Homework

What is it???

• Homework is defined as tasks assigned to students by school teachers that are meant to be carried out during non-school hours

Distinctions in Homework Assignments

Homework can be classified according to...

• (1) its amount: the frequency and length of assignments

• (2) its purpose: instructional and noninstructional

• (3) the skill area utilized (e.g.. read, submit written products, perform practice drill)

And...• (4) the degree of individualization (are

assignments tailored to meet the needs of each student?)

• (5) the degree of choice permitted the student (are assignments compulsory or voluntary?)

• (6) completion deadlines (long-term or short-term?)

• (7) social context (is the assignment to be done independently or cooperatively?)

Effects of Homework

Positive Effects• Immediate achievement and learning

– Better retention of factual knowledge– Increased understanding– Better critical thinking, concept formation,

information-processing– Curriculum enrichment

• Long-term academic– Encourage learning during leisure time– Improved attitude toward school– Better study habits and skills

• Nonacademic– Greater self-direction– Greater self-discipline– Better time organization– More inquisitiveness– More independent

problem-solving

• Greater parental appreciation of and involvement in schooling

Negative Effects• Satiation

– Loss of interest in academic material– Physical and emotional fatigue

• Denial of access to leisure-time and community activities

• Parental interference– Pressure to complete assignments and

perform well– Confusion of instructional techniques

• Cheating– Copying from other students– Help beyond tutoring

• Increased differences between high and low achievers

Factors influencing the effectiveness of homework

1 1 3

Exogenous Factors

• Student characteristics

• Student ability

• Student motivation

• Student study habits

• Subject matter

• Grade level

Assignment Characteristics

• Amount

• Purpose

• Skill area utilized

• Degree of individualization

• Degree of student choice

• Completion deadlines

• Social context

Initial Classroom Factors

• Provision of materials

• Facilitators

• Suggested approaches

• Links to curriculum

• Other rationales

Home-Community Factors

• Competitors for student time

• Home environment, space, light, noise, and materials

• Involvement of others-- parents, siblings, other students

Classroom Follow-Up

• Feedback-- written comments, grading, incentives

• Testing of related content

• Use in class discussion

Outcomes or Effects

• Assignment completion

• Assignment performance

• Positive effects (noted above)

• Negative effects (noted above)

Effectiveness of Homework

• Three types of homework research can be used to help draw conclusions about the overall effectiveness of the practice

• The three topics are the comparisons of homework and no treatment, homework and in-class supervised study, and the relationship between time spent on homework and academic-related outcomes

Findings...• The average student doing more homework

outperforms about 65% of students doing less homework

• Homework had a more positive, but small, effect on academic-related measures than did the form of supervised study offered by researchers as its appropriate equivalent

• The average student doing homework outperformed about 60% of students not doing homework

Summary of Findings Concerning Variations in Homework

• Time on homework

– For elementary school, no effect

– For junior high school, positive effect up to 5-10 hours a week

– For high school, no effect until 1-5 hours, then positive effect

• Instructional purpose

– Preparation and/or practice more effective than current-content only

– Few data on other purposes

• Skill area utilized– Not enough data to draw conclusions

• Degree of individualization– No difference between individual versus

group assignments– More data needed on possible interactions

• Degree of student choice– Not enough data to draw conclusions

• Parent involvement– Poor methodology prevents conclusions

• Teacher instructional and evaluative comments, grade– No data on effectiveness per se– No difference in effect of different

strategies

• Incentives– Poor methodology prevents conclusions