ABSTRACT
The issue of homework has generated a good deal of concern in recent decades in both scientifi c circles and the media. Questions such as ‘Should we give homework?’, ‘How much time should children spend on homework?’ and ‘What is the parents’ role in homework?’ surface periodically in public forums. Other questions challenge us as well: ‘What do we mean by homework?’, ‘What are the purposes and benefi ts of homework?’, ‘What political, societal, institutional, familial, individual and interactional elements affect homework practices?’ In short, ‘What exactly do we know about the issue of homework?’ After obtaining research funding (as the principal investigator) from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada to conduct a longitudinal and cross-sectional study on homework in primary school and secondary cycle one (2004-7), I discovered the scope of the studies on homework conducted by leading researchers from different countries. Certain experts in the fi eld fi gure in this volume, while the work of others serves as a background for the studies described. Thus, I understood that it was essential to update knowledge on the subject of homework. I also understood that it was very much in our interest to share and discuss the fi ndings of our studies with a view to contributing more effectively to the advancement of knowledge and identifying solutions to homework problems.
