Mothers and homework supervision : a comparative study of the impact of educational background

Abstract

In the West, the mother is the main parent figure who takes charge of supervising her children’s homework (Clarke, 2012; Grolnick & Slowiaczek, 1994; Hoover-Dempsey, Bassler & Burow, 1995; Lareau, 1989; Reay, 1998; Symeou, 2005). This is true for Maltese mothers as well (Azzopardi, 1995; Buttigieg & Cassar, 2013; Dalli, 2007; Farrugia & Vella, 2002; Mifsud, 1993). In this dissertation I will explore the ways in which a sample of Maltese mothers deploy a number of strategies when supervising their daughters’ homework. I will demonstrate that, irrespective of their level of education, all the mothers in my sample actively participate in their children’s homework, albeit in different ways. The educational background of the mothers—taken as a proxy for socio-economic status— influences the range of strategies that are deployed, and the way these strategies are implemented. Bourdieu’s (2004) notion of cultural capital is adopted throughout in order to make sense of the differences between the mothers involved in this study.