Homework-Communication Problems Among Parents, Classroom Teachers, and Special Education Teachers: An Exploratory Study

The purpose of this study was to identify the communication problems that exist between home and school, particularly as these problems relate to homework given to students with mild disabilities in general education classes. Subjects for this study were 15 parents of students with mild disabilities, 14 special education teachers of students with mild disabilities, and 14 classroom teachers who taught students with mild disabilities in their classes. Nine focus groups were conducted: three with parents, three with classroom teachers, and three with special education teachers. Participants identified six major homework-communication problems. These involved initiation, frequency, timing, consistency, follow-through, and clarity and usefulness of communication. Other results, limitations of the study, and future research needs are also discussed.