Homework: a cross-cultural examination.

Chuansheng Chen,Harold W Stevenson

doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.1989.tb02736.x

Abstract

Cultural differences in the amount of time spent on homework and in beliefs and attitudes about homework were investigated through interviews with more than 3,500 elementary school children, their mothers, and their teachers. The children lived in 5 cities: Beijing, Chicago, Minneapolis, Sendai (Japan), and Taipei. Chinese children were assigned more homework and spent more time on homework than Japanese children, who in turn were assigned more and spent more time on homework than American children. Chinese children also received more help from family members with their homework than American and Japanese children. Chinese children were found to have more positive attitudes about homework than American children; Japanese children's attitudes were between those of the Chinese and American children. Relations between amount of time spent on homework by children, amount of time parents spent assisting their children with homework, and children's achievement were also explored. The views of both parents and teachers about the value of homework are discussed.

Highlights

Wiley and Society for Research in Child Development are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Child Development. http://www.jstor.org
Culturaldifferences in the amount of time spent on homeworkand in beliefs and attitudesabouthomeworkwere investigatedthroughinterviewswith morethan3,500 elementaryschool children,theirmothers,andtheirteachers.The childrenlived in 5 cities: Beijing,Chicago,Minneapolis,Sendai(Japan)a, ndTaipei.Chinese childrenwere assigned more homework and spent more time on homework than Japanese children, who in turn were assigned more and spent more time on homeworkthan Americanchildren.Chinese childrenalso received more help fromfamily members with their homeworkthan did Americanand Japanese children.Chinese childrenwere foundto have morepositiveattitudesabouthomeworkthanAmerican children; Japanese children's attitudes were between those of the Chinese and American children
Time Spent on Homework We wanted to know whether significant differences in the amount of time Chinese, Japanese, and American children spend on homework do exist

Summary

Introduction

Wiley and Society for Research in Child Development are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Child Development. http://www.jstor.org. Relations between amount of time spent on homework by children, amount of time parents spent assisting their children with homework,and children's achievementwere explored. The views of both parentsand teachersaboutthe value of homeworkare discussed. Despite the strongly held opinions about the usefulness of homework, there are few empirical studies that support or refute these opinions. In their analysis of published research, Paschal, Weinstein, and Walberg (1984) were able to find only 15 studies of homework that contained descriptive or analytical statistics, and among these studies only six appeared in professional journals. Information concerning children's perceptions and attitudes about homework or about such factors as parental assistance and attitudes of parents and teachers about homework is negligible

Objectives

Results

Conclusion