Joe Posante



The Effectiveness of Middle School Homework on Academic Achievement:A Literature ReviewJoseph Posante - StudentUniversity of Michigan - Flint Abstract The research question to be studied is as follows; What is the effectiveness of homework in terms of quality and quantity of homework as well as motivational factors to increase student engagement of homework that is shown to increase academic achievement? The sub-questions of the literature review are as follows; what is a relevant homework assignment? How much homework is sufficient or too much or too little? What factors hinder completion of homework assignments? Twelve research articles were gathered based on what the effectiveness of homework is, what quality homework is, and what appropriate quantity of homework is. Field research was conducted on the topic using middle school students by means of a survey conducted using the website , and two websites (7laurus. and 8laurus.) which provided homework using a variety of different mediums. The websites were used to gather student feedback as a comparison between traditional paper-pencil homework and homework via the internet. The research provided evidence of ensuring quality homework and a set amount of time allocated for the quantity of homework would provide academic achievement. Based upon these reported results, this research concludes that there most definitely is strong evidence to support research. IntroductionThe tradition of homework in the American Classroom is a long-standing one. The term homework began in the late 1880’s in the United States, and throughout the history of public education in the United States, there were several era’s of time when homework was banned from being issued in schools, and inversely there are whole eras where homework is a requirement in our schools. The current downward slide of the United States in its global positioning of test-score rankings among other countries, public policy makers have increase the push for reform. As the increases of academic hours in and out of the classroom are set to reach the goal of increasing standardize test scores. With this push from policy makers the pressure then is placed on the shoulders of district administers to sufficiently make the necessary changes within their regional school to follow through and to make the goal a reality. Educators reach for the tool that they can use to try to increase academic time by making students literally take their work home with them to complete. In turn with the increase of expectations the amount of homework has increased as well.This research paper is on the effectiveness of the quality and quantity of homework in the school system from grades K-8 primarily, but through research of the K-12th grades as well, for follow up of the effectiveness of homework in the school based on academic achievement. For the purpose of this paper, academic achievement is established as receiving quality grades in core subject matters as well as standardized tests. Research stated that the most effective amount of homework should not overwhelm the range of 7-12 hours per week for the middle school grades; the ten-minute per grade level rule applies best for K-5TH grades. The research also stated that any amount of time above the maximum allotted time for homework per week resulted in an equal amount of digression of academic achievement as though they were receiving less than the minimum amount of homework. The research question for the paper is, “What is the effectiveness of homework in terms of quality and quantity of homework as well as motivational factors to increase student engagement of homework that is shown to increase academic achievement?” The research project will also attempt to answer several sub questions such as; what is a relevant homework assignment? How much homework is sufficient or too much or too little? What factors hinder the completion of homework assignments?The hypothesis is that the homework is helpful only under particular scenarios and only within a certain amount of time. Expected that the Goldilocks’ Effect will rein true; too much homework is just as hurtful as too little to maximize academic achievement. I also hypothesize that only with engagement of the material will the overall purpose and affect of the homework can be transferred onto academic achievement.Literature ReviewIn the following paper we are going to investigate the effectiveness of homework in terms of quantity and quality of homework as well as motivational factors to increase student engagement of homework that is shown to increase academic achievement. The research question is; how is the academic outcome different between middle school students who complete their homework and middle school students that do not? The hypothesis is that students that complete all of their homework do better academically than those that do not. The following literature reviews attempt to demonstrate and support the stated hypothesis.This research project will also attempt to answer several sub questions such as; what is a relevant homework assignment? How much homework is sufficient or too much or too little? What factors hinder completion of homework assignments?The following literature review is designed around several thematic categories in an attempt to demonstrate and support the stated hypothesis.Quantity vs. QualityQuantity in reference of the terminology of this paper is established in two fold; the amounts of physical assignment(s) students receive, as well as the actual time spent to complete the assignment(s). Quality in reference of the terminology of this paper is established in two fold; the success rate of completion of the assignment(s), and the purpose of the assignment(s) that provided an opportunity for the student to gain academically.Academic achievement in reference of the terminology of this paper is established as high scores/grades within the classroom using formal classroom assessments (i.e., quizzes, test, presentations), as well as proficient and above scores on state standardized tests.Teachers at various levels are faced with planning for every single segment, every single niche, and every single seat. They organize for 20-40 students on a day-to-day basis and all to provide the best opportunity for their students to succeed. Then they have to plan for work for the students to take home, successfully complete, and timely return correctly, in some cases daily. The goal of this homework is to provide some extra practice in the work as well as regulate the students’ responsibilities (Ramdass & Zimmerman, 2011, pp. 197). From the many articles, students are most likely not aware of these goals, even as the goals make logical sense for the students to achieve. When students are aware of these goals the teacher must be clear about the expectations for homework completion, and the parents must be included as well (Ramdass & Zimmerman, 2011, pp. 213). When these goals are established, and the expectations are clear, what are the expectations of the teacher in the quality and quantity of work to assign for the student? When a student in middle school has five teachers’ assigning five different assignments all due the next day, there is potentially hours of homework to complete immediately. According to Cooper & Jorgianne & Patall, “…the strongest relationship between homework and achievement was found among students who reported doing 7 to 12 hours of homework per week, followed by students who reported doing 13-20 hours per week. Students who reported doing more than 20 hours of homework per week revealed a relationship with achievement test scores nearly equal to those reporting between 1-6 hours of homework per week.” (Cooper & Jorgianne & Patall, 2006, pp. 21-22) if we simply divide this time out for our middle school students; we are stating that our expectation of them to achieve the highest measurement of excellence requires them to commit an additional 2.5 hours to 4 hours of work per day. At what cost is this acceptable measurement of commitment to expect from our students at any level pre-higher education? Furthermore, the quantity of the commitment of time spent on additional time spent outside of school does not take into consideration of the student as a human learning social settings, cultural settings, and socioeconomic settings (Xu, 2011, pp. 11) The implications of the quantity can cause significant irreversible effects on the psyche of such young developing minds on attitudes of academia and creating one’s self desire to gain knowledge in and out of school. Researchers have investigated the relationships between time spent on homework and achievement (Cooper, 1989; Cooper et al, 1998; Epstein, 1988; Keith, 1982; Keith & Cool, 1992; Paschal et al., 1984; Walberg, Fraser, & Welch, 1986). In the elementary grades, more time spent on home work correlates with lower school grades and achievement, which is a negative relationship. By the middle and high school grades, however, the relationship is positive, such that more time spent on homework coincides with higher grades and achievement.(Van Voorhis, 2003)The ten minute rule is applied through this article; maximum of 10 minutes of homework per grade level, i.e., 12th grade receives 120 minutes of homework and first grade receives 10 minutes. By this means, achievement shall increase in terms of grades and test scores, but at the same token the students will not lose significant social growth in such critical years. But the question still arises after establishing an acceptable quantity of homework; yes grades naturally will improve when work is completed, but what of the actual quality of the extra academic time outside of the school? How do we truly measure the quality of what the learner gained from the material, or what should be truly learned by the student? The quality of homework is sometimes overshadowed by the immediate need for results on academic achievement. The spiral of quick-results addiction by policy makers, administers, teachers, and even parents has impoverished the ultimate goal of the quality of the education the students should be receiving. Ultimately, decision makers of homework policy hear, increase homework, increase results. and because of their appetite to achieve, students are left with piles and piles of homework, teachers provide nonsensical worksheets and dido’s to maximize requirements of quantity because of the notion of the mislead equation of increase homework, increase results. According to Peltier, “After reviewing homework studies from the 20th century, studies reveal only weak empirical support for the theory that increased amounts of homework will enhance achievement at the class-level.” (Peltier, 2011, pp. 27) The focus should be steered away from the notion of quantity, but rather attention on the actual process of homework by means of quality. Homework should be more focused on the ability for students to become engaged with their work outside of the classroom. With the increase of engagement the students become more interested in their work and effort, with the increase of interest the students become more committed and ultimately the students develop self-efficacy and responsibility characteristics in their work ethic. (Ramdass & Zimmerman, 2011, pp. 199). Homework should be open-ended, include parent involvement and most importantly be removed of tension (Van Voorhis, 2003, pp. 323). The focus of the goal of homework should no longer be exhausted as a means of additional instructional time, but rather a form of character development, work ethic, and creating self-efficacy (Zimmerman & Kitsantas, 2005, pp. 412). With the increase focus on these tactics, students will improve their time management skills and how to prioritize their responsibilities, which in turn creates an increase of motivational factors. According to Trautwein & Koller, their research found that there are three components that are key for students to establish self regulation for better homework behavior; first is the cognitive component, which encompasses learning strategies and styles; second is the meta-cognitive components, which encompasses creating goals as well as monitoring their goals; and thirdly, is the motivational components, which includes extrinsic and intrinsic motivational factors, as well as establishing personal attributes (Trautwein & Koller, 2003, pp. 137). All three of these components are key factors for students to establish good homework behavior. Homework does increase academic achievement by means of grades and standardized tests, but this statement is made with conditions. Students must have meaningful work outside of school, work that includes their family, creates self-regulation, and does not create tension. Students must create self-efficacy by means of meaningful work that has clear expectations, and are goal orientated. Only with these alterations with homework can academic achievement truly be maximized. To take homework to the next level and allow the student to maximize expectations and self-efficacy, students will also create self-regulations, cognitive and meta-cognitive components which in turn will assist in the true development of the whole student for the rest of their life.Action Research SectionResearch stated that the most effective amount of homework should not overwhelm the range of 7-12 hours per week for the middle school grades; the ten-minute per grade level rule applies best for K-5TH grades best. The research also stated that any amount of time above the maximum allotted time for homework per week resulted in an equal amount of digression of academic achievement as though they were receiving less than the minimum amount of homework. The research question for the paper is, “What is the effectiveness of homework in terms of quality and quantity of homework as well as motivational factors to increase student engagement of homework that is shown to increase academic achievement?” The research project will also attempt to answer several sub questions such as; what is a relevant homework assignment? How much homework is sufficient or too much or too little? What factors hinder the completion of homework assignments? From the data gathered we can interpret the information received that the quantity of the homework is sufficient, but rather the students express concern about the quality of the homework that they were receiving from majority of their classes.A survey was conducted on middle school students (7th and 8th grade) first to receive their input on the amount of homework that they are participating in at home. The survey was also include the parents of these students to attempt to receive input on the amount of time that the parents are involved with the students in their homework activities, being that research states that the more that parents are involved with their students homework, the greater the students will learn self-efficacy as well as become more engaged in the activity. A survey from staff/teachers at the middle school level was attempted to be collected on information of how much homework per week they receive and samples of the homework that the students have attempted in their core subjects. The staff made a note to refuse to take part in such a survey, even when the survey was guaranteed to be anonymous.The total amount of participants was potentially 180 students, with the addition of the parents/guardians of those students. The survey’s was be conducted using the tool over the internet, and will be available as an anonymous survey. The purpose of anonymity is to increase the likeliness of willingness to share honest input without the subject of judging.The demographics of the student body are 100% African-American, while the demographics of the Educators are 100% Caucasian. It is unknown of the socio-economics of the participants of the survey.Findings & ResultsThe following survey is the result of a yearlong project of providing a self-efficacy approach with middle school students in the 7th and 8th grade by means of creating two websites; 7laurus. and 8laurus.. The two websites were created as a platform for providing homework in a middle school science setting. Homework on the websites consists of interactive websites, virtual labs, videos and some webquests. The approach was to provide more interactive time for the students in the class with family members at home, as well as to provide transparency with what their students are learning in science at school. The website also was used to teach students time management skills, value in their work, as well teaching students how to become more self-aware in their own work. Students were to answer a variety of open-ended questions that are connected to a variety of links in a homework journal. The students were to have the full week to complete all of the assignments, and at the end of the week the students were to turn in the homework journal to be checked over. All of the assignment questions, websites and other material that was in the website for each week were materials that were to be covered in the classroom the same week, as well as connecting material from previous weeks lessons.From the full year nearly completed, and assessments averaged out, definitely it appears the paper will support what the research has stated; homework is effective in academic achievement, as long as the homework is meaningful, connects the family with the student, and creates an opportunity for self-efficacy to be learned. Students that were stimulated cognitively, meta-cognitively, and provided motivation by means of using the homework scored significantly higher on weekly assessments in the classroom compared to students that were not as actively involved with the website.A survey was provided to a middle school, and students, staff and parents were given the same research questions. The survey was provided using the website, , which provides an opportunity for the survey to be done conveniently, anonymously, and efficiently by means of collecting the data. Of the potential of 150 students to take the survey, 62 of the students took part in the survey, and not a single parent cared to partake in the survey. Of the 5 staff members at the school at the middle school level, not a single staff member cared to partake in the survey, knowing that the survey was completely anonymous. Perhaps in the future a means of motivation must be provided to gain more participants in the survey to ensure a greater turnout.The survey was conducted to compare the students’ opinions on types of homework to get an insight on the quality of the homework. The student is a resource to provide information on the quality of the homework because if the student is not invested in the homework, they in turn will not gain any true purpose from the homework. Of the 61 students who reported in the anonymous survey, 50 of the students feel more likely to do homework when the work is online. Interestingly when students were asked if they would prefer all homework online, no homework online, or both; a close second was students choosing both online homework and traditional paper-pencil homework (book work, worksheets, packets, etc.) at 32% of the vote. This leads me to believe that students are more inclined for a variety of homework, and perhaps a blended approach. Although students are often stating that I provide too much homework, they are pleased that the homework is to be completed throughout the school week. Students in the other core subject areas are given daily homework, 5 days a week. From the question, how much time do you spend per day on NONscience homework, students 36% of the students (majority) spend 40 minutes or more per day on homework. In hindsight, a comment should have been provided with this question to get more accurate time amounts that were beyond the 50 minute range.From the findings that gathered from the survey, active participation in the websites, and interaction with the students’ on a daily basis, it was concluded that by providing meaningful homework students will in turn provide intrinsic motivation. The students have shown tremendous growth, vocabulary skills, gained a new sense of natural inquiry and have taking crucial steps towards monitoring their own efforts by means of providing more details, answers from a variety of other sources (showing that they are learning research skills, while providing the websites for me to look at), and most importantly the families at home are partaking in the activities with their students. The research provided evidence of ensuring quality homework and a set amount of time allocated for the quantity of homework would provide academic achievement. Based upon these reported results, this research concludes that there most definitely is strong evidence to support the stated hypothesis. Appendix:Survey Questions Do you feel more likely to do your homework when the work is online?YesNoHow many days per week do you spend on the science homework online?1 day2-3 days4 daysHow much time do you spend doing the science homework online?10-20 minutes20-30 minutes30-40 minutesWould you prefer traditional paper and pencil homework or online homework?Paper and pencil (i.e.; Book work, packets, worksheets)Online workBothHow often have you went back to look at previous assignments on the website?NeverOnce or TwiceAll the timeHow many days do you spend on NONscience homework? (Homework in other classes)1-2 days 3-4 days4-5 days5 or more daysHow much time do you spend per day on NONscience homework? (Homework in other classes)20-30 minutes30-40 minutes40-50 minutes50+ minutesWould you prefer more assignments to be done online?Yes, all the work should be done onlineYes, most of the work should be done onlineNo, just a little should be done onlineNo work should be done onlineAppendix:Survey ResultsReference PageBates, M. (2013). Listening to Student Voices: A Critical Study of Homework. Ann Arbor, MI: ProQuest LLC.Bryan, T., & Sullivan-Burstein, K. (1998). Teacher-Selected Strategies for Improving Homework Completion. Remedial and Special Education (Volume 19, number 5, page 263). Ann Arbor, MI: ProQuest LLC.Cooper, H., & Jorgianne, R., & Patall, E. (2006). Does Homework Improve Academic Achievement? A Synthesis of Research, 1987-2003. Review of Educational Research (volume 76, number 1, page 1-62). Ann Arbor, MI: Proquest LLC.Goetz, T., & Nett, U., & Martiny, S., & Hall, N., & Pekrun, R., & Dettmers, S., & Trautwein, U. (2012). Students’ Emotions During Homework: Structures, Self-Concept Antecedents, and Achievement Outcomes. Learning and Individual Differences (Volume 22, page 225-234). Elsevier Ltd.Peltier, P. (2011). A Comparative Study of Teachers’ Attitudes and Practices Regarding Homework in the Elementary, Middle, and High School Grades. Ann Arbor, MI: ProQuest LLC.Ramdass, D., & Zimmerman, B. (2011). Developing Self-Regulation Skills: The Important Role of Homework; Journal of Advanced Academics (volume 22, number 2, page 194-218). Waco, Texas: Prufrock Press.Trautwein, U., & Ludtke, O. (2009). Predicting Homework Motivation and Homework Effort in Six School Subjects: The Role of Person and Family Characteristics, Classroom Factors, and School Track. Learning and Instruction (Volume 19, page 243-258). Elsevier Ltd.Trautwein, U. (2007). The Homework-Achievement Relation Reconsidered: Differentiating Homework Time, Homework Frequency, and Homework Effort. Learning and Instruction (Volume 17, page 372-388). Elsevier Ltd.Trautwein, U., & Koller, O. (2003). The Relationship Between homework and Achievement: Still Much of a Mystery. Educational Psychology Review (Volume 15, Number 2). Plenum Publishing Corporation.Van Voorhis, F. (2003). Interactive Homework in Middle School: Effects on Family Involvement and Science Achievement. The Journal of Educational Research (volume 96, number 6, page 323-338). Taylor & Francis Ltd.Xu, J. (2011). Homework Purpose Scale For Middle School Students: A Validation Study. Middle Grades Research Journal (volume 6, page 1-13). Information Age Publishing Inc.Zimmerman, B., & Kitsantas, A. (2005). Homework Practices and Academic Achievement: The Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy and Perceived Responsibility Beliefs. Contemporary Educational Psychology. New York, New York: Elsevier Inc. ................
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