“For millions of children throughout the world formal instruction does not end when the school bell rings to signal the completion of the school day“ (Bray, 2007). Success or failure in education is shaped by the dynamic interplay of intra- and extra-curricular resources, although research shows that the extracurricular resources or conditions are much more powerful than inner-school processes (see summary Baumert, Stanat & Waterman, 2006; Becker & Lauterbach, 2006).

From an international perspective, we see a trend that the recourse to extra-curricular resources can be described by the use of (paid) tuition (which has also intensified more and more over time). The so-called shadow education system of private supplementary tutoring in academic subjects outside the hours of mainstream formal schooling has become a huge industry throughout the world. Austria-wide approximately 75% of parents support their children with their homework and learning. 50% of parents indicate that they have to deal with the homework and learning of their children on a daily basis (IFES, 2013). The time and personal resources that parents devote to this are quite considerable.

According to Jürgens and Diekmann (2007), tutoring can be divided into three areas: family tutoring, private tutoring and institutional tutoring. On a closer look, these three areas largely depend on the material and cultural resources of the family. In our educational institutions learning processes are mostly designed that way that the success in school depends on the "mastery of the language of instruction", “non-formal education”, “learning motivation” and the "habitualized study habits” – and this presupposes the cooperation of the parents (see also Solga, 2005). In this context, the term “parental involvement” has become established (defined for example by parental activities that help to promote the academic success of the child by supporting them in doing their homework). However, it depends not only on the material resources of the parents but also strongly on their formation, if they can act as a "substitute teacher". But this leads to a high imbalance in terms of opportunities in and through school.

Austrian policy makers often define the problem of the increasing use of private supplementary tutoring in academic subjects as a problem of structure. The first results of PISA 2000 once again led to debate on how to optimize the Austrian school structure. Especially the early selection process after the 4^th grade was once more blamed for the bad results of Austria’s students, which resulted in a further trial introducing a new form of comprehensive school. Traditionally, Austria has two main school forms for students aged 10 to 14: the academic secondary school (Gymnasium) and the general secondary school with a tracking system in the core subjects, Mathematics, German and English. The so-called “New Middle School” (NMS) was introduced as a test model for comprehensive schooling in Austria’s schooling system in 2009. It will replace the current general secondary school by 2018.

As there is a social and regional gap between those who attend the academic secondary school and those who attend the general secondary school, the declared aim of the “New Middle School” is to widen educational opportunities for all children regardless of their socio-economic or regional backgrounds. By focusing on the individual promotion and exposure of the students, private tutoring should no longer be part of one’s school life, as the initiators of the “New Middle School” claim.

So the question arises: How do students describe the change in the homework situation over the course of the NMS period (5th - 8th grades) and which resources (focusing especially on parental involvement) do they have to cope with in their homework situation?

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