1. Lauren Nourse
EDU 710
February 4, 2010
Research Article #1 Critique.
The Impact of Homework and Homework Preferences in Ninth Grade Geography
(ED507308)
Schuster, Nicholas C.
The Impact of Homework and Homework Preferences in Ninth Grade Geography
Nicholas C. Schuster
University of Wisconsin–La Crosse
November 5, 2009
Educational issue being researched.: Effectiveness of homework and type
of homework on quiz scores in ninth grade geography
Research hypothesis, question or area of inquiry. RQ1: What was the impact on
quiz scores from assigning homework as opposed to not assigning homework?
RQ2: How did the gap between students’ preferred homework conditions and actual
homework conditions impact homework completion rates?
RQ3: How did the gap between students’ preferred homework conditions and actual
homework conditions impact quiz scores?
Dependent variable(s) (if applicable.). Chapter Quizzes
Independent variable(s). (if applicable).
Where does the research take place and who were the participants? ninth-
grade geography students from a Midwestern, suburban public high school.
How were data collected? Data collected over a 2 week period in a
classroom situation with correlation to homework. Who collected it? The
author/teacher
How was the data analyzed? Broken down by multiple factors: homework
versus no-homework; When;Where;Lighting;Study space or
surface;Music;Television;Noise level;Eating

2. What were the results of the study? inconclusive relationship between a) homework
and quiz scores, b) homework preferences and homework completion, and c) homework
preferences and quiz scores
Critique of the design and methodology of the study. Evaluation of the
methodology section.
Were the clients adequately described? Please explain. Clients were
well defined and adequately described. Number of students per ethnicity
and academic achievement levels was given in detail.
Was the setting adequately described? Please explain. Setting
adequately described.
Was the research design appropriate? Please explain. Research
clearly presented. The writer’s thoughts concerning confusions in the
research were adequately delineated and explained.
Were the dependent variable (s) and independent variables (s)
adequately described? Please explain.