Research findings from Greece and other countries suggest that homework constitute an important part of the students’ daily life in school (Chaniotakis & Thoidis, 2007). According to Hoehmann (2007), homework is regarded as a kind of credential that reflects the quality of teaching in full-day school. Most teachers prepare and assign homework to students because they consider them to be necessary for improving students’ performance and for enhancing the development of positive aspects of the student’s character (Brock, et al., 2007; Cooper & Valentine, 2001; Epstein & van Voorhis, 2001; Chatzidimou et al., 2007; van Voorhis, 2004). However, the past years educational research highlights an ascending percentage of teachers that question homework and its’ effectiveness in half-day and in full-day school (Brock et al., 2007; Kohn, 2006; IDW, 2008). In a recent research study in full-day schools in Germany, “teachers adopt a pedagogical position and approach in a critical way both teaching and methodological matters concerning homework” (Wolf, 2008: 198). In the Greek educational settings, research shows that full-day school teachers consider the students’ preparation for the next day lessons as a central point of the program. They also consider as satisfying, the time that is dedicated for the study and the preparation of students and the fact that the lesson preparation is completed during all-day school (Institute of Labor GSEE-ADEDY, 2007; VPRC, 2007). The main purpose of the current study was to investigate the perceptions of teachers working in full-day schools regarding homework and more specifically the way that homework is perceived and used by teachers in all-day schools. Based on the study’s hypotheses, it was expected that full-day school teachers a) would prefer to have homework completed at school and not at home, b) would perceive homework as an extension and a sideline of the work completed in the classroom, c) would consider the time spent for the completion of homework as satisfying, d) would devote time for all subjects while doing homework, e) would cooperate and coordinate their actions with their half-day school colleagues, f) would have been sufficiently trained concerning the function and the program of full-day school, g) would attend and support all students and wouldn’t just supervise the completion of homework, h) would consider as important the differentiation of homework according to the level and the personal needs of students, i) would describe as dysfunctional full-day classes with a large number of students.

For the collection of research data, a structured questionnaire with 23 questions was used, designed for the purposes of the current study. The sample consisted of 260 teachers who work in full-day schools and are responsible for the studying and preparation of students. With a random sampling technique, the participating schools in this study derived from 14 prefectures of Greece.

A general conclusion of this study is that teachers attitudes towards homework are considered as traditional, thus meaning that they have no knowledge of the current research findings and the modern theoretical principals and frameworks. This general finding is confirmed by all the findings of this research study according to which most teachers: a) believe that homework accomplish mainly cognitive goals and improve the performance, although research findings don’t confirm this belief (Cooper & Valentine, 2001), b) underestimate the pedagogical function and effectiveness of homework (student autonomy, time coping ability, etc.), c) do not differentiate and adjust the homework they assign, d) prefer basically similar and obligatory homework for all students, e) claim that homework should be evaluated, f) do not use the “homework book” which according to research findings resolves a number of problems and issues concerning homework.