Influences on children’s school’s homework

Parents play a very important role in guiding and supporting their children in the first years of school. For example, parents usually help to check the children’s homework to see if they have done all the homework. Sometimes they involved in explaining new things or difficult homework in order to help the children have an idea about how to solve the problems. The result from interview answers reveals that role of mothers in supporting their children with homework is very limited. Even some of them seldom help the children check homework. The result from the interviews is compatible with results from other studies of Yan and Chang (2009) and Chiou and Ho (2008). Foreign brides with Chinese language limitation and less formal education affect their confidence to support their children’s homework and they also have difficulty in educating their children. Many of them cannot write Chinese characters, thus they cannot show their children how to write a word. Moreover, some of them have no idea when they look at their children’s school assignment. For instance:

I：小孩要上國小妳有遇到什麼困難？像是教他們功課之類的？(Do you face any difficulties when your children go to school? For example, do you teach them homework?)

M6：沒有我本身看得董不會寫。 (No, I don’t I myself can read but cannot write.) I：妳有幫小孩寫中文和功課？(Do your help your children write Chinese words and homework?

M6：不太會簡單的還可以。 (Not really, it is ok if they are simple.)

This is one of many examples in which Vietnamese mothers reveal that they cannot write Chinese characters. They are lack of or not good at writing in Chinese, thus it is very difficult for them to support their children with writing assignments. For example, when their children hear a word but they have no idea how to write that word. They can’t have help from those who also do not know how that word is written. It seems that writing skill is the most difficult one for Vietnamese brides to acquire when they learn Chinese.

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Another example shows that Vietnamese mothers sometimes do not understand their children’s homework. It reveals that they have language and formal education limitation. Therefore, their children receive no support from their mothers in order to solve difficult tasks. In this example, the mother sometimes supports their children with homework and Chinese.

I: 小孩要上學你有遇到什麼困難？像是教和解釋生字給她。 (Do you face any difficulties when your children go to school? like you teach or explain a word to her.) M9：有困難有時候我也不懂。 (If she has, I sometimes also don’t understand.) I: 妳有幫你小孩學中文和功課? (Do you help her study Chinese words or homework?) M9: 有時候有。 (Sometimes I do.)

To provide more evidence about Vietnamese mothers’ writing skill and formal education is to have a look at their children opinion. It is quite clear from following interview conversation with the child. When she faces a difficult assignment, she does not look for help from her mother.

Because she knows that her mother cannot write and understand her homework. Thus she asks her friend for help. This example reveals that the children somehow are aware of her mothers’

Chinese ability. They may have asked their mothers for help for many times before. And it seems they could not receive any support from their mothers in order to deal with challenging tasks.

I：啊有看不懂的功課？ (Do you have homework that you don’t understand?) C4：有 (Yes)

I: 有叫媽媽幫妳？(Do you ask your mom?)

C4: 沒有因為她看不懂寫也不會。 我問同學。 (No, I don’t because she doesn’t understand and she can’t write. I ask my friend.)

I: 問同學？ 有問老師？(Ask your friend? Do you ask your teacher?) C4: 有 (Yes)

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The following small interview conversation with a Vietnamese mother describes that the mother get no involvement in helping their child dealing or checking the homework. Everything is done by her husband or teachers. The following interview pieces also show the same result in which Vietnamese mothers provide their children no support with school assignment. The homework is all done in extra classes with support from teachers.

I：妳會看他的功課？教他們作業？(Do you help them to check the homework? Or teach them the homework?)

M8：沒有都是我老公教.在安親班回來他爸爸簽名而已。 (No, my husband does.

When they come back from AnJing class, my husband will check.) I: 那在安親班都寫好了。 (So, all homework is done in extra class.) M8: 對啊。 (Yes.)

…

I：小孩要上學你有遇到什麼困難？(Do you face any difficulties when your children go to school?)

M7：有一些還不知道怎麼教小孩所以交給補習老師幫忙。 ( Yes, they have some.

But I don’t know how to teach them, so I get extra class’s teacher help them.) I：妳會幫小孩功課？(Do you help them with the homework?)

M7：功課都是老師幫忙。 (The homework is helped by the teacher.)

…

I：像是叫他們怎麼寫字有不懂的解釋給他們聽？ Do you teach your children how to write a Chinese word and explain a word to them?

M5：沒有。(No)

I: 還是都在安親班。 (That all happens in extra classes.)

24 M5: 對啊。 (Right)

I: 妳有幫你小孩看作業？ (Do you help to check the homework?) M5: 很少。 (Very little)

…

I：小孩要 上學你有遇到什麼困難？ 像 是教她寫字和功課的 . (Do you face any difficulties when your children go to school? Like teaching them writing and homework?) M2：功課都是安親班老師教。 (Homework is taught by the private school’s teacher.) I：回來媽媽不用教。 (So you don’t have to teach them at home.)

M2：我不會。 (I cannot.)

The result is also the same from the children’s answers about getting assistance with homework from their mothers. The results are quite surprising that the majority of the children say that they don’t ask their mother if they do not understand a school assignment. Most of them receive support from their teachers. There is a fact that in Taiwan many children go to extra classes after finishing their hours at school. And they do their homework at these classes before coming back home. Thus, when they come home, it seems that they have no homework questions to ask their parents, especially their mothers. The following examples provide more details about how the children do when they face troublesome homework.

For instance:

I: 有不懂的作業你有請媽媽幫忙？ (Do you ask your mom’s help when you don’t understand the homework?)

C1: 沒有。 (No, I don’t)

…

I: 媽媽有幫你看作業？ (Does your mom help you with homework?)

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C2: 沒有都是老師幫我看。 (No, teachers help me check.) I: 媽媽沒有也不用問媽媽？ (So you don’t even ask your mom?) C2: 寒假作業會問。 (I will ask about winter vacation’s homework.)

I: 媽媽有解釋給妳？都聽得懂？ (She will explain to you? And you understand all?

C2: 有。 (yes)

…

I: 上課有不懂的功課你有問媽媽？(Do you ask your mom about difficult homework?) C3: 都在安親班寫。 (No, all is done in cram school.)

…

I: 有不懂的地方要問媽媽？ (Do you have any homework that you don’t understand you want to ask your mom?)

C6: 沒有。 (No, I don’t.)

…

I: 有不懂的中文作業你有請媽媽幫忙？ (Do you have any Chinese homework that you don’t understand you need your mom’s help?)

C9: 沒有我都懂。 (No, I all understand.)

In general, Vietnamese mothers play a very minor role in supporting their children’s school assignment. The opinions getting from both sides reveal the same result. When a child has problems with homework, he or she does not look for help from their mothers. Moreover, the mothers sometimes cannot support their children due to their language limitation and lack of formal education. The problems somehow are above their knowledge. For example, you cannot teach a person how to write a word when you yourself even have no idea how the word is written.

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