Should you pay your kids to do their homework?

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?’ ”

2. 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.

6. 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.”

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*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.