For families with school-aged children, February generally brings two battles. The first is with a sticky, clear plastic known as Contact paper and the second is re-introducing homework into a household that hasn’t picked up a pen in two months.
Homework remains a perennial topic of debate in education, with some experts arguing it does more harm than good. But the reality is most students will be bringing it home at the end of each day, especially if they’re in their final years of schooling.
Dr Vicki McKenzie, a researcher at the Melbourne Graduate School of Education, says homework ranks highly as a source of stress among secondary school students.
“We know that the pressure has increased [among students] and with the unemployment levels in the background, there is a lot more emphasis on success and a lot more anxiety as a result,” she says.
“The VCE is structured so that cramming isn’t as effective; it requires you to work through the year – the last minute-er is going to struggle.”
From procrastination to pulling all-nighters, bad study habits can manifest in different forms.
Dr Christina Tuke Flanders, a psychologist who specialises in working with children, adolescents and families, has identified two main types of students who struggle to study at home.
“They’re either doing way too much, and not sleeping, so they’re not learning anything anyway, or they’re doing nothing at all,” she says.
The former, often a perfectionist, gets anxious and overwhelmed easily.
“Once they can see what stresses them the most, it’s about teaching them about the brain – that it doesn’t work properly if you’re not sleeping,” Dr Tuke Flanders says.
She recommends introducing relaxation strategies such as mindfulness meditation, a form of attention training that strengthens the brain’s ability to focus and cope with anxiety or stress.
While technology can be distracting, they also hold plenty of tools to help young people practise mindfulness. Smiling Mind is a Melbourne mental-health organisation that developed a web and app-based program of modern meditation techniques specifically geared towards young people.
Dr Richard Chambers, a clinical psychologist who helped develop Smiling Mind, says the key is to help students concentrate on what is in front of them.
“Focussing on ‘what is’ rather than ‘what if’ has been shown to reduce stress, improve mental health and even boost academic performance,” he says.
As for students who find it difficult to motivate themselves to study, Dr Tuke Flanders says a large part of the problem is that students are taught what they should be learning, but not how.
“You have to help them identify where to start, how to chunk down the work and how to keep it interesting so they can keep the motivation going,” she says.
Dr McKenzie says if computers, television or video games are a distraction, it’s best to keep them away from the study area and use them as a reward. But physical activity is always a better way to relax.
What can parents do to help? Many fall into the habit of nagging their children to study, but Dr Tuke Flanders says forcing the issue is usually counterproductive.
“A lot of it comes down to the relationship you have with your child, and how you’re communicating,” she says.
“Some parents are still treating their teenagers like children and they’re not. Think about your tone of voice, think about what’s going to motivate them. If what you’re doing isn’t working, find a different way to engage them.”
Both experts agree the most important factor in developing homework habits is to start working on them early.
“I always describe it like training for a big game or a big race,” Dr McKenzie says.
“You put time into it, you build your skills and your performance capacity, you eat well, you get a good night’s sleep. Your parents are one of your coaches but, in the end, you’ve got to make decisions on the field.”
JO DAVY
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