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Malaysian Parents' Practices and Perspectives on the Organization of School Homework

Parmjit Singh, Sidhu, G. K. and Chan Yuen Fook

Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science, Volume 21, Issue 3, September 2013

Keywords: Parents, homework, amount of time, school, teaching, learning

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The main objective of this descriptive nature study is to paint a picture of Malaysian parents' practices and perspectives towards school homework. Additionally, it determines the amount of time children spend on doing homework and aspects related to the management of homework. The sample of the study consisted of 723 parents with children in Primary 3 (aged 9) and Primary 5 (aged 11) from 17 schools selected via a random sampling technique. The instrument used for the study was a self-designed questionnaire comprising three sections: (a) demographic details, (b) parents' perceptions on homework, and (c) open and close-ended questions. Interviews were also conducted to triangulate the data collected from the questionnaire. The results showed that most of the parents viewed school homework as a positive catalyst to help a child learn independently. The majority of parents agreed that doing homework helps improve their children's academic achievement. In terms of time spent in doing homework, the findings indicated that children spent 1.92 hours daily on their school homework, and in terms of communicating with their children's school teachers, approximately 90% of the parents indicated that they hardly communicated with the teachers. The findings also revealed that only 48.9% of the respondents assist their children with homework. In addition, more than two-thirds of the mothers constantly monitor and help their children to complete their homework. It is hoped that the findings will generate further research that can contribute to the area of the practices and perceptions of parents with regards to the organization of school homework.

ISSN 1511-3701

e-ISSN 2231-8542

Article ID

JSSH-0454-2011

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