nourse final paper dec 26
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Why is Homework a Dirty Word?
Can Online Homework Improve Completion Rates and Test Scores?
A Field Project Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Education
TOURO UNIVERSITY - CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the Degree of
MASTER OF ARTS
In
Education
with Emphasis in
Educational Technology
By
Lauren Nourse
December 2010
Why is Homework a Dirty Word? Can Online Homework Improve Completion Rates
and Test Scores?
In partial Fulfillment of the Requirements of the
MASTER OF ARTS DEGREE
In
EDUCATION
By
Lauren Nourse
TOURO UNIVERSITY – CALIFORNIA
December 2010
Under the guidance and approval of the committee and approval by all the members, this field project has been accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree.
Approved:
___________________________ ___________________Pamela A. Redmond, Ed.D. Date
__________________________ ___________________Jim O’Connor, Ph.D, Dean Date
TOURO UNIVERSITY CALIFORNIAGraduate School of Education
Author Release
Name: Lauren S. Nourse
The Touro University California Graduate School of Education has permission to use my MA thesis or field project as an example of acceptable work. This permission includes the right to duplicate the manuscript as well as permits the document to be checked out from the College Library or School website.
Signature: __________________________________
Date: ______________________________________
i
Table of Contents
List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................iii
List of Figures ................................................................................................................................................iii
CHAPTER I................................................................................................................................................1
Statement of the Problem................................................................................................................................................1
Background and Need................................................................................................................................................3
Purpose................................................................................................................................................4
Study Objectives................................................................................................................................................4
Definition................................................................................................................................................5
Summary................................................................................................................................................6
CHAPTER II................................................................................................................................................7
Introduction................................................................................................................................................7
ii
Theoretical Rationale................................................................................................................................................9
Differing Opinions: What Makes Homework Bad?................................................................................................................................................11
Differing Opinions: What Makes Homework Good?................................................................................................................................................14
Student Engagement and Student Perception................................................................................................................................................18
Summary................................................................................................................................................20
CHAPTER III................................................................................................................................................22
Project Development................................................................................................................................................22
Sampling and Action Research ................................................................................................................................................24
Methodology................................................................................................................................................29
Results................................................................................................................................................30
Analysis................................................................................................................................................34
iii
Summary ................................................................................................................................................37
CHAPTER IV................................................................................................................................................38
Study Outcomes................................................................................................................................................38
Proposed Audience and Implementation Timeline................................................................................................................................................40
Evaluation of the Project................................................................................................................................................40
Limitations of the Study ................................................................................................................................................41
Conclusion - Why is Homework a Dirty Word?................................................................................................................................................41
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................................44
APPENDIX A................................................................................................................................................50
APPENDIX B................................................................................................................................................55
APPENDIX C................................................................................................................................................57
iv
List of Tables
Table 1: Summary of Recent Studies on Effectiveness of Homework ................................................................................................................................................17
Table 2: Homework Motivation and Preference Profile ................................................................................................................................................26
Table 3: Summary of Homework Habit Survey
................................................................................................................................................
28
Table 4: Summary of student participation pre-treatment vs. treatment
................................................................................................................................................
31
Table 5: Comparison of scores on pre- and post treatment final exams................................................................................................................................................34
v
List of Figures
Figure 1: Percentage of students in nursery school and student in K-12 using computers on the internet .................................................................................................................................20
Figure 2: Comparison of homework completion for all students’ pre- and post treatment................................................................................................................................................32
Figure 3: Homework turn in for all students pre-treatment ………………………..................................................................................................................................................33
Figure 4: Homework turn in for all students post treatment................................................................................................................................................33
Figure 5: Frequency distribution of homework compliance Chapter 1 vs. Chapter 2................................................................................................................................................35
Figure 6: Change in homework compliance post treatment minus pre-treatment................................................................................................................................................36
Figure 7: Percentage of homework non-compliance by class period................................................................................................................................................43
vi
Abstract
There is an ever increasing complaint from high school teachers that the students we are
sending from the junior high are not prepared for the rigors of their classes. Given the
premise that homework is a necessity when learning to work independently and in
developing self-discipline and responsibility, the teachers at MJHS, a suburban middle
school, instituted a homework lunch for students who did not complete math and science
homework when due. The purpose was to provide a location for homework completion
with teacher assistance. In spite of this intervention, the rates of completion of
homework stayed static. Can we create more opportunities for homework to be done on
line and will this increase homework completion rates?
Chapter I
After reading studies that combined education and technology, one realizes the
problems faced by teachers are common throughout the academic disciplines. One
reason for teachers to investigate the use of educational technology is to discover a way
for teachers to better connect with our students who have grown up as technology
natives. Over the past decade, students have felt more and more disconnected from
school as technology advances. They question the relevance of the subject being taught
in the tradition manner and don’t understand how this variety of topics can form a major
foundation for their future education and, more importantly, for their later success in the
work place (Prensky, 2008). In our efforts to find ways to help students want to engage,
we must investigate how we as teachers can use the new technologies that students use
daily (or even hourly) in our classroom practice.
A debate that has raged on for an even longer period of time is that of the
effectiveness of homework: does it translate into higher test scores? How does one cover
the language of science and insure students have the background needed to understand
the curriculum without asking for some effort on their part outside of the classroom day?
Overwhelming evidence confirms that homework improves student achievement
(Cooper, Robinson, & Patall, 2006). With that evidence in mind, how can we insure that:
a) homework gets done; b) that homework is deemed to be meaningful to both students
and teachers and; c) the methods to deliver homework stimulate its completion?
Statement of the Problem
Research has shown improved student learning when meaningful homework
assignments are completed and returned to students with constructive comments
(Mendicino, Razzaq, & Heffernan, 2009). In addition, students benefited from
completing homework and learning to work independently. Homework also helped to
develop self-discipline and responsibility. Given this information it seemed important to
find research that supported the hypothesis that homework was an essential part of
student learning and, more importantly, was important for student retention of
information.
An ongoing struggle has existed between schools and parents over the necessity,
amount, and usefulness of homework. There were studies for (Cooper et al., 2006) and
against (Kravlovec & Buell, 2001) homework, but the majority of studies concluded that
homework does improve academic achievement. In spite of these studies, the perception
persisted and in fact grew among teachers and administrators that homework is no longer
an essential piece of the educational puzzle (Kralovec & Bell, 2001).
In an attempt to increase homework completion rates in eighth grade science
classes at a suburban California Middle School, hereafter known as MJHS, a tally was
kept of students who did not turn in assignments on time. Non-completers were given a
lunchtime detention with the principal and an opportunity to complete the work. The
assumption was that this intervention would improve the homework turn in rates. In the
four months that the program ran in the spring of 2010, there was little or no
improvement in percentage of homework turned in. Forty to fifty percent of students
routinely did not turn in their assignments on time. In an effort to improve this turn in
rate, studies were investigated that offered options outside of the traditional pen-and-
paper homework cycle.
2
A fifth grade study (Mendicino, Razzaq, & Heffernan, 2009) concluded that there
was a significant improvement in learning for students who completed homework using a
web-based model. In 2002, Liang’s college level physics study, results were negligible.
That study concluded that web-based homework was a good alternate, but not necessarily
a replacement for traditional general homework (Liang, 2002).
Even though the college level physics study did not show any significant
difference in learning outcomes, it did report a higher level of homework completion for
those who completed the web-based homework. Students also reported that they found
the web-based homework more “interesting” even though they spent more time
completing it.
Background and Need
There was a need to find a new tech-savvy way to allow students to participate in
homework. In our continuing efforts to engage students in the academic process it
appeared we must learn from them and employ some new web-based methods for
completing homework. Pew Research Center (2010) reports stated that students routinely
used cell phones to access the internet. A similar student technology assessment would
be needed to be completed to discern whether all students have access to and know how
to routinely use the internet and other technology. This survey helped to find out what
technology literacy existed among the sample population. Questions regarding access to
computers, access to the internet, and the ability of the student’s computer to handle the
graphic and video components anticipated in the homework events should be included.
Following the lead of several other teachers doing research on this topic, the suggestion
was to also assess the conditions under which students did their homework. Survey items
3
included: a) when and where homework is done; b) lighting conditions; c) study space or
surface; and d) music, television, or other noise level factors. From this information,
online homework parameters could be established and a research time frame set.
Purpose
While the larger question of whether homework improves academic achievement
is important, the purpose of this project was to compare the rates of homework
completion between students using traditional traditional pen-and-paper versus online
homework and the concomitant effect on student performance. The study questioned
whether there would be an increase in homework completion rates as indicated by several
prior studies (Bonham, Beichner, & Deardorff, 2001; Cooper, Robinson, & Patall, 2006;
Salend, Duhaney, Anderson, & Gottschalk, 2004) or whether the novelty of the web as an
educational homework resource had already begun to fade.
Study Objectives
This study tested the hypothesis that students will have a greater homework turn in
rate if they are given options for ways to submit the work and that there would be a
related effect on student performance. The study called for implementation of the use of
online homework assignments for at least one unit of instruction at a public middle
school in northern California. The researcher found it necessary to have routine weekly
homework assignments that could be done online. It was hoped that the project would
open dialogue and debate at the school as to the effectiveness and worth of homework in
our specific community.
4
Definitions:
Computer-based homework: general term for any type of homework graded by a
computer, including web-based homework.
Critical pedagogy: process of learning and relearning
Digital Literacy: the ability to use digital technology, communication tools or networks
to locate, evaluate, use and create information. (Wikipedia, n.d.)
Digital Native: a digital native is a person who has grown up with digital technology
such as computers, the internet, mobile phones and MP3 players. (Wikipedia, n.d.)
Digital Immigrant: a person who was not born into the digital world but has adopted
many or most aspects of the new technology. (Prensky, 2001)
High quality homework: well prepared cognitively engaging tasks of varying difficulty
and involving careful class discussion of homework assignments (Trautwein & Ludke,
2007)
Homework: any task assigned to students that is to be done outside the hours of the
school day; any paper and pencil activity given by the classroom teacher that the student
must complete at home. The activity or activities are not constrained to one subject or
content area, but it can also be based on abstract thinking skills and requires mental effort
and discipline (adapted from Cooper et al., 2006, Corno, 2000, Taback, 2005).
Meaningful learning: occurs when students select and organize relevant visual and
verbal information and systematically integrate the newly constructed visual and verbal
representations.
5
Paper-based homework: the more traditional method of students working out their
solutions on paper, turning these in for grading, and, after a delay of a few days to a few
weeks, receiving the papers back with written comments on them.
Web-based homework system: a service which (1) can be accessed from any standard
browser and internet connection (2) password authenticates the user, (3) delivers
assignments to students and receives their answers (4) grades student work automatically
and (5) keeps a permanent record of student scores which the instructor can access at a
latter time (Bonham, Deardorff, & Beichner, 2003).
Summary
The question of whether homework is important to student achievement has been
hotly debated. The performance at MJHS and many schools in the nation show poor
student completion of homework assignments. This study questioned whether improved
homework completion rates would have a resultant increase in student academic
performance and additionally, whether the option to complete homework online would
effect either of these components. Could web-based homework provide a viable
alternative to traditional types of homework? If more opportunities were created for
homework to be done online would this increase homework completion rates and by
extension improve student test scores? Would online homework improve understanding
of the material? Lastly, this study questioned whether online homework was just a
novelty to students who are interested in trying out this new style initially but quickly tire
and return to old habits.
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Chapter II
Introduction
Why did students at MJHS stop completing homework in ever increasing
numbers in 2009? What was it about homework that made it become a battleground for
teachers, administrators, and students? Why assign homework? What do parents and
teachers want students to gain from completing the assigned tasks? If, in fact, homework
was becoming a lightning rod for educational change, how could we facilitate that change
and still keep the components of homework that were important to teachers and parents?
Some investigators suggested that the reasons for non-completion involved the difficulty
of the assignment or the inability of students to work independently (Latto-Auld, 2005).
Other studies suggested that students did not have adequate facilities at home to complete
work (Krovalec & Buell, 2001). Marzano and Pickering (2007) maintained that the
assigned homework was inappropriate, while Noguera (2007) maintained that the student
voice was neglected and should be incorporated.
In our continuing efforts to engage students in the academic process, it appeared
we must learn from these various studies and employ some new web-based methods for
completing homework. Hong, Milgram, and Rowell (2004) noted that it was a “difficult
but worthwhile challenge for creative teachers to offer alternate homework assignments
in terms of the perceptual preferences of the learners” (p. 197). Teens were frustrated
with teachers who were out of sync with the current environment (P. Strom, R. Strom,
Wing and Beckert, (2009). Even though teachers realized that the internet was the
student’s most important resource, students were puzzled that teachers rarely used the
internet and rarely assigned work that requires use of the internet. As reported by
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Solomon & Schrum (2007), only 5% of students credited school for teaching them how
to apply technology. In spite of this statistic, the study by Strom et al. (2009) found that
students felt internet homework increased their understanding of curriculum and
promoted independent learning (p 117).
Homework is such a complicated issue. The ever-changing demographics of a
community and the classroom continually clouded the issue of homework’s worth.
Those who subscribed to the theory that homework is evil tended to focus on the amount
of time it takes for a student to complete the homework. This created conflict at home
between parents and students (Kohn, 2006a). Simplicio (2005) offered the argument that
because there was little consistency between teachers on amounts and types of assigned
homework students could not adequately plan for homework time. This led to an
investigation of the type of homework assigned which found: routine worksheets based
on the day’s lesson, practice, review, research for a report, or perhaps a response to an
inquiry-based lesson. There were also homework assignments that fell under the non-
instructional design (Xu, 2005). These included punishment assignments, social skill
development, and homework involving parents that was intended to improve
communication between parents and students. Those who supported homework felt that
it promoted a positive attitude towards school, cemented the classroom learning, and
helped to dispel the notion that learning occurs only in school. Homework also
reinforced concepts introduced in the classroom. Students learned to cope with mistakes
and difficulties through homework (Bempechat, 2004). Hong et al. (2004) stated that
“Homework is a powerful tool that can contribute to the advancement of children’s
education, or it can do more damage than good to their education and development. The
8
difference between the two outcomes depends on the quality of decisions as how to
homework is implemented” (p. 203). Van Voorhis (2004) noted that homework offered
students with different learning styles an opportunity to “individually participate and
demonstrate understanding of the topic” (p. 207).
To date, the debate rages on as to the necessity of homework. As one might
expect, this is a very complicated debate. While some felt homework was punitive and a
detriment to students and families, (Kohn, 2006a), other research showed improvements
in student learning when the assigned homework was completed (Mendicino, Razzaq, &
Heffernan, 2009). Coutts (2004) argued that more homework was needed to achieve
educational excellence. Cooper, Robinson, and Patall (2006), in their seemingly
exhaustive meta-analysis of research on the effects of homework, found that homework
improved learning but they left the door open for more study. Some of the studies they
investigated suggested significant correlation between homework and achievement.
There were, however, differing conclusions based on grade level and subject matter,
which left the topic open to future investigation.
Theoretical Rationale
Killoran (2003) identified four theories of development that could be applied to
the homework question. These development theories could be used to explain many of
the reasons for non-completion of homework and could also be used to specify what
interventions could be applied.
1. Behaviorism identifies the homework problem as being an issue of
reinforcement. It is anything that results in a behavior increasing or staying
9
the same. One must find a way to reinforce the desired behavior. (Killoran,
2003).
2. Constructivism suggests that a child should be the initiator of activity and is
the person responsible for interacting with the environment. The child will
manipulate the environment. The teacher would set up the environment so
that the child could progress up the developmental scale. (Killoran, 2003).
3. Maturational theory believes in the biological reasons behind the development
level. In order for the student to be successful the teacher must give
homework that is at the appropriate developmental level. (Killoran, 2003).
4. Ecological systems theory maintains that there are extraneous issues that
should be resolved before the student can be successful. (Killoran, 2003).
The researcher applied the constructivist view to the proposed research. The
research supported active learning that allowed students to investigate new ways to solve
old problems. Students used the web and internet to complete routine homework
assignments. The researcher in this study wanted to see if the students could become
active learners using a medium they embraced. Xu (2005) suggested that if students
completed homework for intrinsic reasons, the result would be a higher grade. He defined
intrinsic characteristics as ones that developed responsibility, allowed the learner to work
independently, helped them to learn study skills, developed good discipline and
reinforced school learning.
An important component of the homework puzzle was why a teacher assigned the
homework in the first place. What did the teacher hope students would get out of the
assignment and how long did the teacher think it would take the student to complete the
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assigned work? The research of Marzano and Pickering (2007) demonstrated concern
over the value of the assigned homework in general. Less research has been done on
computer-based homework. Several studies looked at the effects of web-based versus
paper and pencil homework at the university and upper high school level (Cole & Todd,
2003; Roth, Ivanchenko, & Record, 2008; Pritchard & Morote, 2002).
This research held to the premise that homework can be a good way to help
students create the foundation they need for science literacy and comprehension. Could a
teacher create homework that combined the student’s love of the computer and its instant
gratification with instant feedback on assigned homework? Would this translate into
better understanding of the topic? Would this create better science literacy? More
importantly, would this create a greater interest in science learning? Being born into an
era where technology surrounds them, today’s students could be considered Digital
Natives. While they access technology and the internet daily through their computers and
cell phones, it was usually for social networking purposes rather than for educational
reasons (Pew Research Center, 2007, 2010). It was becoming increasingly important to
integrate the student’s use of technology into classroom instruction. Strom et al. (2009)
stated that the custom of students having a passive role in the learning process should be
left behind. This opened the door for studying the effects of web-based homework, its
completion rates, and the effect of completing that homework on quiz and test scores.
Differing Opinions: What makes Homework Bad?
As noted previously, there are differing opinions as to the value of homework.
Marzano and Pickering (2007) looked at both sides of the homework issue. They
reviewed the work of seven studies and articles. Kralovec and Buell (2000) suggested
11
that homework “teaches students to overvalue work and increase a sense of competition”
(p. 74). Analyzing Bennett and Kalish (2006), they ascertained that too much homework
can harm students’ health and family time. They also suggested that most homework is
not designed well and teachers are not trained in how to assign homework. Kohn (2006b)
took aim at other homework researchers and said that they failed to show that homework
is effective. Homework should be designed to involve activities appropriate for the
home. Marzano and Pickering (2007) take note that Kohn (2006b) may have
misunderstood or misrepresented the research which then sent the wrong message that
research does not support homework. The Marzano and Pickering (2007) study
suggested that inappropriate or poorly designed homework may even decrease student
achievement.
Krovalec and Buell (2001) suggested that homework punished students in poverty
who may not have the time, place, or equipment to adequately complete homework. In
their follow up to a study in the 1990s on why students drop out, an inability to complete
homework was a major factor. This study led them to a further analysis of other research
reports and interviews with teachers, parents, high school dropouts, and current high
school students. In addition to being punitive on those who are poor, their investigations
showed that homework could be a major factor in disrupting family life and be a major
cause of family conflict. They suggested that the academic skills that are needed to
complete long-term independent projects should be taught within the school day. The
drill and practice that is often assigned as homework was better placed within the school
day to allow students to get help when needed when they need help. Krovalec and Buell
(2001) go on to tackle and debunk three homework myths:
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1. homework increases academic achievement
2. homework is needed for improved test scores
3. the lack of homework will dilute the curriculum and cater to lazy students.
Kohn (2006b) in his article Abusing Research; The study of homework and other
examples, tackled several studies and argued against their findings by reinterpreting the
results of the various studies. His investigations rebut those studies that show a positive
effect of homework on younger children. He suggested that giving homework is a form
of punishment.
Why does a teacher bother assigning homework? Connor (2004) reported that
teachers assigned homework with the notion that they do it to “promote good attitudes
toward school, to improve study habits, to dispel the notion that learning occurs only in
school, and to allow parents the opportunity to express to children how much they value
education” (p. 31). Conversely, Van Voorhis (2004) pointed out that teachers have very
little training and little professional development in what constitutes effective and well-
designed homework.
Schuster’s (2009) study involved ninth grade geography students. In addition to
measuring the impact of homework on learning, the study also measured the impact of
student homework preferences on homework completion and on learning. Schuster’s
investigation involved a study of the homework environment, time management, the
handling of distractions, a monitoring of motivation, and the controlling emotions related
to homework. This research did not find an improvement in quiz scores for those
students assigned homework.
The more research that is done, the more confusing the questions becomes.
13
Differing Opinions: What makes Homework Good?
When questioned, most teachers said that they give homework to cement student
understanding, promote responsibility, and provide for practice. Cooper et al. (2006)
completed a major study updating their 1989 study investigating over 69 studies on
homework effectiveness. While other authors debated their conclusions (Kohn, 2006b),
Cooper et al. (2006) found that there was a positive influence of homework on
achievement, particularly in upper grades. In six studies that employed exogenous
manipulations, they all revealed that homework had a positive effect on unit tests.
Because Cooper et al.’s (2006) investigation of homework studies was so vast, there was
difficulty in connecting the effects of homework because of the differences in focus of
each of the studies. Their report included nine studies that used data collected as part of
various waves of the National Education Longitudinal Study. All but one had a positive
association with homework. There were 12 other studies that examined the relationship
between homework and achievement. Again, positive results between homework and
achievement were recorded although caution was advised against drawing conclusions
from this set as their variables and methods were diverse. Cooper et al. (2006)
recommended that future research was suggested because of these variables.
With the debate raging on the value and effectiveness of homework, in this study
it was important to narrow the research to look for the impact of web and internet based
homework on learning. Mendicino, Razzaq, and Heffernan (2009) conducted a study of
54 fifth graders. Using a counterbalanced experimental design they got positive
quantitative results. They ascertained that students learned significantly more with web-
based homework than with paper and pencil homework. In their short one week study,
14
they compared the effects of web-based homework using the ASSISTment system to the
effectiveness of paper and pencil homework. The ASSISTment system is used to provide
tutoring at each step of the homework. Each tutoring session is constructed around a
cognitive model of the problem-solving skills students have and the skills needed to solve
each problem. Modeled as a set of independent production rules which represent
different pieces of knowledge, the ASSISTment system provides both interactive
scaffolding and hints on demand. The results of this study showed that students
performed better on assessments after using the web-based homework.
Salend, Duhaney, Anderson and Gottschalk (2004) found that setting up a
homework site on the internet was an effective tool to guide students and their families
when attempting to complete homework successfully. Several studies (Melis, et al. 2001;
Pritchard & Morote, 2000; Roth, Ivanchenko, & Record, 2008) focused on the
effectiveness of various college level programs. The products researched were Web
Work, Cybertutor, and ActiveMath. All three studies found these programs to be helpful
in alleviating the problem of assessing large numbers of homework assignments. Getting
information back to the student in a timely fashion was shown to be a key in the student’s
better comprehension of material (Razzaq, Mendicino, and Heffernan., 2008). It
appeared that looking at ways to improve assessment was critical.
Cole and Todd (2003) studied the use of computer animation and multimedia
presentations. This was also a college level study. While Cole and Todd found that all
forms of computer based instruction were effective at the college level, their research
showed that computer animation and multimedia presentations were somewhat less
effective at the pre-college level. Strom et al. (2007) found that students considered
15
internet homework to be helpful and found that understanding of topics was increased. In
addition, independent learning was facilitated and the internet allowed for more practice
with research skills. In their study of 294 college physics students, Bonham, Beichner,
and Deardorff (2001) found that there was little difference in performance between web
and paper assignments. However, students generally preferred to do their homework on
the web. This was also the finding of Liang’s 2002 study of students in courses in
introductory college level physics. Below is a summary of homework pros and cons:
Advantages:
Integrates separately learned skills and concepts
Dispels notion that learning occurs only in school
Supplements in-school academic activities; reinforces school learning
Prompts greater self direction and self discipline
Promotes better time organization
Invites more independent problem solving
Can increase parent involvement
Prepares students to be prepared for academic demands and obstacles
Disadvantages:
Major cause of stress in students’ lives
Major cause of family stress
Can promote a negative attitude toward school
Can deny students access to leisure time and community activities
Can increase differences between high-and low-achieving students
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Table 1Summary of Recent Studies on Effectiveness of Homework
Author Date Sample Age, Grade and gender
Quantitative difference in performance
Qualitative difference in performance.
1. Xu 2005 8th grade No Rural students took significantly less initiative in monitoring their motivation. High achieving students made greater use of all 5 subscales of homework management strategies.
2. Cole & Todd 2003 College freshman No measurable quantitative effect on the students outcome
Appreciated on line component of homeworkHigh GALT students preferred paper and pencilLow GALT students preferred web and liked immediate feedback to HW
3. Mendicino, Razzaq, & Heffernan
2009 5th graders50% male50% female
Yes: students learned more with Web-based hw than with paper-and pencil hw.
Students take hw more seriously when they know it will be graded
4. Cooper, Robinson, & Patall
20061987-2003
K-12 Yes: doing hw improved academic achievement. More effect at middle and upper grades than elementary.
Of 69 studies, 50 were positive and 19 were negative pg 48Too much hw leads to poor attitude towards school
5. Schuster 2009 9th graders No: hw had little impact on learning in geography
Inconclusive relationship between homework and quiz scores and homework preferences and homework completion and homework preferences and quiz scores
6. Pritchard &Morote
2000 Yes Final exam, weekly tests, and Socratic tutorTutor based assessment was able to provide more accurate was to deal fairly with students’ capabilities (pg 6)
7. Bonham, Beichner, & Deardorff
2001 College physics Student performance was similar between paper and web sections (pg 294)
Students overwhelmingly preferred web-based hw system.
8. Bonham, Deardorff, & Beichner
2003 College physics No statistical difference
More effective for teacher in assessing student work
9. Roth, Ivenchecnko, & Record
2008 Postsecondary math and science
Students perceptions positive: liked immediate feedbackResubmissions of work
17
Every study had unique findings. While studies 1, 2, 5, and 8 showed no
measurable quantitative differences in performance between students assigned homework
and those not assigned homework, studies 3, 4,and 6 do show a measurable improvement.
In addition, studies 2, 6, 7, 8, 9 suggested students preferred using a web-based
homework system.
Student Engagement and Student Perception
Initially it seemed hard to argue with the findings of Cooper et al. (2006) that
there was a distinct and measurable value to homework. However, expanding the scope
of research led to articles and books with distinctly different opinions. Schuster, in his
2009 study of ninth grade Geography students, found inconclusive evidence that
homework improved quiz scores. Kohn, in several books and articles, argued that
homework is usually assigned simply because it is expected of teachers to assign
homework. There was also a body of research that discussed how little teachers really
know about the homework they assign-how long it will take a student and what their
reasons are for assigning it. Often student teachers are given little or no instruction on
how to decide what makes a good homework assignment. Bryan, Burstein, and Bryan
(2004), who are also pro-homework, found that the amount of homework completed had
an effect on student academic achievement, in contrast to the amount of homework
assigned. These arguments gave rise to the idea that students should have more of a
voice in their homework and in their learning. This is where there seemed to be a fit for
homework to be done and submitted on the computer.
18
Students looked for teachers to hop on the digital bandwagon. Mendicino et al.
in their 2009 study of fifth graders found that students learned significantly more with
web-based homework as compared to traditional paper and pencil homework. Strom et
al. (2009) reminded us that students now consider the internet to be their most important
source for most anything. More recent Pew Center (2010) reports suggested that
adolescents spend upwards of 15 hours a week online. This was refuted by another study
suggesting that the amount of time students spend on homework had not changed in 20
years (Van Voorhis, 2004). The U. S. Department of Education survey (DeBell &
Chapman, 2006) found that 26% of 13 year olds had one to two hours of homework per
night while 37% had less than one hour. 30-40% spent no time on homework, either
because they were not assigned any or did not complete it. Even with these statistics,
Coutts (2004) reported that many mid and high school students find homework to be
socially isolating. According to Lenhart and Madden’s 2007 survey, 87 % of students go
online daily after school. Teachers must begin to tap into this technology to facilitate the
digital native’s learning. Students liked the fact that on the internet they could proceed at
their own pace. With student participation in social networking sites so high, there was
an opening for online teamwork tasks and use of the internet to expand group learning. A
student’s perceptions of homework and school in general played a major part in their
future success.
More recent studies showed that students preferred using the web and computer
for their homework regardless of its direct impact on test or quiz scores. Prensky (2008)
suggested that students asked for new technologies as they realize how useful they can
be. Strom et al. (2009) reported that students are frustrated with teachers who do not
19
embrace the digital environment. As Digital Natives they are said to prefer receiving
information quickly; are adept at processing information rapidly; prefer multi-tasking and
non-linear access to information; have a low tolerance for lectures; prefer active rather
than passive learning, and rely heavily on communications technologies to access
information and to carry out social and professional interactions (Prensky, 2001).
Figure 1. Percentage of students in nursery school and students in K-12 using computers or the
internet, by grade level: 2003. Reprinted from “Computer and Internet Use by Students in 2003:
A Statistical Analysis Report,” by M. DeBell, and C. Chapman, 2006, National Center for
Education Statistics, p.7. Copyright 2006 by the U.S.Department of Education
Figure 1 demonstrates that students spend increasingly larger amounts of time on
the internet. As adolescents increased their online time, it was important to tap into their
belief that their homework was improved through the use of the internet. (Lenhart &
Madden, 2007).
Summary
20
Proponents of homework cite research that it improved student achievement,
promoted problem solving and self discipline and prepared students for academic
demands and obstacles. Other researchers suggested homework caused major student
and family stress and promoted a negative impact on school. The focus of this study was
to narrow the study of homework on the internet to middle school students. There was
strong evidence that teachers could lead the way in showing students how to employ
technology based tools to optimize the learning experience. The idea was to teach with
technology – not just teach about technology.
If homework was assigned in an effort to improve student achievement, then one
must answer the question of how that achievement was measured. While it would seem
that achievement could be measured in terms of science literacy and curiosity about the
topic, the reality was that achievement must hold to our state and national measures of
judging literacy which is currently measured by standardized tests scores.
Once we improved the completion rate for homework, would that translate into
higher test scores? Would these higher test scores come because the teachers could
devote more in-class time for experiments and work at a lab station? Even though other
studies showed that the same learning can be affected with computer simulations, is there
a way to get students more interested and involved in the classroom during the day? A
higher percentage of students attach little importance to what is happening in the
classroom. Would providing more computer time and/or more time working on hands-on
labs rather than “seat” time make their science education more relevant to them?
Noguera (2007) reminded us to include the student voice in this discussion as students
21
can often come up with acceptable solutions to a problem. How homework was
implemented can determine whether it will be helpful or detrimental (Hong et al., 2004).
Chapter III
Project Development
As detailed in Chapters 1 and 2, the necessity of homework has been a hotly
debated topic. Research supported the idea that homework reinforced and helped to
cement curriculum introduced in the classroom (Cooper, Robinson, & Patall, 2006).
While some suggested that students were overwhelmed with too many hours of
homework and that homework was a waste of time that could lead to major stress within
families (Kohn, 2006a), casual conversations with eighth grade students at the target
school in this study revealed that little time was actually spent on homework or test
preparation. Instead, students spent the majority of after school time participating in
social activities, often involving the internet, cell phone, or computer. Pew Research
Center (2010) study data supported this anecdotal data. Pew indicated sharp increases in
cell phone ownership and usage by middle school aged children. While only 45 % of
teens owned cell phones in 2004, that number jumped to 71 % in 2008 and can be
expected to be even higher today.
This study was an effort to combine the instructional needs of the teacher to have
students do some work at home with the desire of the student to use some form of
technology during their after school hours. The methodology was to adapt routine
22
weekly science homework to be web-based and then to compare homework completion
rates to determine homework’s effect on student performance. As was seen in Table 1 (p.
16), while many prior studies were done on the effectiveness of homework, few
investigated the results of offering the opportunity to do homework through the internet.
The major studies reviewed primarily involved math curricula and took place mostly at
the high school level and above.
Various studies on the reasons students did not do homework came to the
conclusion that students have difficulty working independently (Latto-Auld, 2005), that
they do not have adequate facilities at home to complete their work (Krovalec & Buell,
2001), the assigned work was inappropriate (Marzano & Pickering, 2007), or that the
student voice had not been heeded (Noguera, 2007). To better engage the current
students who are Digital Natives (Prensky, 2008), combining the ability to complete and
submit homework with the power of the computer was necessary. The research approach
offered the opportunity to teach using technology – not just teach about technology.
During the 2009-2010 school year, students attending MJHS, the target school,
had a spotty history of homework completion. Often the percentage of incomplete
homework was as high as 50 %. There was a growing sense from teachers that
increasingly, students at all grade levels were not completing homework. The incidence
of non-compliance with homework was so high that the school instituted an academic
homework lunch for eighth grade science students. Students who did not complete their
routine weekly science homework spent their lunch time with the principal every day
until the work was completed. While the percentage of students turning in their
homework on time did not increase significantly, the school scores on the science portion
23
of the yearly California Standards Test did improve. Was there a connection between
student participation in the homework process and the improvement in test scores?
Certainly, there appeared to be a causal relationship. This study set out to formally test
this hypothesis by investigating how to get a higher number of students to engage in the
homework process by offering the students choices. Since so many students showed an
aversion to a traditional pen-and-paper style of homework, this study posed to increase
student interest in homework by offering the opportunity to complete homework through
the internet.
Sampling and Action Research
MJHS, a suburban school with a student population of approximately 950, has
nearly one-third of its students listed as Title I eligible for free and reduced lunch. All
five eighth grade classes were typical middle school classes with a mixture of below-
average, average, and above-average students. The study was conducted using a
convenience sample of 154 students in the five physical science classes taught by the
researcher. It took place at MJHS from October 1, 2010 through November 16, 2010.
Since this research was initially developed as an attempt to investigate how to improve
homework turn in rates at this middle school, it was important to conduct the research on
students from this school site.
Initially conceived as an action research project, the intent was to assign Period 1
as a control group, periods 2 and 5 being assigned only an opportunity to complete the
assignment online, and periods 3 and 6 being asked to complete their homework using
only the traditional paper and pencil method. Once the project was under way, it quickly
became apparent that this would be punitive to students who did not have ready access to
24
a computer and the internet. Even if students had access to the internet there were issues
of having the necessary computer programs to support the assigned work. It was
necessary to redesign the research. All students were given instruction on accessing the
homework online, completing it, and sending the completed work back to the teacher.
Once these instructions were given, students decided which method of homework
completion they would use. Initially 36% (56 out of 154) students indicated a preference
for completing their homework on line.
As a precursor to the implementation of the study, students were surveyed on their
homework habits (see Appendix A). The survey was an effort to get students thinking
about their personal homework routines. It was also an effort to get them to take a
personal interest in how to get the most out of their study time. Questions asked students
what their opinions were as to why teachers assigned homework in the first place, how
they learned best, what noise levels they preferred, and their preferred type of homework.
Students were also asked to consider why they might not complete their homework. The
researcher hoped that questions on the survey would motivate students to take ownership
of their school and home routines and consider ways to improve their homework habits to
affect maximum return for time spent.
Referring to Table 2, the majority of students preferred to do their homework
right after school, at a desk or table with music playing. They didn’t mind moderate
background noise. They preferred to do homework with friends or other students and
usually were able to do that. While most of their homework for science consisted of
reading text and answering questions and worksheets, they overwhelmingly preferred
either hands on work or group work. In spite of the push to incorporate technology
25
through the use of the web into our curriculum, 56% of the students responded that they
rarely or never were required to use online resources for their science homework.
Table 2.
Homework Motivation and Preference Profile
Preference Response rate
Ability to do as preferred
When do you prefer to do science homework?
Right After School Later in the evening No Preference
513420
AlwaysOftenSometimes
5531 6
Where do you prefer to do your science homework?
Kitchen tableLiving roomBedroomLibraryNo preference
17165305
AlwaysOftenSometimes
45436
What is your preference for study space while you do your science homework?
DeskTableLapFloorBedNo preference
22371211116
AlwaysOftenSometimesRarelyNo preference
38461032
Do you prefer to have music playing while you do your science homework?
YesNoNo preferenceSometimes
711358
AlwaysOftenSometimesRarelyNo preference
5031818
Do you prefer to do science homework in front of television that is on?
YesNoSometimes I have no preference
2953410
What other noises are around you as you study?
TVVideo gamesTalkingMusicNothingAll
163502722
What level of noise do you prefer while doing your science homework?
Complete silenceMostly quietModerate noise and background noiseLoud background noiseNo preference
23354
28
How often are you able to do your science homework according to the noise level you like?
AlwaysOftenSometimes
384414
26
RarelyNeverNot applicable as I have no preference
11
4Thinking about your science homework from past years, what type was assigned most often?
Studying maps, charts, diagramsHand on, building sample of experimentReading text and worksheets
3
7
90
What was your preferred type of science assignment?
StudyingHands onReading and worksheets
42866
AlwaysOftenSometimesRarelyNo preference
143123271
Which of the following best describes your preferences while doing science homework?
AloneWith other students or friendsWith a teacher aroundWith a parent aroundWith students or friends and with a parent or teacher aroundNo preference
2853377
6
AlwaysOftenSometimesRarelyNo preference
313813133
How often do you go online to help you with your science homework?
AlwaysOftenSometimesRarelyNever
210215328
I learn best when_______. Discuss with classmatesDirect instructionRead textbookWatching TVInternet
482118134
In the past science homework required me to go online
Once a weekTwice a weekDaily NeverRarelyOnce in a while
1945521311
n=104 Note: Although the survey was administered at school and all students indicated they had completed the study, only 104 responses were recorded.
After assessing the responses to the initial survey, a second survey was conducted
prior to the start of the research period (see Appendix B)
A summary of the student responses was as follows:
87% generally spent one hour per night on all homework.
61% agreed that homework did help understand class work.
27
88% stated that they returned their homework daily.
72% felt they would do homework more often and more
completely if they could find it, complete it, and return it online.
70% did not think that doing homework improved their
understanding of the science material and did not help them do
better on science tests.
The student survey was conducted using an online questionnaire. The
questionnaire was administered at school to insure that all students could
participate. The questionnaire was offered and assigned to all 154 students. Either
due to time constraints or student unfamiliarity with the program, only 84 student
responses were recorded.
Table 3.
Summary of Homework Habit Survey
Item Survey Question Majority Response Percent with this response
1. Time spent on homework 1-2 hours 87%
6. Homework helps with classwork Yes 61%
7. Do you expect your parents to help you with your homework if you are having trouble understanding it?
Yes 77%
9. Do you return your homework every day? Yes 88%
12. How many hours a day do you spend on your computer or smart phone-exploring internet sites of talking to friends or texting friends or any other social interactions?
1 hour3 + hours
33%33%
14. Do you think you would do your homework more often and more completely if you could find the homework online, complete it and turn it in online?
Yes 72%
15. Homework improves their understanding of the science material and did not help me do better on
No 70%
28
science tests
16. How many hours a day do you spend watching TV? Responses split evenly.
50%
n = 84
29
Methodology
This quasi-experimental study took place over a six week period covering one
chapter of the textbook on the topic of force and motion. Each student was given a
“consumable” science notebook from the textbook publisher at the beginning of the
school year (Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 2002). It served as a way to guide students to the
important information to be gleaned from the chapter. There were typically three to four
pages per lesson and three to four lessons per chapter. The routine assignments were the
science notebook pages for one lesson (three to four pages) per week. Casual inquiry of
the test subjects suggested that it took twenty to thirty minutes for most students to
complete all the assigned pages for the week. During the research period there were
additional homework assignments such as completing lab work or other supplemental
worksheets. These were not offered for completion online. Students had been assigned a
similar style of homework over the prior 6 weeks (pre-treatment period) to insure that
they had a familiarity with the length and style of a typical homework assignment. The
study was restricted to homework pages from the science notebook and chapter outline.
Homework was assigned on Monday and due on Thursday. The routine was not varied
for the length of the research. A final exam was conducted at the conclusion of the
research period.
In order to make the notebook pages easily accessible to students, links were
embedded in the school-maintained teacher web page. Students opened the web page and
downloaded the necessary science notebook pages to their own computers. Once
completed, the completed pages were emailed back to the teacher. The teacher review of
the completed work and a grade was emailed back to the student the next day.
30
Comments were attached along with the grade. This afforded the opportunity to give
feedback to the student in a more timely fashion. This was an important feature to the
study as prior studies such as Mendicino, Razzaq, and Heffernan (2009) had indicated
that getting feedback to the student in a timely fashion was instrumental in an improved
comprehension of the material.
Sequence of events. The following list demonstrates the sequence of events in
this study:
Baseline period: while teaching Chapter 1
1. Survey of student homework tactics
2. Survey of student perception of homework assignments
3. Pre-data collection
a. Homework turn in rates (all paper and pencil)
b. Chapter 1 (pre-treatment) final exam
Treatment period: while teaching Chapter 2
4. Post-data collection
a. Homework turn-in rates (paper and pencil and online)
b. Chapter 2 (post treatment) final exam
5. Analysis
As initially proposed, the research hoped to use products already offered online
by the textbook publisher. These products proved to be unusable because the same work
could not be offered to students not doing their homework via the internet.
31
Results
Initially 36 % of the target population indicated they would participate in the
online component of the study. Ultimately only 17.5 % of students participated (Table
4). While students were initially excited about the prospect of online homework, the
reality was that some students did not have the necessary technological acumen to
complete the task while others had not been able to understand the level of computer
required for the assignments.
Table 4.
Summary of student participation pre-treatment vs. treatment
Subject Focus Pre-TreatmentPeriod
TreatmentPeriod
Percent of Students Completing Paper & Pencil
Percent of Students completing Online (treatment)
Chapter 1 Sept – Oct 100% 0%
Chapter 2 Oct- Nov 82.5% 17.5%
n=154
During the baseline research period, an analysis was made of homework
completion rates for students from the beginning of the quarter until the start of the
treatment period. Turn in rates for the four weekly homework assignments for Chapter 1
(baseline period) were calculated. This compliance rate was then compared to the turn in
rates for students completing their four weekly homework assignments for Chapter 2
(treatment period) regardless of the method used to complete the homework (see Figure
2). Homework compliance was measured on a scale from zero to four for each period
representing the number of assignments submitted per chapter and did not represent their
grade on the assignment. Results for all students are indicated in Figure 2 below.
32
All Students Ch 1 vs Ch 2 Completion
921
7 811
2720 20
105
76
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Number of Assignments Completed
Nu
mb
er o
f S
tud
ents
0 Assignments 9 21
1 Assignment 7 8
2 Assignments 11 27
3 Assignment 20 20
4 Assignments 105 76
Ch 1 Ch 2
Figure 2. Comparison of homework completion for all students pre- and post treatment
For the pre-treatment phase, 68% of the students completed all four assignments
with only 6% completing none. For the post-treatment phase 49% of the students
completed all four assignments and 13.6% completed none.
The homework completion rates were then compared by method of completion.
Figures 3 and 4 below demonstrate the distribution of completion of assignments with a
range from zero to four. Figure 3 details the completion rates for students who used
paper and pencil for completion and those who later self selected the online option. The
completion rate was 73% for those completing all four assignment using paper and pencil
and 46% for those who later selected to complete homework online. Post treatment
homework completion is shown in Figure 4. The completion rate was 49% for those
completing four assignments using paper and pencil and 53.5% for those completing all
four homework assignments online.
33
Chapter 1 Pre-Treatment Homework Turn In
95 5
14
92
0 26 6
13
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Number of Assignments
Nu
mb
er
of
Stu
de
nts
Ch 1 Paper and Pencil 9 5 5 14 92
Ch 1 Future on-liners 0 2 6 6 13
1 2 3 4 5
Figure 3. Homework turn in for all students pre-treatment: frequency distribution of homework compliance. Students using paper and pencil n = 126; Students completing online n = 28
Chapter 2 Post Treatment Homework Turn In
1811
25
10
62
0 28 3
15
0
20
40
60
80
Number of Assignments
Nu
mb
er o
f S
tud
ents
Ch 2 Paper and Pencil 18 11 25 10 62
Ch 2 On-Line 0 2 8 3 15
1 2 3 4 5
Figure 4. Homework turn in for all students post treatment: frequency distribution of homework compliance. Students using paper and pencil n = 126; Students completing online n = 28
34
0 1 2 3 4
0 1 2 3 4
Results for the pre-treatment and post treatment final exams are detailed in
Table 5 below. The average score for the pre-treatment chapter final for the whole class
was 78% compared to 63 % on the post treatment final. Paper and pencil completers
scored 76% on the pre-treatment final and 63% on the post treatment final. Online
selectors scored 85.4% on the pre-treatment final and 71% on the post treatment final
Table 5
Comparison of scores on pre- and post treatment final exams
Ch 1 Final All
Ch 1 Final Paper & pencil
Ch 1 Final Online selectors
Ch 2 FinalAll
Ch 2 FinalPaper & Pencil
Ch 2 Final Online Selectors
78% 76% 85.4% 63% 60.38% 71%
The post treatment questionnaire revealed the following information:
Of the 28 online participants, 67.8% (19/28) liked having the homework option,
35.8% (10/28) found the homework easier to do, and 53.6% (15/28) indicated
they had more interest in doing the homework
Of the 62 respondents who chose paper and pencil, 61% (38/62) were never
interested in doing their work online and 19% (12/62) had no access to the
internet. Three felt their skills were too poor to attempt the project.
Of the 62 respondents who chose paper and pencil, 17.7% (11/62) felt there
would be no difference in their learning
Analysis
Analysis of the raw data from all students revealed that it took a non-parametric
distribution that was skewed. A Wilcoxan matched pairs signed rank test was performed
35
to discern the difference between all students’ performance pre- and post treatment. It
revealed a W=1792 with P=0.1913. The test was not significant.
Breaking the data down further, when looking at only the students who attempted
to complete their homework online (treatment group), W= P= 0.0001 considered not
significant. Looking at the students who only employed the paper and pencil method, the
two-tailed P value was < 0.0001, considered extremely significant.
Looking at the medians of pre-treatment (Chapter 1) compliance for all students,
using the Mann-Whitney Test the two-tailed P value was 0.5099, considered not
significant. The medians for post treatment (Chapter 2) compliance for all students using
the Mann-Whitney Test the two-tailed P value was 0.5228, considered not significant. A
summary of these results can be seen in Figure 6 below.
All Students Homework Compliance
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
1 2
Pre Treatment Post Treatment
Ho
mew
ork
Co
mp
lian
ce
On-Line
Paper & Pencil
Figure 5. Frequency distribution of homework compliance Chapter 1 vs. Chapter 2. All Students n = 154; Online Users n = 28; paper and pencil n = 126
When data were tested for normality it did not conform to a Gaussian distribution
so the Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test was used to compare homework
completion rates before the study (Chapter 1) to the completion rates during the study
36
(Chapter 2). The test for all students revealed a two-tailed P value of < 0.0001, which is
considered extremely significant.
Figure 6 below illustrates the homework completion performance of students over
the entire study period. It is important to note that 37.5 % of the students went down in
performance, 54 % stayed about the same and only 8.5 % went up in performance.
All Students Ch 1 VS Ch 2
-5
-4
-3
-2
-1
0
1
2
3
4
1 6 11 16 21 26 31 36 41 46 51 56 61 66 71 76 81 86 91 96 101 106 111 116 121 126 131 136 141 146 151
Students
Ch 2
com
pliance m
inus
Ch 1
com
pli
ance
Figure 6. Change in homework compliance post treatment minus pre-treatment
Analysis of the results of the pre-treatment (Chapter 1) versus post treatment
(Chapter 2) research showed a deterioration of homework turn in rates when an online
option was offered to the students. Additionally, student scores on the final exam for the
post treatment period (Chapter 2) were lower than for the pre-treatment period (Chapter
1). The research indicated that the homework turn in rates were not increased when
students were offered options for methods of completion.
37
Summary
There was a large decrease in completion rates for all students between pre-
treatment (Chapter 1) and post treatment (Chapter 2). Even though there was not an
improvement in compliance in Chapter 2 with the students who did homework online, it
was a smaller drop than was seen with the whole class.
Homework turn in rates were not increased when students were offered options
for methods of completion. However, those that chose to use the online component for
homework completion had a higher percentage of homework turned in (85.4% compared
to 76%) and averaged higher test scores (71% compared to 60.38%). Since those who
turned in homework online had higher completion rate than those using paper and pencil
and also scored higher on the Chapter final exam, a conclusion can be drawn that
completing homework led to improved test scores overall.
38
Chapter IV
Research has shown that the necessity of homework is a hotly debated topic. It
has been a long held tradition in education to ask students to work on studies beyond the
hours of the school day. Some teachers firmly believe in the value of homework. Others
in education suggest that students are overwhelmed with too many hours of homework
and that most homework is a waste of time and leads to major stress within families.
This study combined the needs of the teacher to have students do some work at
home with the desire of the student to use some form of technology during many of their
after school hours. The project offered students an opportunity to complete routine
science homework in the traditional way – using paper and pencil, or using their
computer and the internet.
With technology as an increasing distraction for students, melding daily student
homework with the use of the internet seemed necessary. An additional benefit was to
bring the student voice into the mix by giving them some choice in how they completed
homework. Studies showed improved student learning when meaningful homework
assignments are completed and returned to students with constructive comments. The
research intended to investigate the hypothesis that homework is an essential part of
student learning and, more importantly, important for student retention of information.
Study Outcomes
Study Objectives:
Increase student turn in rates on routine weekly homework
Improve test scores on material covered by the homework.
39
To meet the first objective, increasing homework turn in rates, students were
offered a choice as to how to complete their weekly science homework. They could be
traditional and use paper and pencil or they could go paperless and complete and submit
the homework online. Literature suggested students would prefer an online option to
their homework (Bonham, Beichner, & Deardorff, 2001, Roth, Ivenchecnko, & Record,
2008). However, both these studies involved college level students.
Statistics were gathered for the period prior to the study covering approximately
the same volume of material. Homework completion rates for the pre-test period were
compared with homework completion rates for the test period. For pre- treatment
homework (Chapter 1), the students who later self selected online homework did not have
a significantly different compliance from the rest of the class. Even though there wasn’t
improved compliance in post treatment homework (Chapter 2), there was less of a drop
with students who completed the work online than was found with the whole class.
Homework’s effect on achievement proved negligible. Overall, student scores on
the Chapter 2 final compared to their Chapter 1 final decreased from an average grade of
78 % to 63 %. This differential was consistent for those that opted to complete their
homework online (see Table 5).
These results do not mirror the results from Mendicino, Razzaq, & Heffernan
(2009) who found that fifth grade students learned more with Web-based homework than
with paper-and pencil homework.
40
Proposed Audience and Implementation Timeline
Even though the results of the study do not support the hypothesis that the
opportunity to complete homework online would increase student homework completion
rates, 72 % of respondents indicated that they would do homework more often and more
completely if they could complete and turn it in online. Offering options for school work
that include digital technologies may help to bridge the gap between the Digital Natives
and Digital Immigrants. Using online homework was a comfortable first step for both
teachers and students.
Evaluation of the Project
A post research questionnaire was given. Of the 27 online participants, 19 liked
having an option, 10 found the homework easier to do, and 15 found they had more
interest in doing the homework with the online capability.
Of the 62 respondents who chose paper and pencil, 38 were never interested in
doing their work online and 12 had no access to the internet. Only three felt their
computer skills were too poor to attempt the project. Other reasons for not participating
with the online option were evenly split between no access, their computer was too old,
the homework was too hard, and it was too inconvenient. Eleven students felt there
would be no difference in their learning. These numbers don’t coincide with the initial
student commitment and are perhaps an indicator that students at this level at MJHS were
not ready for this type of commitment. The questionnaire was perhaps too long to keep
student focus resulting in inaccurate responses.
41
Limitations of the Study
There were limitations to the study. 29% of the students responded that either
their computer was too old to handle the homework requirement or that they had no
access to a computer. 26% said that they didn’t like computers and felt it was too
confusing. 27% felt it was easier to do it the “normal” way, often because it was not
convenient to use the computer. These results revealed significantly less interest in using
computers for school work than indicated in the original survey. They also would seem
to dispute the Pew Research Center (2010) reports.
For future investigation: when more students have better and more regular access
to a computer with online capabilities, the homework can be expanded to a more
interactive type where students can participate in and experiment with virtual labs and
interactive game type programs that can work in combination with classroom activities.
Conclusion – Why is Homework a Dirty Word?
While the idea of completing homework online attracted only a modest number of
students, the post survey indicated that students liked the option even if they did not use it
themselves. Homework and the ramifications of completing or not completing the
assigned tasks have been, and will continue to be, topics of debate among educators,
parents and students. This research attempted to investigate whether offering students a
variety of methods for submitting routine homework assignments would increase the
homework turn-in rate. Even though students expect routine homework to be assigned
and it is expected to be completed by both parents and teachers, statistics for the target
school showed that up to 28 % of students this school year were routinely non-compliant
with their science homework. While this was an improvement from the prior years of 40-
42
50% non-compliance, the research was designed to offer students options. The students
were initially enthusiastic and willing to try the new system. The result was that very few
students (28 out of 154) actually participated in the online component of the project. The
post research questionnaire indicated that students at MJHS did not have the necessary
access to computers and the internet needed to integrate the web into their routine
academic work.
This was the first time students at MJHS had been asked to do routine weekly
homework in this way. While students were able to find time and access to computers
for projects and occasional reports they could not for routine weekly homework. The rise
in rates of students not completing their work from the pre-treatment period to the
treatment period might also represent falling enthusiasm and focus routinely associated
with the second nine weeks of school. An additional note was the differential in non-
completion by class period. As seen in Figure 7, period 6 had a significantly higher rate
of non-completion than period 1 for the treatment period. An extension of the research
might be to look further at the student make up of each class to ascertain proficiency
levels. While all classes are intended to be heterogeneously grouped, placement in
leveled math and English classes could effect this population of students.
43
Percentage of Homework Completion
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
1 2 3 4 5
Non-Completion by Class Period
PercentagePre Study
During Study
Figure 7. Percentage of homework non-compliance by class period. All students n = 154
Extending the research period for a longer time, preferably over a whole school
year, would be a better predictor of the effectiveness of the online homework options.
The current project allowed some barriers to be identified. Increasing the time frame for
the study would offer students and teachers the time necessary to resolve these
technology issues.
While the results of the study disprove the initial hypothesis, the researcher will
continue to employ homework as a valid component of the curriculum. Based on student
enthusiasm for the option of completing work online, more project and homework
offerings will be developed to continue to stay ahead of or on a par with these Digital
Natives.
44
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Appendices
50
Appendix A
The Tactics of Doing HomeworkA Homework Preference Study
1. When do you prefer to so science homework?a. At the Boy and Girls club the same day it is assigned.b. Right after school.c. Later in the evening.d. I have no preference.e. Other time (please explain)
2. How often are you able to actually do homework when you would prefer as reported in question 1 above?
a. Alwaysb. Oftenc. Sometimesd. Rarelye. Neverf. Not applicable as I have no preference
3. Where do you prefer to do your science homework?a. At the kitchen tableb. In a living roomc. In a bedroomd. At a librarye. At school after the end of school.f. I have no preference.g. Other place – please explain ___
4. How often are you actually able to do your science homework where you would prefer as you reported in question 3?
a. Alwaysb. Oftenc. Sometimesd. Rarelye. Neverf. Not applicable as I have no preference
5. Which of the following best describes your preference for your surroundings while you do your science homework?
a. Bright lightb. Moderate lightc. Dim lightd. I have no preference on lighting
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e. I have never thought about the lightingf. Other – please explain
6. How often are you able to do your science homework with the lighting you prefer as reported in question 5?
a. Alwaysb. Oftenc. Sometimesd. Rarelye. Neverf. Not applicable as I have no preference
7. What is your preference for study space while you do your science homework?a. At a deskb. At a tablec. On my lapd. On the floore. Other – please explain
8. How often are you able to do your science homework in the type of study space you indicated in question 7?
a. Alwaysb. Oftenc. Sometimesd. Rarelye. Neverf. Not applicable as I have no preference
9. Do you prefer to have music playing while you do your science homework?a. Yesb. Noc. No preferenced. It depends – please explain e. Sometimes
10. How often are you able to do your science homework with your preferred music playing?
a. Alwaysb. Oftenc. Sometimesd. Rarelye. Neverf. Not applicable as I have no preference
11. Do you prefer to do science homework in front of a television that is on?a. Yes
52
b. Noc. I have no preferenced. It depends – explain e. Sometimes
12. What other noises are around you as you study? Circle all that applya. TVb. Video gamesc. Talkingd. Musice. Nothingf. phone
13. What level of noise do you prefer while doing your science homework?a. I prefer complete silence.b. I prefer it to be mostly quiet.c. I prefer moderate noise and background noise.d. I prefer loud background noise.e. I have no preference.f. Other – please explain
___________________________________________________
14. How often are you able to do your science homework according to the noise level you like as indicated in question 13?
a. Alwaysb. Often c. Sometimesd. Rarelye. Neverf. Not applicable as I have no preference
15. What are your preferences about eating and doing your science homework?a. I prefer to do my science homework before eating.b. I prefer to do my science homework after eating.c. I prefer to eat while doing my science homeworkd. I have no preferencee. Other – please explain
______________________________________________________
16. How often are you able to do your science homework according to your eating preferences as indicated in question 15?
a. Alwaysb. Oftenc. Sometimesd. Rarelye. Never
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f. Not applicable as I have no preference
17. Thinking about your science homework from past years, what type was assigned most often?
a. Studying maps, charts, diagramsb. Hands on, building or designing charts, building a sample of an
experiment or item you were studying.c. Reading text and answering questions, completing worksheets, writing
definitions, etc.d. Group projectse. Other – please explain
____________________________________________________________
18. What was your preferred type of science assignment? Refer to the list in question 17. _
a. Hands Onb. Readingc. Studyingd. Science Notebooke. Group Work
19. How often was your preferred type of science assignment assigned?a. Alwaysb. Oftenc. Sometimesd. Rarely e. Neverf. Not applicable as I had no preference
20. Which of the following best describes your preferences while doing science homework?
a. I prefer to do homework alone.b. I prefer to do homework with other students or friends.c. I prefer to do homework alone, but with a teacher, or teachers, around.d. I prefer to do homework alone, with a parent or other adult around.e. I prefer to do homework with other students or friends, but with a teacher,
or teachers around.f. I prefer to do homework with other students or friends, but with a parent
or other adult around.g. I have no preference.h. Other – please explain.
__________________________________________________________
21. How often are you able to do science homework according your preferences as reported in question 20 above?
a. Alwaysb. Often
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c. Sometimesd. Rarelye. Neverf. Not applicable as I have no preference
22. How often do you go online to help you with your science homework?a. Alwaysb. Oftenc. Sometimesd. Rarelye. Never
23. I learn best when ___________. Pleased circle all answers that applya. I can discuss assignments with classmates.b. I get direct instruction from the teacher.c. I understand my science best when I read the textbook and other print
sources.d. I learn best when watching television programs or DVD’s.e. I can find information on the internet.
24. In the past, my science homework required me to go onlinea. Once a weekb. Twice a weekc. Dailyd. Nevere. Rarelyf. Once in a While
25. I usually start my science homework on my own without being naggeda. Alwaysb. Oftenc. Sometimesd. Rarelye. Never
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Appendix B
Homework Habit Survey
Now that you have thought about your personal preferences where homework is concerned, please answer the following:
1. Time Spent on Homeworka. 0 hrsb. 1-2 hrsc. 2-3 hrs
2. What is hard about homework? Possible answers would include too long, too much reading, don't understand, no time, or other choice.
3. What type of homework do you like? Possible choices: reading, answering textbook questions, watching science programs on TV, analyzing labs, doing reports, research, creating projects.
4. Why do you think your teachers assign homework?
5. What do you do when you have no homework for the night or if you have chosen not to do your assigned homework?
6. Do you think homework helps you with your classwork and understanding what goes on in class each day?
a. yesb. noc. yes, no
7. Do you expect your parents to help you with your homework if you are having trouble understanding it?
a. yesb. 1no
8. What are the consequences to you if you do not do your homework?
9. Do you return your homework every day?a. yesb. no
10. Do you play video games?a. Yesb. no
11. How many hours a day do your spend on video games?
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a. 1b. 1-2c. 2-3d. 3+e. Not applicable as I don’t play video games
12. How many hours a day do you spend on your computer or smart phone – exploring internet sites or talking to friends or texting friends or any other social interactions?
a. Noneb. 1c. 1-2d. 2-3e. 3+
13. If you do not do your homework, why do you think that is?
14. Do you think you would do your homework more often and more completely if you could find the homework online, complete it and turn it in online?
a. Yesb. no
15. Do you think doing your homework improves your understanding of the science material and helps you do better on your science tests?
a. Yesb. no
16. How many hours a day do you spend watching TV? Please include hours spent before and after school.
a. Noneb. 1 hourc. 1-2 hoursd. 2-3 hourse. 3+ hours
57
Appendix C
Evaluation of Homework Experiment
For the past month while we have been studying Chapter 2 on Forces, you have been part of an experiment offering you the option of turning in your homework the usual way - using paper and pencil - or through the internet. Many of you signed up to submit your work online but then did not. You received no penalty or benefit for the method you chose. Please answer the following questions with as much detail as you can. If you are a student who never intended to do homework online, please answer questions 1,2,3, 4,114 If you are a student who intended to do homework online but did not, please answer questions 1,2,4,12,13,14, If you are a student who used the online homework, please answer questions 1,2,5,6,7,8, 14 If you are a student who did not do ANY homework or Chapter 2, please answer question 1, 2, 9, 10, 11, 14
Do you think it is a good idea to offer options for doing homework such as being able to turn in the work online?
Yes No Can Take it or Leave it
Question 1: Which homework turn-in method did you originally hope to use? * Online using the internet Paper and pencil
Question 2: Which homework turn in method did you wind up using the most? * All Online using the internet – jump to question 5 Paper and pencil Neither-I didn’t do any homework for Chapter 2 – jump to question 9 Paper and pencil because I couldn’t do it online as originally hoped – jump to
question 12
Please answer the questions that pertained to the way you did homework during the study of Chapter 2 Did all or most of the homework online: Complete question 5,6,7,8 You did not do any homework for Chapter 2: complete questions 9,10,11 You signed up to do the homework online but chose not to: answer questions 12, 13
Question 3: If you NEVER intended to do your homework on line, what was the major reason? Please be specific
Don’t like using the computer No option to a computer with internet access Not allowed to access the internet Computer too old to handle requirements for homework Not applicable – I intended to do the homework online
58
Question 4: If you were interested in the online homework but couldn’t commit, why? No regular access to a computer wit internet My computer skills are not reliable enough Not sure my parents/guardians would let me use the internet Not applicable- I was never interested in doing homework online
Question 5: How difficult was it to figure out how to fill out and submit the homework online? Answer if you did homework online.
Easy Moderate Hard Too hard and I needed help
Question 6: Did you enjoy the option of doing homework online? Answer if you did homework online.
Yes- would like more offerings like this Not really – did it because I said I would Take it or leave it
Question 7: Did doing the homework online make it easier or harder to fill out the pages? Answer if you did homework online.
Easier Harder No difference Other
Question 8: Did having the option to do the homework online make you more interested in doing the homework? Answer if you did homework online. This is your last question.
Yes No No difference
Question 9: Do you think you would have been more motivated to do the homework if you were able to access it online? Didn’t do ANY homework for Chapter 2.
Yes No Would not have mattered – I rarely do homework anyway.
Question 10: What were your reasons for not doing the homework? Didn’t do ANY homework for Chapter 2.
No time No place to do it Doesn’t make any difference to my learning No punishment if I don’t do it Left it too long and then ran out of time
59
Question 11: Do you think you should still have the option of doing the homework online? Didn’t do ANY homework for Chapter 2. This is your last question.
Yes No Don’t really care
Question 12 Major reason you did not submit any homework online. Please be specific. Signed up to do homework online but didn’t.
Didn’t have access to computer during course of experiment. Turned out to be too hard to figure out how to do it Doesn’t matter to my learning which way I do it I left it too long and then ran out of time Computer glitch – please use the “other” box to tell what problem was Turned out to be too inconvenient Other
Question 13: If you did not turn in your homework online, did you then turn in the pages from your Science Notebook? Signed up to do homework on-lie but didn’t. This is your last question.
Yes No- please explain why in the “other” box Other
60