BOOSTING HOMEWORK - A VIDEO TAPE LINK BETWEEN FAMILIES AND SCHOOLS

This study examined effects of a self-administered video tape interven tion designed to improve students' homework quality, promote parental involvement and support for children's homework efforts, and enhance c ommunications between families and schools. A total of 49 junior-high students and their parents participated in the study. Students were id entified by teachers as experiencing academic problems. Random assignm ent by classroom to experimental or control conditions was employed to test the intrevention. The intervention materials advised students to engage in specific daily home study routines, parents to monitor and reinforce these efforts, and teachers to provide daily report cards. R esults supported the utility of the intervention materials, which were well-received by both parents and students. Compared to controls, exp erimental parents reported increased knowledge of their children's hom ework activities and experimental students reported significant improv ement in homework quality over control students. Despite some limitati ons in the study, the program offers a low cost technique to inform fa milies and coordinate home/school efforts.