The Role Of A Teacher In Encouraging Students To Do Homework

In the past, many children did not have the means to go to school to receive a proper education. Fast forward to the future and education has become compulsory, as well as the workload that comes with it. A lot of homework, a lot of studying and a lot of students that don't do it. So what do teachers around the world do to minimize this situation? Have you done your homework?

In different countries around the world, the way teachers react to students not handing in their homework can vary vastly. In most Eastern countries, hitting students for not doing an assignment is not very uncommon. In fact, they are encouraged to as it is seen as a form of discipline. To a certain extent, the total amount of physical hitting amongst teachers and students, in such countries, have reduced and even in some countries, it has been outlawed. Sometimes school corporal punishments can get out of hand, such as this incidence in Phaphamau, India where a principal hit a student`s fingers using a cane until the cane broke. The horrific incident was recorded by a teacher from that school, who in return was fired from his job. The devastated parents of those children had filed a complaint but they were later forced to remove them due to the pressure from local authorities and the police. Have in mind that this was not a one time event and students fainting was a common occurrence. The principal to this day has not faced any charges. You can check out that story from The Daily Mail here. We are not like them...or are we?

If you are like me, then the thought of using coercive power makes you uncomfortable. However, even Western countries use coercive power. You would pat on your back, thinking that western countries have banned school corporal punishment by now. Think again! 19 States in United States, a country considered to be in the western culture, still allow the usage of corporal punishment in school. Specifically: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming.

A federal analysis had concluded that on average, somewhere in the US, one child is hit every 30 seconds. According to The Washington Post, on average, 838 children were hit in public schools, every single day. However, even countries that ban corporal punishment still uses coercive power. Let that sink in. By definition, coercive power from French and Raven's five bases of power is, “Someone is forced to do something that he/ she does not desire to do”.

Forget punishing your students for not doing their homework, even the act of giving homework is using coercive power. Some students will probably do the homework because of personal developments and in hopes of learning, some other students, on the other hand, would prefer to not do it at all but they are forced to do it anyway. Of course, homework has its benefits and it should not be completely eliminated because of the negative connotations associated with the word “coercive”. Coercive power has still some advantages since it is a form of learning and checking where each student is. Maybe the usage of this power is not as bad as it has been connotated by society when moderated. You are my favorite teacher! Perhaps you have this hatred towards forcing people and using coercive power. There are many other ways to solve this, one way is to for the students to want to do homework. It could be through the usage of reward power, a promise of something rewarding at the end. For instance, reward charts are a very good way to motivate students to do homework for children aged from 3-9. Unfortunately, reward charts do not work as well with older generations, but slight alterations can be made. For instance, the most creative answer for a specific homework question will get an impersonal reward such as candy or an even a personal one, such as compliments and recognition. After all, everyone likes getting compliments.

Another power that could be possibly used instead of coercive is referent power, to look up at the teacher as a role model because of their bubbly personality and teaching methods. This would result in students wanting to impress that teacher and seeing homework and assignments an opportunity to awe their teachers.The usage of coercive power still exists and will continue existing in the future. Some cultures relying on it more than others by being more physical compared to some other cultures. That being said, there are ways to avoid using such power, by using instead reward and referent power. Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to stop using coercive power since some students will always see homework as a burden even through the promises of rewards and impressing their responsive teachers.