EDUCATION AND SCIENCE

Rodi Hartono

Introduction
High motivation in learning have always been linked to reduced failure rates and increased levels of student success. To keep students interest in school and motivating them to succeed are challenges for most the teachers. And also, the involvements of parents in doing homework play more important to increase the student’s motivation in learning English. By helping the children doing the homework, they feel relax and enthusiastic to study. The parents should be patient to face the children at home. They ask their child, whether they have a task or homework after the class. Sometime the parents just give the money, to ask their children to take an English course. But, they don’t control their children task.
There are many factors that contribute to students' interest and motivation in learning, and teachers have little control over many of those factors. However, research has shown that teachers can influence student motivation; that certain practices do work to increase time spent on task; and that there are ways to make assigned work more effective for students at all levels. Also included with parents, who play the most important role in cultivating students' motivation to learn? This paper discuss about the role of parents involvement in motivating children to learn English through homework.
Theoretical Perspective
1. Motivation
Motivation has the important role in doing something because it can be the impeller factor for doing an action, in this case, learning. The term of motivation itself comes from the Latin language, that is “movere” that it means to move (Winardi, 2001:1). So, from the meaning of the language, the motivation means the thought for supporting to move the energy to the action as Mitchell, 1982:81) in Winardi (2001:1) who states:
Motivasi mewakili proses- pross psikologikal, yang menyebabkan timbulnya, diarahkannya, dan terjadinya persistensi kegiatan- kegiatan suka rela (volunteer) yang diarahkan ke arah tujuan tertentu.

(The motivation represents the psychological process that causes the occurrence, the addressed and the process of the volunteer of the activity persistent that is addressed to such a purpose or goal. Translated by the writer)
Similarly to the idea, Abi Samra (2002) defines that “Motivation is a desire to achieve a goal, combined with the energy to work towards that goal. Students who are motivated have a desire to undertake their study and complete the requirements of their course.”
2. Kinds of Motivation
Student motivation is often divided into two categories:
a. Extrinsic motivation:
A student can be described as extrinsically motivated when he or she engages in learning "purely for the sake of attaining a reward or for avoiding some punishment" (Dev, 1997). School practices that seek to motivate students extrinsically include publicly recognizing students for academic achievements; giving out stickers, candy, and other rewards; and taking away privileges, such as recess, on the basis of students' academic performance.
b. Intrinsic motivation:
A student can be described as intrinsically motivated when he or she is motivated from within: Intrinsically motivated students actively keep themselves in learning out of curiosity, interest, or enjoyment, or in order to achieve their own intellectual and personal goals. According to Dev, 1997, "A student who is intrinsically motivated . . . will not need any type of reward or incentive to initiate or complete a task. This type of student is more likely to complete the chosen task and be excited by the challenging nature of an activity" (p. 13).
3. Homework
Much of what has been said about making in-class work more engaging can also be said of homework: out-of-class assignments should have a clear purpose, should be relevant to students' lives, and should be at the same time challenging and manageable. Homework carries with it some added complications, though. Not only does successfully engaging in homework depend a great deal on students' home environment, but homework experiences may also have a significant impact on students' long-term attitudes toward school (Paulu, 1998)
Proponents of homework, on the other hand, argue that homework serves a number of purposes and can benefit students when used appropriately. The main purposes generally associated with homework are as follows:
• To give students a chance to "review and practice what they have learned" (Paulu, 1998)
• To prepare students for the next day's lesson (Paulu, 1998)
• To provide opportunities to identify and learn to use resources, such as the library, the Internet, reference books, and other community resources (Paulu, 1998)
• To allow for more in-depth exploration of topics than is possible during class time (Paulu, 1998)
• To help students develop time management, study, and organizational skills (Black, 1996; Paulu, 1998)

Discussion
Active parents involvement have been related with numerous benefits for students, including increasing student motivation in learning English. When it comes to homework, however, parents’ involvement can take many different shapes, but not all, which have a positive impact on learning. When we are working to increase student motivation, it is important to include parents and discuss ways they can support their children's learning both at school and at home.
It is important that parents understand what is the role of teachers to expect them to play, especially in terms of homework. What one-parent views as helping out, a teacher might perceive as interference or cheating. And what a teacher might take for granted that parents could do, such as signing off on homework or checking spelling words. A parent may not have the skills or the time to follow through on that are the problem for them. Clearly, it is important to communicate with parents about how to best help children learn. It is also necessary for educators to be sure that their expectations are realistic, given parents' skills and schedules (Paulu, 1998).
It is equally important to be clear with parents about what kinds of involvement are actually valuable to students. Studies have shown that parents who offer rewards for grades, or who punish students for poor performance, may actually decrease students' motivation to do well (Dev, 1997; Patton, 1994). Fear of punishment, anxiety about to meet parents' expectations, and worry about being compared to sibling not only cause stress for students, but can also decrease from their intrinsic motivation and interest in learning (Dev, 1997). This is not to say that parents shouldn't be invested in how their children are doing in school. Rather, it suggests that there are more productive ways for them to be involved and show their interest in students' progress.
To help children be successful with work at home and at school, parents can create a place at home that is conducive to studying. Good study environments are well lit and quiet. Although every child's learning style is different, most educators agree that students do best when the television is off and the student is free from distractions
Set a specific time for homework each day. In This case might involve limiting television-watching or phone calls until homework is finished Parents should be careful, though, not to pit homework against activities students enjoy, or to create situations in which students rush through their work in order to get back to other activities notes that family routines which include set homework times have been linked to higher student achievement.
Be available if students have questions. Parents can support their children by looking over homework and giving suggestions, but should not do the homework for them.
Avoid involving rewards or punishment to school performance. While it is important for parents to recognize students' achievements, they should avoid external motivators for performance. Instead, parents should emphasize the value of learning and show they appreciate their child's hard work
Make sure students have all the supplies they need. Parents should check which supplies do their children need in learning. May be they needed stationary, dictionary, textbook, and the others.
Conclusion
The involvement of parent in homework will influence the children motivation in learning English such as checking the spelling words, signing the homework, etc. But they cannot do their homework. Let they children do by themselves.
The parent should be able to help the children, if they have question and supplies for doing homework. And also the parent should create the conduciveness situation for the children learning at home.

References
Abi,Samra, 2002. Second Language Acquisition. Retrieved on 23 September 2003. From http://nadabs.tripod.com
Dev, P.C. (1997). Intrinsic motivation and academic achievement: What does their relationship imply for the classroom teacher? Remedial and Special Education, 18(1), 12-19. Retrieved October 2, 2003, from the World Wide Web: http://www.nwrel.org/scpd/sirs/9/c017.html
Gaillard, L. (1994, December 14). Hands off homework? Education Week, 14(5), p.4. Retrieved September 19, 2000, from the World Wide Web: http://www.edweek.org/ew/1994/15gaill.h14
Lumsden, L.S. (1994). Student motivation to learn (ERIC Digest No. 92). Eugene, OR: ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 370 200)
Patton, J.R. (1994). Practical recommendations for using homework with students with learning disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 27(9), 570-578.
Paulu, N. (1998). Helping your students with homework: A guide for teachers. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Office of Educational Research. Retrieved September 19, 2000, from the World Wide Web: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/HelpingStudents/
Winardi. 2001. Motivasi dan Pemotivasian dalam Manajemen. Jakarta. PT. Raja Grafindo Persada.