1. 1
Will On-line Homework Improve Completion
Rates and By Extension, Improve Test Scores?
Lauren Nourse
July 2010
Touro University California
2. 2
Overview of Today’s Presentation
Importance:
Purpose of Study:
Literature Review
Key Themes
Implications
Gaps
Importance and justification
for your study
3. 3
Importance
Increasingly students and parent and even
administrators are asking to make homework more
relevant.
Can we create a routine homework that satisfies the
teacher assigning the work and the student for
whom it is intended?
4. 4
Purpose of Study
Objectives or Outcomes
To find out if creating web based homework
assignments will improve student homework
completion rates in science at the middle school
level.
If homework completion rates improve, is there
a corresponding increase in student scores on
quizzes and chapter tests.
5. 5
Literature Review
Theme 1
Differing Opinions: What Makes
Homework Bad.
Teachers students to overvalue work and increase a sense of
competition
Homework is not designed well
Inappropriate or poorly designed homework may even
decrease student achievement.
Some construe homework as a form of punishment
If these skills assigned as homework are so critical then they
should be being taught within the school day.
Creates barriers for poor families.
6. 6
Theme 2
•Differing Opinions: What makes
Homework Good?
•Teachers assign homework to cement understanding,
promote responsibility, provide for practice
•Plays a role in the development of children’s achievement
motivation
•Homework has a positive influence on achievement.
Literature Review
7. 7
Literature Review
Theme 3: Student Engagement and
Perception
• Should students have more of a voice in their homework?
• Research seems to show that students have more interest
in completing homework if it has been done on the web.
• While there is does not seem to be a significant increase
in scores on tests and quizzes, there is generally more
attention and interest.
8. 8
Implications for the Study
There have been studies showing homework is good
There have been studies showing homework is bad
There have been studies showing no improvement in test
scores when homework is completed.
There have been studies showing great improvement in
test scores when homework is completed.
While these seem very conflicting, there is still room for
investigation looking at the impact of web based
homework and its effect on student achievement.
9. 9
Gaps in the Literature
The majority of studies investigating web based
homework have been at the college or upper
high school level.
In addition, almost all the studies have involved
math or physics or chemistry homework.
Almost all involve pre-packaged tutorial type
programs – often necessitating a fee for
participation.
10. 10
Importance and Justification
for your study
Even though there are major disagreements on this
issue, I feel there is room for a study at the middle
school level using digital homework and its
impact on student achievement.
Additionally, if homework completion rates are
higher, are quiz and test scores higher?
Teachers must jump on board the digital bandwagon
to keep ourselves relevant in the eyes of our
students. These digital natives are becoming
increasingly intolerant of teachers who do not
demonstrate tech savvy.