If you’re paying your kids to do their homework, it just
might be time to cash it in.
Not that it can’t work.
It can, and it does. One study*,
in fact, found that paying children to complete their homework raised math
scores by three-quarters of a grade (though no similar increases were realized
for reading, social science and science). And other studies have shown that
paying for homework is far more effective than paying for grades.
But a rising tide of research, and psychological
analysis, points in the opposite direction. Three key conclusions:
1. Paying your child to do their homework is a
short-term solution. Explains psychologist and author Eileen Kennedy-Moore,
as quoted in a time.com article penned by Francine Russo: “The occasional
parental bribe won’t turn a child into a pumpkin and may be useful for getting
over a short-term hump with a specific behavior. . . . But for more important
and more long-lasting behaviors, it makes sense to look for more enduring
solutions.” Added Kennedy-Moore: “[Paying kids to complete their homework] can
lead to a very unattractive bargaining attitude, where kids demand, ‘What do I
get if I do that?’ ”
- Monetary rewards can undermine intrinsic motivation for learning.
Explained Amy McCready, founder of Positive Parenting Solutions, in an
article for education.com: “Unfortunately, well-known research by Edward
L. Deci and others concluded that students who were paid for specific
activities exhibited a decrease in intrinsic motivation to perform those
activities. Many studies since Deci’s groundbreaking research replicated
the findings that any kind of rewards – whether candy, class credits,
awards, tokens or prizes – have the same result: a weakened internal drive
toward the rewarded behavior.”
3. Cycle of dependency. An article at
webmd.com quotes author Elizabeth Pantley: “Although the bribe can produce
short-term results -- stopping temper tantrums or getting a kid to do homework –
it can also ‘up the ante’, setting up a continuous cycle of crying and bad
behavior.”
In her article for time.com, Russo cites research by
Harvard economist Roland Fryer who conducted a series of randomized experiments
to see if “paying kids to do academic tasks like reading more books” would
improve academic performance. It didn’t. Fryer’s conclusion (after paying $6.3
million to 38,000 students in 261 schools): “The impact of financial incentives
on student achievement is statistically zero in each city,” according to his
study findings which were published in the Quarterly Journal of Economics.
Solutions?
So if greenbacks aren’t the best idea, what’s a parent to
do? When your child says “I’ll do it
later,” or “I don’t have any homework,” what’s the best approach? Below are
half a dozen suggestions, courtesy of experts in the field, to help you
navigate the homework minefield.
1. “Eliminate
the word ‘homework’ from your vocabulary and replace it with the word ‘study’”,
according to Chick Moorman and Thomas Haller, authors of “The 10 Commitments:
Parenting with Purpose.” In other words, have “study” time, and set up a
“study” table. Say Moorman and Haller: “This word change alone will go a long
way toward eliminating the problem of your child saying, ‘I don't have any
homework’."
2. Replace
monetary and external rewards with encouraging verbal responses, add Moorman
and Haller. And Nancy Cedillo, of Liberty Township, agrees (as quoted in a
piece by Cindy Kranz, writing for the Cincinnati Enquirer): “I believe verbal
praise and lots of it is the way to go - complimenting them lots and lots on
the quality of their work and on not complaining about it. . . . With the
reward system, they get the message that they're doing it for mom and dad, and
to get this or that. Then, when the next assignment or job come up they'll
think, ‘What will I get if I do this?' It's the wrong message.”
3. Ignore
the whining.
4. Keep
‘em close. Explains James Lehman, writing for empoweringparents.com: “For a lot
of kids, sending them to their rooms to do their homework is a mistake. Many
children need your presence while they work. We call that technique
‘proximity’.”
5. Remove
distractions – TV, Internet, phone, iPad.
- Reward your children with
the gift of time, not material benefit.
Finally, some important perspective from Kranz: “Parents
have to realize lack of academic motivation is pretty normal. You need to take
the attitude there's nothing wrong with your kid. He just doesn't want to sit
there and do math problems. He's not rebellious. You're not a bad mom. He's not
a bad kid.”
______________
*Eric Bettinger, an
education policy expert at Stanford University, reported slight improvements
only in math scores. The modest improvements, where they occurred in both sets
of experiments, says Bettinger, should not be completely dismissed. “The math
scores showed about a three-quarters of a grade improvement, which is nothing
to scoff at.” It’s possible, the researchers say, that different study
conditions might produce better results, but so far the evidence doesn’t
support the benefits of enticing children with money.
