Homework-Related Communication Problems

Abstract

Homework-related communication problems that are experienced in the general education classroom by students with disabilities were researched in order to determine the perspectives of special education (SE) teachers. Initially, school principals were asked to randomly select special educators to participate in a survey, resulting in a list of 1,088 teachers. These teachers then were mailed a survey on homework problems to complete. A total of 576 (52.9%) of the SE teachers responded. The results indicated that the teachers perceived a number of homework-related communication problem areas as more serious than others. Most problematic were areas relating to (a) the role of general education (GE) and SE teachers in the homework process, (b) unfavorable parental attitudes toward homework, (c) the low level of communication about students' homework provided by GE teachers to the SE teacher, and (d) the lack of time for communicating with parents due to the demands of paperwork and record keeping. Findings were generally consistent with those of an earlier exploratory study and a parallel study that surveyed the perceptions of GE teachers on similar questions. Implications for future research are presented.