How does homework ‘work’ for young children? Children’s accounts of homework in their everyday lives

Abstract

Homework is an increasing yet under-researched part of young children’s everyday lives. Framed by the international agendas of starting strong and school accountability, homework in the lives of young children has been either overlooked or considered from the perspective of adults rather than from the perspective of children themselves. This paper redresses this situation by reporting on an Australian study of 120 young children, aged four to eight years, where homework emerges as a key part of their everyday lives. Children’s own accounts of their everyday decision-making, using audio-taped conversations and concurrent paper-based timeline activities, show homework as accomplishing the institutional purposes of the school, while affording the children opportunities to demonstrate their competence in operating in an adult-generated education regime.

Keywords:

• homework
• young children
• early childhood
• children’s decision-making
• children’s everyday lives
• early childhood education and care

Acknowledgements

The study was funded under the Australian Research Council Discovery Scheme (DP0452493), with ethical approval (QUT/UHREC #2328H).