedings
AARE 2004 : Doing the Public Good: Positioning Educational Research : International Education Research Conference Proceedings