Looking at Homework Differently

Abstract

At first glance, an article on homework may seem an odd addition to an ongoing discussion of non-subject-matter outcomes of schooling (see the May 1999 issue of the Elementary School Journal). What could be more associated traditionally with reading, writing, and arithmetic than homework? In this article I propose that times are changing. Homework involves important social, cultural, and educative issues. A new conceptualization of homework is not just an academic task but one that infiltrates family and peer dynamics and the nature of teaching in community organizations as well as in school. One unique role for homework in a modern era is to provide social communication and contact among peers, especially peers who live beyond the neighborhood school, thereby increasing a sense of community. Moreover, self-regulatory processes are an important factor in doing homework that teachers and parents alike can monitor and address directly. Students develop an aptitude for future homework from the regularities of homework ongoing.