Everyday Family Experience: A Child’s Home Preparation for School

Abstract

Abstract:Introduction: The family life of a child of compulsory school age is influenced by the way that a child's educational career is discussed and practically supported. This is transmitted into normal family life through the completion of the child's homework and any other school-related responsibilities. The parent is considered an actor who contributes significantly to the supervision of the child's homework. Methods: This research project explored how parents and children describe their experience of homework through semi-structured interviews with elementary school pupils and their parents. The results are presented in our study. Seven, mostly university-educated parents and six pupils were interviewed at the start of compulsory schooling, when the bonds and interaction are the most intensive between parents and children in the context of homework. The transcribed interviews were analysed using the technique of open coding. Codes identified were repeatedly read, reviewed and subsequently grouped into categories with the aim of description and explanation. Results: The survey revealed that the completion of homework in the parent -child interaction is an implicit part of everyday family life. Homework and advance home preparation are considered to be the responsibility of the parent as well as the child, on the other hand, the home preparation is also time-consuming and gendermarked. Limitations: The limitations of the study relate primarily to the construction of the research sample. The intentional sample of parents was determined by socioeconomic status and quantity and also by the parents' willingness to share their parenting experience, and for the child by the extent of data gathered. In further research, this will be supported by observation in the home setting. Conclusions: The research findings contribute to a description of the child's life in the family and confirm the importance of inevitable parental participation in their educational socialization at the beginning of compulsory school attendance.

Socioeconomic Status of the Family as a Determinant of Family-School Cooperation

“…J. Majerčíková (2011) has in mind mutual communication based on the social skills of the teacher, i.e., the teacher's ability to prevent conflict situations and establish contact with parents. During the cooperation, the teacher observes different parental approaches, manifested in different aspirations for the child's performance, personal experiences with the school environment, and the different SES levels of the family.…”

Home preparation of anglophone children for school: The influence of a different culture

“…If these children get homework, the task should have a simple, clear assignment and should not be marked in order for pupils from a different cultural environment to do it. Majerčíková and Petrů-Puhrová (2017) state that home preparation includes more than just homework in the form of individual tasks. It is assumed that parents are involved as an implicit part of family life.…”

“…Through this training, children have the opportunity to gain habits and experience in independence and responsibility. These tasks can also encourage them and often force them to resolve the frustrations they cause (Majerčíková & Petrů-Puhrová, 2017). The role of a child in the family is, among other things, undoubtedly fulfilled by home preparation for school.…”