Five Main Reasons Behind Students’ Inability to do Homework
homework is a widely practiced educational activity. It is work assigned by teachers to be done at home. But some students do not do their homework regularly. In this writing, I have tried to explore the main five reasons behind the inability of students to do homework.
I have experience teaching for almost 6 years. I have been teaching in a government school for one year. Since I was a teacher at a private school, the problem with students regarding homework was negligible. Only very few students would come without completing their homework. But when I entered in a government, I was surprised to witness that totally opposite to the students from the private school that very few do their homework regularly. Most of the students don’t come with their accomplished homework. This is the new problem that I had to think of so seriously. I noticed that most of the students do not do their homework on my subject.
After a prolonged think over of the problem and required intervention on the problem, I came up with four main reasons behind students’ inability to do their homework regularly.
Lack of motivation in Students’ Homework:
Motivation is a drive that gets something to do. Motivation plays vital role in teaching and learning. Homework is a part of teaching learning activities. The researcher found that students are less motivated or say not motivated towards study. They don’t know the importance of doing homework. They are unfamiliar with the benefits of homework in their study. During observation, the researcher found that the students who regularly do their homework are good at study and those who rarely do their homework and neither serious about their study nor good at it. It could be because of the lack of motivation in them.
Teachers would give neither feedback nor incentives to the students after doing homework. In my question to the non-participant students (who do their homework regularly), the students said “The teachers mostly give assignments but do not say anything after checking.” This statement is the evidence to claim that teachers are unable to motivate students in doing homework. Students further said, “Teachers always punish and scold us when we are unable to do homework.” Teachers instead of motivating them to do homework, punish them without knowing the actual reasons.
This is not only the problem with teachers and students but also with parents and children. Their parents were not motivating children to do homework. The participant students said “Our parents do not involve in our homework… they are busy with their own work… they don’t have time to talk to us…we also have to help them in household work.” The researcher also notices the same with the parents. They do not know how to motivate their children towards homework. They neither gave incentives or rewards for doing well at study nor advised them cool-headedly. Parents admitted.
Teachers’ Negligence in Students’ Homework:
The teacher must be aware and careful of every activity of students. There should be regularity and sustainability of what they say and do. During data collection, it is found that the teachers were not checking the homework they assign regularly. Such activity of teacher was facilitating students’ irregularity in doing homework. Students reported that some of the teachers do not check their homework daily though they assign it regularly. To validate the students’ statements the researcher crosses-checked students’ homework copies. He found most of the homework was unchecked. In the sense the students were right.
Home Barriers in Students’ Homework
The home environment plays a vital role in shaping children’s behaviors. The surrounding, physical facilities, family relations, mutual understanding, and proper communication among family members, etc. come under the home environment. They play a very crucial role in students’ study achievement. During the visit of the researcher to students’ parents, he went to their home. The parents were found giving less priority to the child’s homework. They do command children to do homework or study at home but they could not involve in children’s homework because of their business in household work and their professional work i.e. agriculture. The parents stated “We cannot help them in doing homework.
Though we want our children good at study, we cannot help them properly… but we always tell them to spend some time in front of books and copies.” The researcher also found the students involving in household work like preparing morning food when their parents are out for work; cutting grass for animals; fetching water from the tap. One of the students said, “I cannot do difficult homework myself, I need the help of others…but there is no one to help me.” This problem is created because of illiterate parents and doing no effort for children’s additional support in a study like looking for a mentor and enrolling in extra classes. To be specific, students have a lack proper support at home and lack time for study and homework.
Difficult and too Much Homework:
People have different views and perceptions about homework. For some it is a tool for making students busy at home; for some, it is a kind of punishment, and for others, it is a way of consolidating what students learn at school. Too much homework is always problematic. Homework should not be like a punishment. Homework should be interesting and according to students’ level. Very difficult and too much homework creates problems not only for students but also for the parents. Some students said “We cannot do all homework because of the load of homework sometimes. When all teachers assign homework it is difficult to complete in time… our parents cannot help us with homework so that we cannot do difficult homework ourselves.” The parents also accepted the fact that they cannot help children do homework.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, homework should not be a problem for students. It should be fun. Students don’t do their homework when they are not motivated. Their home problems also affect children’s behaviors. Every teacher and guardian must be responsible for students’ homework. Teachers’ negligence in homework checking also leads to a lack of interest in students in doing homework.
Finally don’t forget to check out this for
How to Motivate Students to Do Their Homework?
Communicating information effectively can set students up for success at home. On the first day of school, take a confident, upbeat approach with your students regarding homework. What you say and do in the classroom can help get students on track during homework time.
Below are seven approaches to take with your students regarding homework. For the greatest impact, put these strategies into practice early in the school year.
Explain the purpose of homework
Students need to understand why it’s important to do their homework. Homework is intended to be a positive experience that furthers learning, and your students should never view it as a punishment. Make it clear every assignment has a purpose, and mastery only occurs when students work independently, without the safety net of the classroom. Let students know you will always explain how a given assignment will fit into the big picture.
Emphasize how homework is a way to solidify the concepts students learn in the classroom, and the best way to accomplish this is through consistency and repetition. With this practice, students will feel confident in their skills and transition well into the next day’s lesson. When students do their homework well, more learning can take place in the classroom every day.
Set expectations on the first day
Studies show students are more successful when teachers set high standards, so make your expectations clear. Explain students who complete their homework assignments will be successful in your class. For those who don’t, it will be a tough road ahead.
Keep your tone positive and let students know what to expect regarding workload. Clarify how you will grade homework and the consequences of missed assignments. Spell everything out in a homework contract and have students sign it. Just make sure to explain it, too, so the information sinks in.
Give homework daily
Assign each evening’s homework in manageable chunks. If you send students home with a weekly packet of information, they may become overwhelmed. Some students may procrastinate and leave the entire packet until the last minute, which defeats the purpose of daily practice. Over time, daily assignments become part of a student’s routine and part of life, not a chore.
Provide clear instructions.
Make sure to provide clear instructions and post homework in multiple locations, such as in your classroom and on your website.
Set aside classroom time for independent learning.
Teachers often make the mistake of creating an environment of dependency in the classroom. Some students may overly rely on teachers and peers for guidance and information. To truly master the day’s material, students need the opportunity to work independently through the learning process before they leave for the day. If this piece is missing, students may become frustrated when they sit down to do their homework.
Earn Respect
You need to gain a student’s respect before you can expect to influence their homework habits. To gain respect, be likable, build rapport with your students and always follow through. When students respect you, they will start to trust what you tell them, and through your influence, you can inspire a strong work ethic.
Take a personal interest in the lives of your students and homework
Get to know your students. Try relating to students by engaging them in conversations about topics that interest them. Once you’ve established a personal connection, they are more likely to listen to you, and it will mean more when you tell them to complete their homework.
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