Self-regulation of mathematics homework behavior: An empirical investigation

The authors examined self-regulation of mathematics homework behavior (i.e., mathematics homework management). The participants consisted of 796 eighth-grade students (46 classes) in China. Multilevel results showed that mathematics homework management was positively associated with value belief at the class and individual level. At the individual level, students' management in mathematics homework was positively related to affective attitude, expectancy belief, learning-oriented reasons, homework interest, parent education, teacher feedback, adult-oriented reasons, and value belief. Meanwhile, students' management in mathematics homework was negatively related to time spent on television. Our findings were discussed in the context of related theoretical frameworks (e.g., self-regulation and expectancy value) as well as previous findings pertaining to homework.     

“Did you do your homework?” Mathematics teachers’ homework follow‐up practices at middle school level

Teachers’ homework follow‐up practices, the in‐class strategies teachers use to monitor their students’ homework assignments, have an impact on their students’ homework behaviors and academic achievement. The current study explored the perspectives of middle school mathematics teachers on the three domains of homework follow‐up: the practices used in class, the purposes of each practice, and the aspects that may influence this process. Data were collected from two data sources (i.e., focus groups and classroom observations) and were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings showed that teachers monitored homework either using a single strategy or a combination of strategies (e.g., checking homework completion and providing individual feedback) linked to a specific purpose (e.g., promote students’ involvement). The teachers also reported that they were under certain constraints when they delivered homework follow‐up practices (e.g., pressure to follow the curriculum), so their practices’ effectiveness sometimes can be compromised. Implications for practice are discussed.     

Does homework design matter? The role of homework's purpose in student mathematics achievement

This study used a randomized pretest–posttest clustered design to examine the effect of 3 homework purposes (i.e., practice, preparation, and extension) on 6th graders' mathematics achievement and how this relationship was modulated by the amount of completed homework. A total of 27 mathematics teachers and their 638 students participated in this study. Once a week for six weeks, the teachers assigned tasks that had a specific type of homework purpose according to their treatment condition. At the end of the six weeks, the students completed a non-standardized mathematics achievement test. The results of multilevel modeling showed that after controlling for student characteristics and class-level variables, extension homework positively impacted students' mathematics achievement, while practice and preparation homework did not. These findings were not related to the amount of homework that was completed by the students. The findings highlighted the importance of the teacher's role in the first phase of the homework process (i.e., designing homework with a specific purpose) and provide important data for teachers and school administrators to reflect upon when conducting actual homework practices.     

Resilient and Nonresilient Hispanic English Language Learners' Attitudes Toward Their Classroom Learning Environment in Mathematics

This study examines resilient and nonresilient characteristics in mathematics among Hispanic students in a major metropolitan city located in the south central region of the United States. The study examined data from semistructure interviews of 118 resilient and nonresilient English language learners (ELLs) in 4th and 5th grade. The interviews focused on a variety of factors including: (a) individual attributes (e.g., students’ motivation); (b) school and classroom factors (e.g., satisfaction, involvement, and affiliation); (c) family factors (e.g., parent involvement in academics); and (d) students’ use of time (e.g., doing homework). Additional indicators that were examined include help-seeking behaviors and skills that allow students to cope with academic difficulties. Overall, the findings indicate significant differences between resilient and nonresilient students on academic performance and their self-efficacy on perceived mathematical abilities. Significant differences were also found in the home learning environment, indicating that resilient students receive more assistance at home on academic tasks than non-resilient students.     

HOMEWORK MANAGEMENT SCALE: CONFIRMING THE FACTOR STRUCTURE WITH MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS IN CHINA

This study presents a psychometric evaluation of the Homework Management Scale (HMS) for mathematics, consisting of five subscales for measuring ' homework management strategies. Confirmatory factor analyses were conducted with a sample of middle school students (N = 796). Results indicated that the factor structure of the Chinese version of the HMS for mathematics was consistent with the original one developed in the United States. Furthermore, the HMS and its subscales were correlated with related measures (i.e., homework purpose, homework behaviors, and learning strategies) in the theoretically expected directions. These findings suggest that Chinese version of the HMS is a valid multidimensional measure for mathematics homework at the middle school level. In addition, these findings strengthen the validity of the HMS, as China and United States represent two countries in East and West that differ with regard to their education system in general, and with homework practices in particular.     

A person-centered approach to homework behavior: Students’ characteristics predict their homework learning type

Homework time (i.e., the total amount of time spent on homework) and homework effort (i.e., the extent to which students work seriously on their homework) are defined as two central aspects that characterize students’ homework behavior. Recent research has identified homework learning types by considering differences in students in both homework effort and homework time with a person-centered approach (Flunger et al., 2015). The present study investigated how students’ characteristics (i.e., motivation, conscientiousness, gender, and verbal abilities) are associated with these homework behavior profiles. To this end, data on homework behavior in the subject of French as a second language of 1649 Swiss eighth-grade students were reanalyzed by applying latent profile analyses (LPAs) with covariates in a modified three-step method (Vermunt, 2010). The findings suggest that large amounts of homework time can be a characteristic of favorable homework behavior: When students simultaneously invested a great deal of effort in their homework, spending a lot of time on homework was associated with high motivation and high conscientiousness. By contrast, when students exerted low effort, large amounts of homework time were found to be associated with low motivation and low conscientiousness.     

Got math attitude? (In)direct effects of student mathematics attitudes on intentions,behavioral engagement,and mathematics performance in the U.S. PISA

Academic performance is predicted by a multitude of demographic, contextual, cognitive, and noncognitive factors. The noncognitive factors predicting achievement in mathematics that have previously been investigated in depth are study skills, confidence, self-efficacy, and personality traits (Kyllonen, 2012). Limited applied research has explored the predictive value of attitudes and beliefs in mathematics achievement using representative data of U.S. students. The current study uses the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to explain high school students’ performance in mathematics in large-scale assessment data by using the PISA 2012. Along with key demographic factors, results indicated that students’ attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control beliefs explained 21.1% of the variability in intentions to pursue and major in mathematics in the future, 59.4% of the variability in behavioral engagement with mathematics learning, and 30.7% of the variability in mathematics performance.The study results have implications on: (1) the applicability of an attitude-behavior framework in educational research for understanding academic performance, (2) the importance of perceived control and self-efficacy beliefs for predicting behavioral engagement in mathematics (e.g., paying attention in class, completing homework, studying for exams) and subsequent mathematics performance, and (3) the practical significance of students’ attitude towards mathematics on their intentions to pursue mathematics coursework in post-secondary education and possess math-relevant career aspirations.     

A Parent-Implemented,Technology-Mediated Approach to Increasing Self-Management Homework Skills in Middle School Students with Autism

Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in secondary school settings (i.e., grades 6-12) typically struggle with multiple academic challenges. Critics have noted that secondary schools traditionally have not been particularly effective in helping students with ASD develop self-determination (e.g., self-management) skills, which are considered pre-requisites to success in academics. Thus, there is a significant need for increased parent-professional collaboration in secondary schools. This study examined the effectiveness of coaching parents to implement a technology-mediated (e.g., iPad) approach to increasing the homework-related self-management skills for mathematics of five middle school students with ASD. Results indicate that these five students significantly increased their math homework self-management skills as a consequence of effectively using iPad applications when coached by their parents.     

Variables affecting students' intrinsic motivation for school mathematics: Two empirical studies based on Deci and Ryan's theory on motivation

The self-determination theory of Deci and Ryan, developed in order to explain the intrinsic motivation of human behavior, was tested empirically by a cross-sectional and longitudinal study related to a school subject (mathematics). The studies were conducted to examine the effects of the mathematics teacher's controlling strategies (as perceived by the students) on students' intrinsic interests for mathematics, their achievements, and their self-concept in mathematics. The samples in Study 1 (the cross-sectional study) consisted of 171 seventh-graders and 164 eighth-graders. Based on previous research, Model 1 was developed and tested by means of LISREL (path-analysis of cross-sectional data). Model 2 was constructed and tested in Study 2, i.e., data from the two samples were collected one year later and used (longitudinal path-analysis of panel-data). The findings of the two studies indicate that students' intrinsic interest for mathematics, their performance in mathematics, and their mathematical self-concept vary as a function of the mathematics teacher's controlling strategies.     

Towards a theory of mathematics homework as a social practice

This article presents a theoretical conceptualization of mathematics homework as a social practice. Rather than considering homework as a task or an artifact, this approach frames homework in terms of the social contexts in which students participate and how students participate in those contexts. This perspective has long been suggested by homework researchers but has not been developed as a framework for understanding homework. Drawing from Wenger’s (1998) social theory of learning and research grounded in sociocultural theory, this conceptualization makes central meaning making and identity development, and puts forth meaning and identity as lenses for understanding students’ participation in the practice of mathematics homework. To further develop this conceptualization of homework, I draw on data from an ethnographic study of the role and meaning of mathematics homework in the lives of middle school students. Case studies of two students are presented to demonstrate the relationships among the meaning of homework, students’ identities, and their participation in the practice of homework. One student’s experiences support him in identifying as a capable mathematics student who is bound for continued academic success through high school to college. Thus, he comes to take on mathematics homework as a means to learn and succeed. The other student’s experiences support him in building an identity that leads him to reject homework. This conceptualization of homework and the case study data have implications for the practice of homework and for theories of students’ motivational dispositions in the context of mathematics homework and learning in general.     

数学作业的布置与批改探析

作业是数学教学中的关键环节,通过作业能够检验学生的课堂学习效果,但当前学生数学作业的完成效率不高。数学教师只有在作业中体现趣味性、层次性和差异性,与生活相结合,并在数学作业批改时坚持及时性、启发性原则,做到多种批改、分项评价、一题多改,采用多样化作业批改方式,才能引导学生在完成作业的过程中提高数学素养。     

Getting remedial mathematics students to prefer homework with 20% and 40% more problems: An investigation of the strength of the interspersing procedure

High school students in remedial mathematics classes were exposed to three pairs of mathematics computation assignments. Three of the assignments served as control assignments and contained 15 target problems (i.e., three‐digit by two‐digit multiplication problems). Students were also exposed to three paired experimental assignments that contained either 15 (0% more), 18 (20% more), or 21 (40% more) equivalent target problems. Each experimental assignment was also lengthened by interspersing additional one‐digit by one‐digit problems following every third target problem. After exposure to each pair of assignments, students reported which of the two assignments (control or experimental) would require the most time and effort to finish, which was most difficult, and which assignment they would prefer to do for homework. Across all three assignment pairs, significantly more students rated the experimental assignment more favorably for time, effort, and difficulty and chose the experimental assignment for homework. These results extend previous research on interspersing additional brief tasks by showing that this procedure has sufficient strength to get students to prefer homework assignments with 20% and 40% more target problems. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

HOMEWORK AND MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT IN HONG KONG: EVIDENCE FROM THE TIMSS 2003

Though it is generally believed that doing homework promotes better learning, no consensus has been achieved concerning its importance and relevance to students’ achievement. The historical up-and-down status of public attitudes toward homework indicates that understanding about the role of homework in students’ learning is far from comprehensive and clear. The literature shows that much research effort has been devoted to the relationship between amount of homework and achievement, but little on quality of homework and how it has been used. Applying a 2-level hierarchical linear model on the TIMSS 2003 data, this study investigated the relationship between classroom practices on homework and 8th grade students’ mathematics achievement in Hong Kong in three dimensions: frequency and amount of homework, types of homework, and usage modes of homework. The results showed that while the time spent on daily mathematics homework had significantly positive effect on students’ TIMSS results, no effect was observed on the frequency of homework assigned. Out of three types of homework, only homework of the problem/question type demonstrated significant effect. The practice of having students start homework in class had negative influence on students’ learning outcome. Implications and suggestions for educational practice and future research were then discussed.     

MATHEMATICS HOMEWORK: A STUDY OF THREE GRADE EIGHT CLASSROOMS IN SINGAPORE

This paper explores the nature and source of mathematics homework and teachers’ and students’ perspectives about the role of mathematics homework. The subjects of the study are three grade 8 mathematics teachers and 115 of their students. Data from field notes, teacher interviews and student questionnaire are analysed using qualitative methods. The findings show that all 3 teachers gave their students homework for instructional purposes to engage them in consolidating what they were taught in class as well as prepare them for upcoming tests and examinations. The homework only involved paper and pencil, was compulsory, homogenous for the whole class and meant for individual work. The main source of homework assignments was the textbook that the students used for the study of mathematics at school. ‘Practice makes perfect’ appeared to be the underlying belief of all 3 teachers when rationalising why they gave their students homework. From the perspective of the teachers, the role of homework was mainly to hone skills and comprehend concepts, extend their ‘seatwork into out of class time’ and cultivate a sense of responsibility. From the perspectives of the students, homework served 6 functions, namely improving/enhancing understanding of mathematics concepts, revising/practising the topic taught, improving problem-solving skills, preparing for test/examination, assessing understanding/learning from mistakes and extending mathematical knowledge.     

Students’ emotions during homework in mathematics: Testing a theoretical model of antecedents and achievement outcomes

The experience of pleasant and unpleasant emotions in academic situations is known to affect students’ learning. The aim of the present study was to extend previous research by examining the antecedents and consequences of student emotions in the homework context. Multilevel analyses of a longitudinal dataset containing 3483 grade 9 and grade 10 students in 155 classes showed that the perceived quality of the homework tasks assigned by the teacher affected students’ experience of unpleasant homework-related emotions. Moreover, the experience of unpleasant emotions during homework sessions was negatively related to homework effort and negatively predicted later achievement in mathematics.     

Homework practices and academic achievement: The mediating role of self-efficacy and perceived responsibility beliefs

The present study investigated the role of students’ homework practices in their self-efficacy beliefs regarding their use of specific learning processes (e.g., organizing, memorizing, concentrating, monitoring, etc.), perceptions of academic responsibility, and academic achievement. One hundred and seventy-nine girls from multi-ethnic, mixed socioeconomic status families residing in a major metropolitan area of the United States were studied in a parochial school that emphasized homework in the curriculum with more than 3 h of work assigned daily. Path analyses showed significant paths (a) from homework experiences to the girls’ self-efficacy for learning beliefs and their perception of student responsibility for academic outcomes, and (b) from these two academic beliefs to the girls’ academic grade point average at the end of the school term. The implications of these findings for future research and school policy will be discussed.     

Students' emotions during homework: Structures,self-concept antecedents,and achievement outcomes

In the present study (N = 553; 8th and 11th grade students; 52% female) we investigated students' enjoyment, pride, anxiety, anger, and boredom while completing homework (homework emotions), and contrasted these emotions with those experienced during class (classroom emotions). Both homework emotions and classroom emotions were assessed separately for the domains of mathematics, physics, German, and English. Our hypotheses were based on propositions of the control-value theory of achievement emotions (Pekrun, 2006), Marsh and Ayotte's (2003) differential distinctiveness hypothesis, and previous empirical findings. In line with our assumptions, observed correlations between homework emotions and classroom emotions suggested that the emotions experienced in the two settings should be assessed separately. Within domains, both homework emotions and classroom emotions showed clear linkages with students' academic self-concept and achievement outcomes, with self-concept being slightly more strongly related to classroom emotions. Between-domain relations of emotions were significantly stronger for homework emotions as compared to classroom emotions, likely due to the relative situational homogeneity of homework settings across domains. Further, between-domain relations for emotions in both settings were weaker in 11th grade students, whereas within-domain relations did not differ as a function of age. Implications for research and educational practice are discussed.     

Homework – is there a connection with classroom assessment? A review from Sweden

Background: The growing interest among researchers concerning how to use assessment to enhance students’ learning as well as to improve instruction provided the impetus for this review of teachers’ assessment activities related to homework.Purpose and method: The purpose was to bring together and critically examine the evidence in a way that illuminates research findings firstly on homework related to formative assessment, and secondly to relate research findings on homework to teachers’ classroom work to formative assessment, and finally to complement existing international research by examining findings from Sweden. International peer-reviewed articles as well as doctoral theses, reviewed anthologies, encyclopaedias, international reports, and handbooks were used.Findings and conclusions: Findings show a gap in the research field of homework, especially in relation to formative assessment. Various research findings point to the importance of exploring the quality of homework. Research on how to assign and assess homework must consider the problems and conflicts that homework causes students, parents and teachers. Research is also needed to illuminate issues related to conditions for equity in relation to homework and feedback.     

构建自主学习小学数学作业的实践与思考

作业是课堂学习的延伸与拓展,是所学知识的巩固与内化,也是引领学生自主学习、学会学习的路径与目标。设计自主学习小学数学作业,布置联系实际作业,增强生活性;布置生动有趣作业,增强趣味性;布置操作实践作业,增强探索性;布置不同层次作业,增强自主性;布置一题多解作业,增强独创性,让作业成为学生生命成长的重要历程与精彩展示。     

Online homework impact in undergraduate mathematics and business statistics courses

This evaluation examines the impact on student success rates related to changes in instructional programmes in undergraduate mathematics and statistics courses. Success for students taking courses with a computer-based homework component was compared with success of students who took the course in prior semesters without the computer-based component. Graphical and analytical tools are used to compare results. Results come from multiple semesters of each type of homework application, for both pre-calculus algebra and business statistics courses. Students whose performance is utilised in this study are undergraduate students taking introductory level college mathematics or business statistics courses, with mostly no prior instruction at this level. Comparing the success of the intervention group with the success of the baseline control group, findings support that the students using the computer-based homework instruction are just as successful as those using the traditional method of homework instruction. Utilising the online homework applications, provide several important advantages in today’s universities, including the reduced time for faculty grading, consistency of graded assignments across all sections of a course and most importantly, immediate feedback for students.