Reinventing Homework

The Case Study

This case study looked at the following question:

What is the effectiveness of homework in terms of quality and quantity of work as well as motivational factors to increase student engagement of homework that is shown to increase academic achievement?

The sub-questions were

• 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 hypothesis was:

homework is helpful only under particular scenarios and only within a certain amount of time, and of course only based on the students’ expectations to complete it.

The Expectation was that the Goldilocks’ Effect will reign true with the findings- too much homework is just as hurtful as too little to maximize academic achievement.  I also hypothesized that only with the engagement of the material will the overall purpose and effect of the homework be transferred onto academic achievement.

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 surveymonkey.com, and two websites (7laurus.weebly.com and 8laurus.weebly.com) 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 that ensuring quality homework and allocating a reasonable amount of time for the work would provide academic achievement.  Based on these reported results, this research concluded that there most definitely was strong evidence to support research.

What stakeholders are saying:

• Curriculum Coach (Ms. Tate/Eaton Academy): “The students have really enjoyed the opportunity to create their own assignment!  It has really increased their level of engagement in the classroom!”
• Teacher (Ms. Anderson/Ypsilanti Schools): “I love the fact that the students are monitoring themselves through this process.  It really gives them the chance to see themselves grow!”
• Principle (Ms. Allan/Eaton Academy): “The teachers that have implemented the process have spoken greatly about the level of enjoyment in teaching again in the classroom instead of spending time hounding students for missing homework.  The students have really blossomed in their own motivational levels for success growth and determination.”
• Parent: “I can spend time with my kid learning with her!  She is really learning management skills with bossing me around on what she wants to achieve!”
• Student: “I like that homework isn’t a hassle to do it’s just there for you to do, and its is due at the end of the week not giving us a frustration about having a lot of homework due the next day we get it.
• Student: “I like that I can do my homework on my own time and if I don’t have time to do it one day I can do it on the next day.
• Student: “I enjoy many things about this website, but if I had to choose one it would be getting to learn from different websites to help me understand.Rather than getting a sheet of traditional homework without easily available, good sources to help me understand what I am doing.

Read the full case study here