Primary Homework, Mothering and Maternal Agency

Constructed around powerful stories of maternal agency, care and emotion, this novel volume conceptualises the primary homework experience as a social and relational practice and act of mothering, thereby raising wider questions about parental involvement in education, families’ agency in school practices, and the broader implications on policy.

Using data gathered through repeat interviews, videos of mother-child primary homework interactions and stimulated reflections, chapters present a series of unique maternal portraits that reflect various dimensions such as class, ethnicity, and parenting children with special education needs. The book demonstrates how practices from the educational sphere bleed into family relations, and how in return, mothers shape educational processes through their mothering. Contesting prevalent deficit discourses about mothers, the book highlights their relational skills and investment in their children’s education. Chapters contextualise parent involvement and the international reach of primary homework practices, as prompted by neoliberal discourses of parental responsibilisation, and the globalisation of educational approaches.

This book will appeal to researchers, academics and postgraduate students interested in parent involvement and engagement, homework and primary education. The book will also be important for those researching mothering, parenting and gendered practices.

Author Biography

Rachel Lehner-Mear is an ESRC Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Education, University of Nottingham, UK