A STUDY OF HOMEWORK AND ITS EFFECT ON STUDENT … · Spencer, (2017) the homework debate continues even today, whether it benefits the students in their overall academic achievement

A STUDY OF HOMEWORK AND ITS EFFECT ON

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

MARYAM ABDUL SAMAD

A THESIS SUBMITED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE MBA IN EDUCATION MANAGEMENT.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

KARACHI, PAKISTAN 2019

A STUDY OF HOMEWORK AND ITS EFFECT ON

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

MARYAM ABDUL SAMAD

DR. SARWAT NAUMAN

SUPERVISOR

A THESIS SUBMITED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE MBA IN EDUCATION MANAGEMENT.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, INSTITUTE OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

KARACHI, PAKISTAN 2019

Certificate of Approval

It is certified that Ms. Maryam Abdul Samad has successfully completed her research study

under my supervision on “Homework and Its Effect on Student Achievement.” in part fulfillment

of the degree of MBA in Education Management. Her dissertation meets the scholarly standards as

set by the Institute of Business Management.

Dr. Nasreen

Hussain Head of

Department

November 2019

Dr. Sarwat Nauman

Research Supervisor

November 2019

Abstract

Homework has been a topic of debate for over a century in the west and its importance in the

academic lives of the students. Homework brought home daily by students is considered as part

of out of school learning. The debate about homework and its effect on student achievement in

recent time has been a hot topic since various schools of thoughts do not agree with implementing

the 100-year-old method of homework in schools. Research about homework practices was

carried out in a study and the perception of students on homework and their attitudes towards it.

All such previous research has been conducted in the western countries in upper primary, very

little research has been carried in lower primary.

The research has extended the prior work on homework from secondary grades to primary

grades. Furthermore study on homework and its effect on student has rarely been conducted in

south Asian countries. This study examines the role of homework in student’s school life and its

effect on student achievement and its implication in primary section of an elite private school in

Karachi. The researcher employed the mixed method research and the data was analyzed through

the quanti/Quali method. The research was also conducted to get the students point of view about

homework tasks and its importance in their daily lives. The methodology used was action research

by the researcher in grade three and studied the relationship of homework and its effect on their

learning in science class. In the research, the students were tested with short quizzes after each

lesson and applied a standardized test as an end of unit test. Further research was conducted

through focus group interviews to gather student thoughts and opinions about homework .The

results from our research indicate that homework does have a positive effect on student test scores

and helps in their academic capabilities in primary grades. In addition, the results of the research

showed that most students think homework is important to the learning.

However, the poor design and lack of teacher’s timely feedbacks discourage them to

complete their homework on time. It should be designed in such away students develop motivation

and enjoy completing it. Moreover this study contributes to the current literature in terms of its

latest and uniqueness of being from a part of the world were there, is less research conducted on in

primary grade levels of private schools regarding homework. As a result homework practices in

the country will be highlighted and any changes necessary in the current practices will emerge and

benefit the students.

Keywords: Homework, effect, attitudes, primary grades, achievement.

To my family and friends

Thank you for believing in me, it was with your due support and constant encouragement that have

made me competent to complete this research and degree.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank first Allah Tallah on providing me such knowledgeable mentor Ms.

Sarwat Nauman, who guided me in every step and provided me with a positive critique which

improved my research and my learning. Her guidance has opened a learning arena for me which I

will cherish for my life time. I would like to thank Dr. Zehra Habib because of your teachings; it

compelled me to do research on this topic.

HOMEWORK AND ITS EFFECT ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT I

Table of Contents

Chapter 1:Introduction…………………………………………………………………………1

Background………………………………………………………………………………3

Purpose of the Study…………………………………………………………………….3

Rational of the Study……………………………………………………………………4

Chapter 2: Literature Review …………………………………………………………………7

Homework and its Effect on Student Achievement ……………………………………11

Homework and Student’s Attitude……………………………..……………………...11

Homework and ICT..…………………………………………………………………..15

Chapter 3:Methodology……..…………………………………………………………………19

Sample size……………………………………………………………………………...21

Data collection…………………………………………………………………………..21

Data Analysis…………………………………………………………………………....22

Chapter 4: Results………….……………………………………………………….…………..24

Quantitative Analysis….………………………………………………………….……..24

Qualitative Analysis………………………………………………………………………….……26

Interesting Homework …………………………………………………………………….……..26

Short Homework………………………………………………………………………………..….28

HOMEWORK AND ITS EFFECT ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT II

Timely Submission and Feedback……..…………………………………………………………29

Valuable for students………………………………………………………………………..........31

Chapter 5: Discussion………………………………………………………………………..33

Quantitative Mean………………………………………………………………………...34

Qualitative Analysis………………………………………………………………………35

Interesting Homework…………………………………………………………………………..…37

Short Homework……………………………………………………………………………………39

Timely Submission and Feedback……..………………………………………………………….40

Valuable for students ………………………………………………………………………………42

Chapter 6: Conclusion…………………………………………………………….................44

References ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………46

Appendix A…………………………………………………………………………………..51

Appendix B…………………………………………………………………………………...52

Appendix C…………………………………………………………………………………..53

Appendix D…………………………………………………………………………………..54

HOMEWORK AND ITS EFFECT ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT 1

Chapter 1

Introduction

Homework is a long tradition, which dates back a century ago when school’s work consisted

of reading, writing, arithmetic and rote learning (Vatterot, 2018). According to Cathy (2018), these

were simple tasks that the children did at the beginning of the century to increase their mental

strength. As it was believed that,the brain needed mental exercises daily to increase its strengths

(Cardenas, 2012). The first signs of homework appeared with the first formal school around this

time, as we know it even before that people claim that monks invented homework in 1859 as they

were asked to practice singing after their vocational lessons. In Europe, homework dates back to the

beginning of the 19th

century where people claim that Roberto Nevilles, a teacher from Venice,

Italy, who was disappointed in the performance of his class, decided to punish the students in this

original way. Notably homework also dates back to 1901 in California where they believe that they

invented homework.

Early advocates of homework felt that giving it to students daily was justifiable as the

teacher gets a total of thirty hours in a week with the students, which is not enough for teachers

to meet their learning objectives. So daily reinforcement at home should be given so the students

can reach the level that the teacher wants to achieve in her class (Gordon, 1980). During the 18th

century, schooling was not compulsory until age 14 and most of children had chores to do at

home so only a minority of them attended schools. They did not find homework as being a

burden and it was not such a big issue in those days. Children practiced and rote memorized most

of the class work (PGill & Schlossman, 2004). At some point during the early 1900s, a

movement of anti-homework started in the United States of America. In 1901, the editor of

the Ladies' Home Journal, Edward Bok, began a series of anti-homework articles. He

recommended the elimination of homework for all students under the age of 15 and a limit of


hour nightly for older students (Vatterot, 2018). This movement gained momentum in the 1930s

and legislation was passed in America to abolish homework, especially in the lower grades. This

continued for many years until, the industrial era when reformation of homework started, it

became more proactive and rehabilitated it as a tool for academic excellence (PGill &

Schlossman, 2004). After the cold war in the late 1950‟s the importance of homework emerged

and its focus shifted from drills to problem solving assignments (Spencer, 2017). According to

Spencer, (2017) the homework debate continues even today, whether it benefits the students in

their overall academic achievement.

Homework is an important part of children who are school going and it is considered a

form of reinforcement and retention of the work done in class. Homework is the student’s task at

home, but it may also involve parent’s guidance or help as well. It can be defined as any task

assigned by schoolteachers intended for students to carry out during non-school hours (Cooper

H.,1989). The debate over homework’s importance and its inclusion in the children’s daily life

has been going on for years and during this time, the public opinion has shifted from positive to

negative to positive again (Emami, 2014). Although it seems like a simple question, but has a

very complex answer (The Learning Team, 2010). Where the real dilemma for educators and

parents both, is homework effective for student learning in primary classes? Previous researches

like Cooper, (1989) commented that homework had a positive impact on student achievement in

higher classes. The case for primary classes was indifferent and no major change was seen in

student performance. The success of homework also depends on the type of homework

assignments given, that can range from reading, writing, long term projects to short assignments

all depending on the grade level, teacher or subject requirement (Cooper H.,1989).


Background

Early advocates of homework felt that giving it to students daily was justifiable as the

teacher gets a total of thirty hours in a week with the students, which is not enough for teachers to

meet their learning objectives. So daily reinforcement at home should be given so the students can

reach the level that the teacher wants to achieve in her class (Gordon, 1980). During the 18th

century, schooling was not compulsory until age 14 and most of children had chores to do at

home so only a minority of them attended schools. They did not find homework as being a burden

and it was not such a big issue in those days. Children practiced and rote memorized most of the

class work (PGill & Schlossman, 2004).

At some point during the early 1900s, a movement of anti-homework started in the United

States of America. In 1901, the editor of the Ladies' Home Journal, Edward Bok, began a series of

anti-homework articles. He recommended the elimination of homework for all students under the

age of 15 and a limit of one hour nightly for older students (Vatterot, 2018). This movement gained

momentum in the 1930s and legislation was passed in America to abolish homework, especially in

the lower grades. This continued for many years until, the industrial era when reformation of

homework started, it became more proactive and rehabilitated it as a tool for academic excellence

(PGill & Schlossman, 2004). After the cold war in the late 1950‟s the importance of homework

emerged and its focus shifted from drills to problem solving assignments (Spencer, 2017).

According to Spencer, (2017) the homework debate continues even today, whether it benefits the

students in their overall academic achievement.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the homework varies from either being instructional or non-instructional.

The most common instructional purpose of homework is to provide the student with an

opportunity to practice or review material that has already been presented in class (Epstein,

1983). Hundreds of students come every day from school and bring around an hour’s homework.

For some homework is easy where for others it could be a struggle or a burden (Emami, 2014).


Homework can serve many purposes; it may be to meet teacher’s objectives, student learning or

school learning goals. There has been debate about the homework policies, practices by schools

especially at primary level. According to Cooper, (1989) parents feel that their children are

overburdened and the educators feel it is for the overall academic improvement of the students.

The conflict is ongoing between parents and teachers as what, and how much homework should be

given to students in primary grades.

The history of homework in Pakistan was influenced by the British education system, as

it was part of British India before independence. The concept of homework was mostly practiced

in all the public and private schools as a reinforcement of the lessons done in class. No

homework policy is present regarding homework in Pakistan’s education policy (Ministry of

Federal Education and Professional Training Government of Pakistan, 2017). As there is no clear

guideline, it depends and varies from school to school as to what kind of homework system is

being followed. Karachi is one of the most populated cities in Pakistan and there are hundreds of

schools and millions of school going children. The general practice in all these schools is to

burden the students with homework and demand submission on the next day.

Rational of the Study

The teaching practices are conventional in almost all the schools and they are given

homework daily, and not all of it is checked regularly, including short notes to be learned at

home (Iqbal, 2012). The need for more research in Asia particularly Pakistan was needed to

understand the implications of homework and its effect on student achievement in urban areas

of Karachi where education and school is an important part of life for .No such study has ever

been conducted, regarding homework, how students perceive it and its importance in their life.

The rational is also to make organized methods to implement homework in classrooms which

will benefit students in their academic life.


Research Questions

Q1. To what extent does the homework effect academic achievement in primary classes?

Q2. What are the attitudes of children towards homework?


Key terms

Homework: Homework is defined as a reinforcement task or work given by the teacher to the

students to be completed outside the classroom. Homework does not necessarily mean that it has

to be done at home, but any place outside the classroom. Its basic purpose is reinforcement and

extension of the learning that took place in the classroom.

Effect: The effect is usually used as a noun in a sentence and its meaning is to bring about.

Achievement: Achievement in education is the overall result or success, a student achieves in a

period in school.

Attitudes: A predisposition or a tendency to respond positively or negatively towards a certain

idea, object, person or situation. Attitude influences an individual's choice of action, and

responses to challenges, incentives, and rewards.

Primary Grades: According to the U.S.A system Elementary school is from grade one to grade

six.


Chapter 2

Literature Review

The research discusses the importance of literature of homework and its effect on student

achievement, which is very vast. Research has been carried out since the early 1900 in USA

where homework has been an important part of American life and students are assigned

homework on a daily basis. The literature review of my research revolves around the works and

theories of Cooper on homework, which span, for twenty years. Cooper, (1989) reviewed nearly

120 US educational studies to study the effect of homework on student achievement. During

those, years Cooper’s research was conducted from 1987 to 2006 and during that time, he had

researched on many aspects of homework on student life. This research has been narrowed down

into two aspects, firstly the effect of homework on student achievement and secondly the attitude

of students towards homework. The urgency for research in the USA was felt when the USSR

launched Sputnik, which made USA realize that they as a nation were way behind in technical

knowledge as compared to other countries and need to work on their education sector. The

changes that took place in the education policy in the 70‟s in the USA also included the inclusion

of daily homework for students.

Cooper has completed two influential systematic reviews about homework in the United

States over a period of twenty years concluded that a small amount of homework is useful

but in higher grades and there is no significant difference in students’ academic

achievement in primary grades. Researchers on the other hand are of the view that the

importance of homework has increased over the years. According to them, second-graders

should not be doing two hours of homework each night, but they also should be spending

some part of the day doing small amounts of homework (Epstein, 1983). A widespread

belief among educators, teachers and parents is that homework is somewhat beneficial for


students in primary classes and much more useful in higher grades. The literature review that

was found is mostly about homework and its effect in the USA, although some papers in Canada

and 16 OCED countries studies have also been included in the literature review. The scope of

research has been limited to homework and its effect on student achievement and the attitude of

students towards homework in primary classes from grades one to three.

Homework and its effect on student achievement

The main research for the literature review builds on the existing knowledge and the

extensive work carried out by Cooper for homework. According to Cooper (1989), homework

has a positive effect on student achievement, in secondary level. The effect can vary depending

on the level of grade but overall homework has substantial positive effects on in secondary

grades and negligible difference in elementary grades. It seems that there are many positive

short-term effects of homework like better understanding of factual knowledge, better retention,

increase in problem solving and curriculum enrichment (Cooper H. , 1989). He further goes on to

identify the long term effects of homework in school going children. Cooper (1989), offers

valuable insight on how homework improves student’s attitude towards school, willingness to

learn, better work habits and the sense of responsibility. In his research to prove the effectiveness

of his homework, he considered it as an instructional method necessary for outside school

learning and during his research; it became clear to him that homework served different purposes

in different grade levels. The effect was not visible in younger grades never the less it was

effective in the form of good working habits, responsibility and positive character traits. In

higher grades, the effect was more visible in the form of facilitating knowledge acquisition on

specific topics. As times have changed and with the influx of technology and ICT in our lives,

there needs to be further research on homework and its effect in the current digital age. The latest


research on homework as compared to cooper’s synthesis deviates to examine how different

kinds of homework and its execution have an effect on achievement levels. For teachers to just

give homework and get it done by the student does not influence student achievement, rather it

depends on many other factors. For example, what type of assignment is given, how actively

engaged the student is to do the homework and what is the perception and attitude of the student

towards homework (Canadian council, 2009).

When cooper started his research, America had already gone through many phases of

love and hate for homework, but with time, they realized that the nation was lagging behind in

mathematical and scientific knowledge, so the need for homework gained importance. This led

the schools to find a way to increase student success and to take homework seriously. Cooper

arguments illustrate the need for a nationwide homework policy to maintain a standard and

uniformity for all school-going children. In his synthesis, he concluded that students in the higher

primary level which is grade four onwards till grades six should be given fifteen minutes

homework at least three times a week or more if needed depending on the students „academic

needs. He felt the need for homework in primary classes was not for knowledge retention rather

it showed no significant difference in their academic learning (Cooper H., 1989). The point

stressed by Cooper, was that while giving homework to the students the motivational tool should

be at all-time present otherwise the homework would not be effective and just a burden for the

students. The homework should be a joint effort of all the teachers teaching different subjects so

each subject has days fixed as to keep the homework from being a burden. These were the

recommendations that Cooper suggested were necessary for an increase in student achievements.

In his defense, he compares the homework with medication, if you take too little, it has no effect

and if you take more it can kill you.


Although a number of authors have supported Cooper’s theory for homework and its

relation to student achievement, but with the development in the 21st

century and the stakes

getting higher has led the people to believe that the more time spent in school, more homework,

and exposure to technology is the way to success in this fast-paced world (Hayward, 2010).

There consists a considerable study of literature New research in China and 16 other OECD

countries has also taken place on homework and their findings are more relatable to today’s

environment and children’s upbringing. The study conducted on the data of sixteen OCED

countries concluded that homework has no effect on student achievement rather the homework

performance even varied according to gender, the economic status of the students and the

country, which they belonged to (Rønning, 2010). In a recent study, it has been concluded that

homework has a positive effect on math and science subjects in elementary grades (Murillo &

Martinez-Garrido, 2014). Furthermore, research carried out in China is important in view of the

great economic boom that it has achieved in the past 20 years.

Literature pertaining strongly suggests that in China, the result in primary school students

found no significant correlation that existed between academic achievement and the time spent

by students to complete their school homework. It also means that more and more time spent by

the students to complete their homework will not necessarily lead to higher academic

achievement (Teong, 2014). In fact, according to Teong (2014), the pressure of homework is not

only on the Chinese students to complete it but also on the parents who have to buy workbooks

along with books as well to do the assigned homework prescribed by teachers in the workbooks.

There have been numerous studies to support that homework has a positive effect on student

achievement in primary classes in the US (Canadian council, 2009). As well as literature

available contradicting these claims in present times in developing countries (Emami, 2014). In

the Pakistani context, homework in schools is a burden for school children and due to extensive


curriculum and no proper planning of classroom teaching. Teachers assign tasks, which are part

of the curriculum without teaching it in class to be finished at home (Inayat, 2014). According to

Inayat (2014), this excessive homework leads to stress and burden on the students rather than

achievement for the students. Due to the boom in primary schools all over Pakistan, the quality of

education provided and the quality of teachers has declined which has affected the schooling

system. As there are no homework regulations in Pakistan’s education policy and the homework

is mostly at the discretion of the teachers. Thus, there is no balance in homework assignments in

primary and secondary classes, which has an adverse effect on the students learning (Aijaz, 2001).

Homework and student’s attitude

This section reviews the literature related to homework from the student’s point of view

and their attitude towards homework. Attitude here refers to the children’s response towards

homework given by the teacher. The attitude towards homework can be measured by the timely

submission of homework to the teacher and the quality of work produced in the homework. It is

also dependent on two factors that are the nature of the homework or assignment and the attitude

of parents towards the homework (Cooper & Jackson, A Model of Homework's Influence on the

Performance Evaluation of Elementary School Students, 2001). Studies by Cooper were

considered conclusive because when he conducted his research parents were pro homework and

felt it was a necessary form of reinforcement and directly related homework assignments to good

test grade, which is not the case these days. Parents of younger children were more involved in

their homework assignments and this interest and enthusiasm affected the student’s attitude

towards their work. Parent perception about homework is a big factor in influencing student

attitude (Canadian council, 2009). Homework in primary grades does have an effect on students


achievement but it does create an awareness on the children that learning is not limited to school

rather it can take place anywhere.

Furthermore, the positive outlook of homework by the teacher when she is teaching and

assigning work creates a positive attitude in the students as well. In primary classes, the students

are too young to develop great educational skills or increase their academic through homework

but the daily exercise of doing tasks at home can create discipline in their lives at a young age

and help them to better focus on their studies (Cooper H. , 1989). However, the main argument

about homework’s success in the students ’academic life relates to how the student perceives

homework. The attitude will be positive if the homework interests the child and motivates the

students rather than a burden which has to be completed. One of the arguments Cooper, (1989)

in his research about homework is that when started at an early age in primary classes gradually

improves the student’s attitude towards and makes them realize schoolwork needs to be revised

for better performance in class the next day.

Cooper carried out the research in the late 1980’s, during that era, the parents were very

competitive for their children and thus supported homework being sent from the teachers on a

regular basis. This led to a positive attitude in the students because they could feel the interest

and support of their parents towards homework. In his studies, he states many potential benefits

of homework and one them being the parent’s positive attitude and support for the child in the

homework task. Another factor, which is important, is the motivation built by teachers in

classrooms for homework assignments. (Doorn, Janssen, & O'Brien, 2010).However additional

studies to understand the attitude of students towards homework in this digital age is necessary.

Students are exposed to everything at a very early age and they have information available to

them at their fingertips. In this scenario, how does homework benefit students? Not only students


but also parents have also become competitive for their child’s achievements for better chances

of success in the real world. The students now days have after school activities, group projects

and sport tournaments. In all of this if the students are burdened with homework, their attitude

towards it becomes negative and they consider it as an added stress in their lives. The students in

primary grades are already going to school until four in the afternoon and their days are full with

various activities in school, which may be exhausting for them. Thus, it is up to the teacher if she

is assigning homework in primary grades she should design and assign the homework task which

is student friendly, manageable and not too time consuming. Teachers are already aware of what

kind of homework will motivate the students, challenge them and include exciting and

investigating work, which intrigues them. Apart from Cooper’s research about the student’s

attitudes about homework, another aspect of it is the attitude towards homework in Asia. In

recent research, in countries like Malaysia and China, student life is synonymous with

homework, the students’ lives in primary, middle and secondary have been taken over by

homework and revision for tests (Teong, 2014). This sort of pressure by teachers and parents

creates fear in students of consequences and they do their homework half-heartedly (Lienholte,

2016).

Homework is termed as an extension of learning outside the classroom and is an integral

part of student life from primary classes all over the world. From the early 1900’s to the present

age, homework has been a topic of extensive research and its results are not simple but very

complex. A new approach is therefore needed due to the ever-evolving education systems

influenced by the cutthroat economic competition and political instability in the world. From

experiences, the developing and underdeveloped countries believe that high scores in math and

science are essential for the development and a better future for their citizens. To insure progress


in academic performance homework is one of the key ingredients and according to latest

research that homework has a direct link to student achievement even in elementary grades

(Murillo & Martinez-Garrido, 2014). The need for further research about homework and its

effect on student achievement in primary classes arises because times have changed and more

and more schools around the world are adopting different teaching pedagogies and methods.

The use of ICT in education has also increased and homework in senior classes being

assigned on online portals. The fear of children lagging behind in knowledge has created frenzy

in the minds of educators and parents to make homework a compulsory part of life. Researchers

argue that children need constant reinforcement of classwork and learning objectives to achieve

good grades and hey believe homework has multiple benefits for younger kids too (Sinha, 2018).

It teaches them to manage time, take on responsibility of doing work outside classroom and

submitting it on time. Homework creates a habit in them of opening their work for revision daily,

which has a significant difference in achievement in class. Research by Cooper stresses the need

for opening and revising math or science work at home even for twenty minutes daily and can

drastically help improve understanding in students. The secret is consistency and homework for

students is a form of routine and development of habits that will help later in higher studies.

One primary problem with Cooper’s theory is his belief that homework has no effect in

primary grades and that the relationship between homework and achievement is not as direct as

Cooper believed to be and many factors affect achievement of students. Moreover, practice of

homework in schools also depends on many socio economical and ethical issues prevailing in the

society (Lienholte, 2016). Homework is something that the young children of primary schools

cannot do independently and require some help from their parents and his can cause a conflict

between them and build a negative attitude towards homework in the family. For this reason,


teachers and educationalists need to plan homework according to the children’s needs and give

flexibility on completion and submission time. However, another school of thought argues that

homework takes away leisure time from kids to explore and play and they are doing the same

work at home which they did in class. The 21st

century teaching and learning encourages

experiential learning and critics of homework argue that it takes precious learning time for

children by doing homework, which they could utilize, by doing other physical and cognitive

activities.

Homework and ICT

The need for further research about homework and its effect on student achievement in

primary classes arises because times have changed and more and more schools around the world

are adopting different teaching pedagogies and methods. The education system has undergone a

transition face with the emergence and popularity of Information and Communication

Technology (ICT). It is considered as a basic and core of education in many developed countries

of the world (Geoffrey, 2010). The use of ICT in education has also increased and homework in

senior classes being assigned level that has now changed, where ICT Integration in primary

classes has become a necessity due to early exposure of students through iPad, laptop and phones

provided by parents at home. Research homework assigned for science subjects may requi

students use internet and carry out their research workon online portals. The use of ICT to

learn language is not only feasible these days but also very popular method in senior grades

(Hanrahan, 2005). Over the past decade children as young as two have exposure to some sort of

gadgets. In the past ICT was introduced in schools in secondary grades.


Parents and schools both encourage homework in Asian countries. They are of the thought

that the more kids do work at home and spend time with schoolwork, the more it will help them to

get good grades. These grades will help them to get admissions in universities of their choice

around the world. In Pakistan, the trend is as same as the rest of Asia; teachers burden the student

with homework and assignments. The majority of the schools in Pakistan do not have a homework

policy for classes based on their grade level. Homework is assigned not keeping in view the

academic needs of the students, rather it is to cover the curriculum, learn or revise for retention

purposes (Iqbal, 2012). Mostly homework is tedious tasks, which the students usually resent, and

attempt to finish only out of fear of consequences. Due to lack of trained teachers, they are unable

to design homework plans and assignments that help develop problem- solving, inquiry-based

skills in students. Which can help students to develop cogitative and problem-solving skills, which

are so important in today’s world? Our belief in old methods of burdening the student with

homework is so set in our educational system that even though these methods may have become

ineffective with time. Thus, the aim of this research is to analysis these deep-rooted beliefs of

homework and its effect on achievement in primary students nowadays.


Conceptual Framework

Homework

(INDEPENDENT)

Students Achievements

(DEPENDENT))

Students Attitudes

(DEPENDENT)

Humans are attached by nature to their beliefs strongly and are reluctant to follow an

alternative to way of thinking. Our beliefs are so deep rooted and rigid that we fail to realize that

our practices have become ineffective and it is time for change. This is the case even for

homework also, since the early 1900‟s homework has been an integral part of student life and

parents also perceives it as beneficial for their children’s academic progress.

This practice has been carried out for 100 years. The question that arises is since the

world has developed at such a rapid speed and information is available at our finger, are the

practices of homework effective. Today’s children are facing different issues academically,

personally and socially than kids thirty years ago. So can we actually say that homework effect’s

student achievement in a positive way even in primary school? Today’s world is all about

creativity, problem solving, skills development and decision-making. The schools are moving

more towards experimental learning and teaching styles. In this scenario homework assigned to

students, is an extension of just classwork with the purpose of retention or reinforcement.


The concept of homework level in primary classes, its implementation and its effect on

students is very complicated to measure, and it is not dependent on any one variable. Teachers

need to be trained; curriculum and lesson plans have to be planned and include well-planned

homework that is interesting to the students. Only relevant short assignments as homework

should be given for homework so the students do not feel it as burden and their attitude towards

homework does not turn negative. Students these days are involved in a lot of after school

classes and extracurricular activities, which leave very little time left for homework. New

research on homework and its effectiveness is needed to develop new meaningful purpose of

homework for a much broader benefit to students than increasing student achievement only in

class.


Chapter 3

Methodology

This research was an experimental research with a mixed method approach. The

experimental research method in educational research provides a method of investigation to

derive basic relationships among variables in a controlled environment. The experiment was

conducted to measure the effect of homework on the student’s academic achievement in primary

grades and their attitude towards homework. The characteristics of experimental research are

control, manipulation, observation and replication. In the research experiment, the cycle was

repeated thrice to come to a valid conclusion.

The research was a mix method approach known as the quanti/quali approach which is

used to gain a better in depth understanding and while offsetting the weaknesses inherent to

using each approach by itself. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used for data collection

from students and then analyzed to gain results. Throughout the research the researched penned

down the observations made in the class while conducting the experiment and later converted

them into teacher’s reflection. A key to good research is a well formed question. Thus, the

decision on using which method for data collection and analysis depends on the various research

questions for the topic rather than the researcher’s choice.

The quantitative approach was applied for the first research question of the study

regarding homework and its effect on student achievement in primary classes. The data

collection and analysis was conducted by the mix method approach in which the beginning of the

research was a quantitative study which is used in order to establish a sample of respondents and

identify the size of the potential market .In quantitative research, the method of data collection

was a number of test scores, which were collected after three science units. The test scores were

the main source of analysis in quantitative method.

“Qualitative is an inductive approach to generating novel insights into phenomena that

are difficult to quantify” (Hren & Young). This type of research helps to characterize various


participant’s experiences and perspectives. The second research question was about students and

their attitude towards homework. The best possible method was to conduct a focus group

interviews with the students on how they really feel about getting homework.

It is widely known that teacher’s reflection is a good source of analysis as teachers

reflect on their practices and student’s behaviors regularly (Jaeger, 2013). The teacher will

reflect and note down her reflections for both of the research questions; the teacher had

conducted the experiment, collected data through-out, and assessed the test and gave them

scores. Furthermore, the teacher is responsible for checking the homework on a daily basis and

is aware of the student’s efforts towards homework. Thus, the reflection of the teacher was

important for the conclusion as he/she had developed an understanding of the student’s

homework patterns and responses in class. The teacher’s reflection and focused group

interviews were subjective but a common theme about the student’s attitude towards homework

was reflected and this gave an interesting perspective to the study. Students opinions in

homework has hardly been recorded in Asian countries as parents feel that homework is very

necessary and an important part for their child’s academic as well as social needs too.


Sample size

Sample size has great significance in any research, as researching on the whole

population is not feasible because the data would be too vast to analyze. Thus, sample size

calculations help the researcher to analyze and come up with conclusions with the limited

amount of information which can be generalized into the population (Gogtay, 2010)

For this research, purposive sampling was used where the sample consisted off a sample

size of a class of 30 students of grade three of the primary section in a private school of Karachi.

The sample size was further divided into two groups of 15 each to conduct an experimental

research. Group A was given homework after classes and group B was not given in any

homework. Group A and B were randomly selected to reduce the element of biasness in

research. The sample was taken during the first term of grade three and the lessons were

conducted during their weekly science periods for three consecutive weeks.

Data Collection

Data collection is the process of gathering and measuring information on variables of

interest, in a systematic fashion that enables one to answer stated research questions, test

hypotheses, and evaluate outcomes (Myers).The data collection in this research was collected

through test scores and focused group interviews as well as teacher’s reflection during and after

class. During this study, the students completed three units in their science class.

The first unit was the baseline unit where students in one group completed homework.

This unit focused on the human skeleton and various types of bones. The students needed to

identify the various bones in the human body as well as their functions. In addition, students were

asked to compare two bones of their choice.

In the next step homework assignments were given to group, A whereas no homework

related to the topic was given to group B. The following day group A, had submitted their

homework and a test was conducted in class (Appendix A) related to the previous day’s lesson.


Both the groups in the class were tested and scores from that test were used for data collection

for this study. The homework assignments varied in length, but all of them consisted of short

research based questions which were an extension of their class learning. The test follows similar

formats and all materials used in this study were teacher-created. For experimental research and

data required for analysis should consist of more than one set of results to validate the findings,

thus two more similar units were taught to both groups A and groups B in class in the science

period. In the second unit, the teacher focused on joints and muscles that are part of the human

body as well. Again, one group was given the homework and the other group was not given

homework. Both the groups were given the same test (Appendix B) and their scores collected.

This same procedure was repeated for the third unit as well which consisted of a chapter about

voluntary and involuntary muscles followed by a test (Appendix C). All three tests were

conducted in a similar format and scores from tests were kept as a percentage grade.

The second part of the research was conducted by the qualitative method where the

attitudes of the students towards homework were analyzed. For this purpose by conducting a

focus group interviews were conducted from the students of grade three. The sample group was

broken into groups of six each and there were a total number of five groups. The interview was

conducted by teachers in each focused groups to get responses of students regarding their

thoughts and feelings of getting homework on a daily basis as part of their schooling.

Data Analysis

Research is both quantitative and qualitative for this the reason the data collection tools varied

as well for both methods. The data collected will be analyzed by methods that support the

quantitative and qualitative analysis. The tool used for data collected on the test scores of

student was through SPSS to see the effect of test scores on students‟ academic achievements.

SPSS is an online tool used in quantitative research to come up with numerical values of data


and then analyzed to find a theme in the data. A thematic analysis was done from focus group

interviews to come up with results from the sample. Thematic analysis is the process which

helps to identify patterns and generate ideas from the focus group interviews .The results

emerge in the form of identifiable themes and behavior (Aronson, 1994). The third method was

the teacher’s reflection throughout the research and its analysis. Thus, these three methods were

used to come up with results and form a conclusion on both aspects of research.


Chapter 4

Results

In this section, the results were derived by two methods i.e. quantitative and qualitative

from the research conducted. The quantitative research method was applied on the first research

question regarding the effect of homework on student achievement in primary grades. For this

research, the data was collected from thirty students of grade three. The class was divided into

groups of fifteen each, where one group was tested after being assigned homework and the other

group was tested without being assigned homework. Cycles of three tests were conducted to get

a more accurate result for the research.

Quantitative Analysis

Hypothesis: The effect of homework has no significant effect on student performance

Null Hypothesis: Ho: μhk = μwhk

There is not any significance relationship between homework and student achievement

Alternative Hypothesis: H*: μhk ≠ μwhk

There is significant relationship between homework and student achievement


Table1

Group Statistics of student’s test scores

Student Groups M S.D S.E df t sig(2-tailed)

Test score 1

With Homework

11.216

1.068

.275

Test score 1

Without Homework

7.80

1.73

.448

Test score 2

With Homework

11.51

1.09

.281

Test score 2

Without Homework

5.70

1.24

.321

Test score 3

With Homework

12.08

1.084

.279

Test score 3

Without Homework

5.06

1.62

.420

As table, one shows the means of the groups with homework and the standard deviation

which both vary. The overall scores of the group with homework have a mean of 11.60 as

compared to the group without homework has a mean of 6.18

Since 2 tailed significance (P value)is 6.847 for test 1, 13.614 for test two and 13.833 for

tests 3, thus the overall effect on test scores due to homework 0.00(P0.05) there H* is rejected. It

implies that there are significant differences between the mean ratings of test score for groups

with homework and the group without homework.


Qualitative analysis

The data for qualitative analysis was collected through focused group interviews where

researcher interviewed six focus groups with five participants each. The questions were semi

structured and open-ended in which the interviewer focused on children’s opinions thoughts and

feelings about daily homework for their grade level. The focus group questions are in Appendix

D.

The four major themes that emerged from the interview conducted by the researcher from

students of grade 3 were (a) interesting homework (b) short homework (c) timely submission and

feedback (d) valuable.

Interesting Homework. The students of grade 3 were of the opinion that when they get

interesting assignments as homework, they enjoy doing it but if the homework is not interesting

and is repetition of classwork, they find it very boring and tedious task. One boy said that he

found math and science homework more interesting compared to language homework.

Homework of literature and language require a lot of writing and its gets boring. According to a

student:

“Science research is so much fun but language and literature homework is boring.

Moreover, students get bored of doing the same work at home, which they have already

done in class. One boy said mentioned that:

“When we get the same kind of homework as we did in class, I don’t like doing it as it is

very monotonous”

The researcher observed that submission of math and science homework was on time

always as compared to language or literature homework where the students made excuses and

did not submit it on time.


The students were more enthusiastic about assignments that involved either group work

like projects or independent work which involved research. The most interesting daily homework

that students preferred was math. As one interviewee explained:

“Math is the most interesting subject to get homework in as its challenging and more fun”

The teacher reflected that math class is always very interactive and lots of participation

by the students thus they were enthusiastic when the teacher announces math homework because

they enjoy and learn at the same time.

The students did not prefer homework that requires writing from the textbook or rewriting

what they had done in classwork as revision. They prefer homework, which makes them learn

something different from their classwork. Another student related his experience:

“Any homework involving copying something from the text book is boring”

Students feel they are constantly doing repetitive work at home and take it as a burden on

them; they enjoy it only when the teacher gives creative task as homework in form of projects,

research work or challenging math questions. One student suggested:

“Math is so much fun we should get more brain quest type questions to make math

interesting then doing questions in the workbook.”

It is concluded most of the students were of the opinion that it is more fun to do homework,

which is interesting as they considered task, which are same as classwork boring. Mundane routine

task always get late submission and thinking and research homework motivates the students to

submit it on time.


Short Homework. Most of the students prefer homework to be short assignments and less time

consuming because most of the students have after school sports, extra remedial classes and co-

curricular activities going on throughout the week. Therefore getting lengthy assignments causes

stress to the students, as they are unable to finish their homework on time. One of the students

pointed out:

“When we get long assignments as homework on weekdays it is difficult to finish them

especially when its language homework where we have to write a story.”

Some of the students feel that homework was eating up all of their free time at home and

all they do when they reach home is first worry about the homework and then try to finish the

incomplete classwork or do the homework. The students prefer homework assignments on

weekends when they have more time. A student elaborated his feelings in the following words:

“I don’t like doing homework if it is lengthy as it takes up all my free time at home and I

don’t get to play with my friends in the park. Longer assignments should be given for weekends.”

Most of the students preferred getting short homework on a daily basis so that they can be

done with it quickly. Students showed negative attitude when they get two to three subjects

“When we get homework and have a test also the next day, it gets really difficult to work

and learn for the test”

As explained above students have busy schedules after school on weekdays so they prefer

shorter homework and more lengthy homework or projects on weekends. They also showed

disappointment when they had to skip their classes after school due to the pressure of homework.

One student shared his struggle when he voiced her frustration:


“I had to give up my afterschool music lessons on weekdays as I was always stressed

about doing my homework.”

Another issue mentioned by the students was that some homework required parents help

and they had to wait for their parents to come home from work to finish the homework. They

believed difficult tasks, which require parent supervision or assistant should be given on the

weekend to save the student’s time and avoid the stress caused to them with such assignments.

One of the students mentioned her dilemma by saying:

“Many times I don’t understand parts of my homework so I have to wait for my dad to

come and help me with homework and then there is no free time left for me.”

During the class, the researcher reflected the students would protest to the teacher when

given homework which they felt was lengthy and required a lot of time on a weekday. Students’

mostly submitted half-done assignments if the task was difficult or required parent’s assistance

and complained that their parents did not have the time to help them on a busy weekday.

Timely submission and Feedback. Nearly all the students expressed a positive attitude

towards homework and they knew it was for their learning and helped them in their academic

life. They feel burdened at times but try to submit the work on time to their teachers. The

students make all efforts for timely submission but have experienced that they do not get the

feedback from teachers immediately, which diminishes the importance of homework for them. A

student shared an experience by stating that:


“I usually get math homework daily, which I submit the very next day, but my teacher

doesn’t check my work on time and gives more homework so I don’t know whether I am doing it

right or not.”

Students want quick feedback on their homework to assure them that their work is correct

or they are making mistakes. They do their homework sometimes by sacrificing their playtime

and activities so they are looking forward to teachers verbal or written comments regarding the

homework submitted. One student shared his habit:

“When I submit my homework and get it checked I always go through my mistakes and

try to improve my work”

It is a great way for student to learn from their mistakes and revise their work. According

to the students that they do not understand it, they take it back to the teacher to explain once

again to them. This way they do not feel stressed, as the teacher is willing to explain the concept

or the work to them again. One student explained his approach to homework:

“Sometimes I don’t understand my homework so I take it back to my teacher so she can

explain it to me again.”

The researcher observed that students expect feedback and undermining their need for it

damages the importance of homework. Timely feedback should be priority for teachers

especially in lessons where a difficult concept is being taught to the students. It helps students to

self-check their work and clear their misconceptions.

The student’s responses indicate that they want quick feedback for the homework they

have submitted by the teachers. They look forward for the teacher’s comments about their work


and get demotivated when their timely submission is not appreciated in the form of positive or

negative feedback, which would help them to improve their work further.

Valuable for students. The majority of the students feel homework is necessary for them

and very valuable for their education. It is a very good form of revision and helps in exam

preparations. The homework assigned equips the students for next day classwork and they feel

more confident in class during the lessons. In a grade three student’s opinion:

“When I get homework about a topic it makes my understanding better of the topic and I

am able to better understand the lesson in class the next day.”

Students were in favor of getting math homework daily as they feel that it was practice of

concepts and methods and helped them get good grades in the subject. The more they practiced

math the better they understood the concepts. Students were enthusiastic about math and one

student commented that:

“Math homework makes me smarter I get good marks in all my tests”

This positive approach is due to the fact students realized that homework is an important

part of their academic life and it is not always a burden but a form of learning outside

classrooms. One student mentioned how homework helps him prepare for exams:

“When I get homework daily not only it helps me remember what I have done in class but

also helps me get prepared for exams as it is a form of revision.”

On analyzing the focus group interviews of the students of grade three, several themes

have emerged which interpret their thoughts feelings and attitude towards homework. Overall,

the students are aware of the value of homework in their lives and its benefits in their academic


progress. However, the students feel that homework should be interesting and creative rather

than the monotonous task of copying from the textbooks or repetition of classwork. Students

were enthusiastic of being assigned projects and research work than language or literature

homework. They preferred getting short homework assignments on weekdays and wanted more

time for lengthy assignments and test preparations. The students were of the opinion that they

want quick feedback from the teachers after their submission of homework as it helps them in

learning from their mistakes.

HOMEWORK AND ITS EFFECT ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT 33 Chapter 5

Discussion

This research was carried out based on Cooper’s theory about homework and student

achievement, this section summarizes the findings, and the analysis conducted. Most of the

research in this area has been carried out in the western or European countries; in our knowledge,

this study is the first of its kind in Pakistan regarding homework and its effect on student

achievement in primary grades of a private school. Pakistan is part of Asia where, homework is

an integral part of school going students‟ lives therefore it was necessary to conduct a study on

what are the effects of homework on their overall achievement. The research was based in a

private school in upscale area of Karachi, where a policy of homework was already being

implemented on all grade levels. Student where given ten minutes of homework daily in primary

grades and one hour of homework in secondary grades of the school. Everyday subject

homework was scheduled and the students were asked to submit the homework the next day.

During the research, the grade three students were divided into two groups and their test scores

analyzed to study the effect of homework on student achievement and the attitude of students

towards homework.

The present findings on the research on effect of homework on student achievement have

confirmed that homework does have an effect on student achievement even in primary classes.

Furthermore, the attitude of students was positive when assigned the right amount of homework

on a daily basis. According to research, homework gives extra time away from school for

students to learn and understand at their own pace (Villas-Boas, 1998). The study also concluded

that although homework affects students‟ achievement and attitude but it is dependent upon

many variables, which were, absent in Cooper’s research on homework. Some of the literature in

the study supported Cooper’s theory of homework and its effect on student achievement in


Secondary grades, however, the results support that homework has a positive effect on student

achievement in primary grades as well. Students need to consciously work for their learning and

homework is an effective tool for them (Minke, 2017). Teachers, school administrators and

parents all need to work collectively to plan and implement homework to increase student

achievement to the maximum and keep motivating them to participate in their own learning by

having a positive attitude towards homework.

Quantitative Means

The purpose of this study was the impact of homework on student achievement in

primary grades in private schools. In Pakistan where homework is part of daily school life and

the study carried out on grade three students resulted are higher test grades for students who were

assigned daily homework for their science lesson. Small quizzes as well as end of unit test all

yielded higher test scores for student after doing homework as compared to students who did not

receive any homework from the teachers after their science lessons. The mean of the test score of

students without homework are-7.80 as compared to the mean of the score of the test of the

students with homework is 11.2167. Thus, there is a significance difference between the two and

the research leads to the conclusion that homework does have a positive effect on student

achievement in primary grades. Literature review also supports the results as many studies

conducted in the west suggest that if students spend enough time on homework with a positive

attitude and parental support it has a positive effect on their academic skills (Sharma, 2013).

According to Cooper, second graders should not be assigned two hours of homework at all and

homework should be given in higher primary classes such as grade four onwards. However, the

research has concluded that in Pakistan context homework in primary grades helps in a positive


academic achievement. Small amount of homework daily is beneficial for students in primary

classes as well (Minke, 2017).

The research was conducted in a manner that whatever was being taught in science class

was followed by homework on the same topic. The type of homework that was assigned was not

repetitive or rote learning rather it was inquiry-based research related to their class lesson.

During the research, I observed that due to inquiry based homework the engagement level of

the homework was high and the response in class on science lessons next day were much more

productive which lead to a better understanding of concepts. The results demonstrated that the

student’s performance on test scores were higher after being assigned homework on the same

topic as compared to students test scores without homework assignments. Thus from the results

it is clear that it is beneficial to assign homework in primary classes. To be fair in the outcome of

the results the tests were conducted three times on different topics in science to minimize other

factors influencing students test performances and achieve a fair result. According to Cooper

(2016), second graders should not be assigned two hours of homework but that does not mean no

homework is assigned on a daily basis. A small amount of homework daily is beneficial for

students in primary classes as well. The scores of end of unit test on the science unit after

assigning homework for several weeks has yielded comparatively better test scores in the class.

However, this does not imply that any time of homework will result in positive effect; there are

many variables, like frequency, student attitude and parent involvement. These variables are not

the same everywhere; it depends on the social, economic and culture of the country and the

school.

The teachers are the ones who instill the value of homework for the students (Minke,

2017).The teachers have to keep in mind when planning, the best kind of homework which


should broaden student understanding and build on essential skills. Another aspect that has

emerged during observations by the researcher is the positive effect of homework on student

achievement, which benefits from giving choice to the students about the type of homework they

like to receive for a subject (Cooper & Patall, 2006). Providing student with choices in their

classroom environment including choice of homework increases their engagement in the task and

helps them to not only to retain what is being taught but also increase their academic

achievement (Patall, Cooper, & Wynn, 2010). Homework is an extension of the students learning

and it is provides a window to parents into their children’s schools learning (Homework Policy,

2017). This research has shed light on what kind of homework is beneficial in the end, which

will effect student achievement. Firstly, teachers with a specific, explicit learning purpose should

assign homework tasks. Secondly, the quantity of homework needs to be manageable. Thirdly, it

must build on knowledge, skills and understanding developed in class. Thus, homework is an

integral part of school going children in primary classes in private school in Karachi and it is

considered valuable when it is undertaken with planning and proper support from school and

home.

Qualitative Analysis

The second part of the research was conducted from the student’s point of view about

homework and how they perceive it and what is their attitude towards it. The research was

conducted through qualitative methods of focus group interviews and researchers reflection,

which were recorded throughout the first term of grade three in a private school in Karachi,

Pakistan. Class of thirty students were divided into groups of four and the researcher conducted

focused group interviews and asked semi structure questions regarding homework, their

perception about it, and its value in their lives. Homework is an extension of classwork and it


enables them to give extra time outside the classroom to their learning, but the main question

remains what are the student’s attitudes towards homework as a part of their daily lives (Shiekh,

2016). Throughout the interviews, the students had voiced their opinions about homework and

four prominent themes have emerged.

Interesting Homework. The main theme that emerged from the interviews with the

students was the kind of homework they preferred. Majority of the students agreed that math and

science were their most favorite subjects in which they did not mind getting homework

assignments because they are interesting subjects and they enjoyed learning new topics. They

further agreed that doing math is fun when they understand the concept and enjoy doing it for

homework also. Besides math, the student preferred research and inquiry based homework for

science and social studies and had a positive effect on their attitudes well as achievement (Yiğit,

2015). They enjoyed assignments where they had to do research about something individually or

as group projects and get a chance to share their work with their peers and teachers.

Throughout the research, there is very little that supports that the traditional homework

system improves achievement, grades, and builds character (kohn, 2006). Kohn believes the

“homework myth” actually has a negative effect on a child’s interest in learning and homework

actually becomes a burden for them. Therefore, according to Cooper, if you want to build student

responsibility and the love of independent learning, assignments should be designed so that it

motivates the student’s to complete the assignments and benefit them. According to my

researchers observations of the student’s timely submission for science and math homework was

higher as compared to that of other subjects especially language and literature. This proved that

students dread long homework assignments, which are repetitive of tasks done in the classroom


or copying from the textbook. Homework is constantly competing with life activities on

children’s time and if the homework is not interesting, the students will not be motivated to

attempt it.

In Pakistan, the homework practices are mostly mundane rote learning task that are either

copying from the textbook or questions in the workbook similar to that of textbook which is a

very traditional approach to homework (Butler & Jocelyn, 1987). The students conveyed their

disapproval for this kind of homework and felt it was a burden for them and they were stressed

about completing and submitting it on time. It is important here to highlight that the method by

which the homework assigned to students plays a big role in its effect on the student’s attitude

(Fernández-Alonso, Álvarez-Día, Suárez-Álvare, & Muñiz, 2017). Therefore, homework should

be clear with specific instructions so there is no confusion at home as well (Medwell & Wray,

2018). Furthermore, the submission criteria should not be the same; rather it should vary

according to students capabilities (Cooper,1989).According to literature review homework falls

into three categories practice, preparation and extension of their classwork so, the teachers should

plan the homework in their lesson plans accordingly (Sinha, Emerging Ed Tech , 2018).

Secondly, the task assigned should be relatable to the lessons as well interesting enough to

compel the students to attempt it at home with ease and enjoy doing it (Mata, Monteiro, &

Peixoto, 2012). Teacher observed that students brought back incomplete homework on

assignments that were hard to understand or difficult to do on their own independently. The

researcher further recorded the student’s attitude towards mundane task as very negative and

submission very delayed. Another important thing to highlight is the feedback received from

students about how homework should be differentiated with keeping in mind the academic


capabilities of all the students in the class (Catalano, 2017). This research proves that interest in

the homework plays a big part in students attempting and submitting the homework on time.

Short Homework. Homework is the reinforcement of skill taught in class and has been

proven to instill good working habits and responsibility in the student’s attitudes (Cooper &

Patall, 2006). This is reflected through the quality of the work submitted as homework. It has

been verified through thus that homework is effective not only when it is interesting but also

short and relevant. Homework is a daily task in schools of Karachi and the students need to take

out precious time from their daily lives after school. This means they have to juggle their

homework between extra-curricular activities and outdoor sports activities. The focus group

interviews with the students resulted in them expressing concern over the length of homework

assigned. According to the study, it was very stressful for students to do assignments’ that are

lengthy or require rote memorization for a test on weekdays and consequently they have no time

left for after school activities. During the research, it was observed that the percentage of lengthy

homework submitted on time is drastically low and students tend to bring unfinished homework

back to school (Hayward, 2010). The students were of the opinion that they felt burdened with

long homework assignments, which not only caused stressed to them but also made their parents

stressed too (Medwell & Wray, 2018). A very negative attitude was felt by the research about

teacher’s lack of understanding when giving long homework on weekdays, which resulted in

students spending the whole day doing homework. It has been proven through research that

teachers usually underestimate the amount required by students to complete the homework

(Butler & Jocelyn, Homework, 1987). The right amount of homework requires proper planning


and coordination among teachers before assigning the tasks to the students. (Fernández-Alonso,

Álvarez-Día, Suárez-Álvare, & Muñiz, 2017)

The age of students in primary class of grade three is between eight and nine years, at this

age children learn through experiential learning. Trapping them at home with long homework

assignments after school has a negative impact on their overall personality development (Göllner

& al, 2017). Young students while growing up need good play conditioned for over all

harmonious cognitive and socio economic learning (Kjerstilien, 2016). Furthermore,

Kjerstilien,(2016) research has shown that meditation , being close to nature and relaxing and

doing something truly enjoyable are the things which we do in our spare time that make us

smarter in our work life. Thus, it is interesting to note that only short homework, which is

relevant for the students, will be more effective for not only their academic but overall mental

development also.

Timely submission and feedback. The research has proved that homework has an overall

positive effect on all levels of student achievement. However, an important question arisen

during the research as to why are teachers so fixed on deadlines? Whenever homework is

allocated to students, the teachers give a set time for submission, which is mandatory. However,

the submission depends on the type of students who are attempting it. There are two types of

students: those who submit their homework on time and there are those who are mentally and

physically involved at home due to various reasons (Baher, 2017). Thus, the second categories

of students are unable to submit homework on time and they feel stressed about the deadlines.

Each student is different and unique, and has a varied opinion about different subjects taught in

class, resulting in their mixed capabilities to attempt the homework and submit it (Mehmood,

Ahmed, & Sultana, 2012).


Therefore, each student should be provided with the adequate time depending on his or her

individual capacity to submit homework, as stated in research that the achievement level depends

on the amount of homework completed and submitted to the teacher (Cooper & Patall, 2006).

This does not mean that homework cannot be fun and exciting. It is the teacher’s responsibility

to assign homework particularly with clear instructions and some margin for delayed

submissions if need be (Butler & Jocelyn, Homework, 1987).The teachers give importance to

homework through clear instruction and checking them on time. Indeed, they understand their

students and can identify what are the key motivators for them to complete their homework and

submit it on time (Kjerstilien, 2016).

There are many factors for timely submission but one major factor the research has

identified is the timely feedback of teachers to students on the homework they have submitted.

The interviews of the students led to the conclusion that students are expecting feedback from

the teachers for the homework they have submitted. They look for the feedback to further

improve their work and clear their concepts. Subsequently when the teachers check their work

and convey the feedback orally or written the students feel their efforts have been acknowledged

and appreciated. Feedback is crucial for homework assignments but timely feedback is essential

(Kehrer, Kelly, & Heffernan, 2013). Moreover, timely feedback affects the working habits of the

student; they take up homework tasks with responsibility and submit their work on time.

Students complete more homework when the teachers collect it review the work in class and give

immediate feedback (Butler & Jocelyn, 1987). Timely feedback is an intrinsic motivation tool for

students who have shown more efforts in doing their work when they are aware that they will get

feedback on it from their teachers. Delayed feedbacks are less effective in students learning as it

is possible for a student to reinforce a misconception of the content by making the same


mistake repeatedly without check from the teachers (Kehrer, Kelly, & Heffernan, 2013).

According to Kehrer(2013) without immediate feedback the students keep making the mistake

again and eventually will have to recondition their concept after receiving feedback. Thus, it is

concluded that immediate feedback is essential to clear misconceptions as well as improve

learning outside classrooms. It also increases intrinsic as well as extrinsic motivation in the

students (Kehrer, Kelly, & Heffernan, 2013)

Valuable for Students. The research and the literature review both support the theory that

students perceive homework as very important for their academic achievement and adds value to

their learning. The results show that the students feel homework is a good way of revision for

tests as well as examination. Teachers have a clear idea what is meant by good homework,

which caters to the interests of the students and is adopted according to their abilities: provides

challenging and inquiry based tasks, which motivates them to do their homework and bring

value to their learning (Baher, 2017). A popular explanation according to Vygotsky, is that

student’s should be able to process their learning and this will happen only when students are

motivated by the homework because of its importance for them as an extension of their learning

outside the classroom. Homework also has value for not only teaching academics but also help

students organize, time management and school-social life balance (Kjerstilien, 2016). The

concept of getting feedback and reviewing their homework to make corrections make them more

responsible and helps them consolidate their learning in the classroom.

There are three types of homework according to (Minke, 2017) practice, preparation, and

extension, these practices can be used by teachers when planning homework while keeping in

mind the learning intentions of the lesson and make the homework more meaningful for the


students. Firstly, if the teacher is aiming for more practice in math then practice questions can be

given as homework. Secondly, preparation homework is used for preparing for the next lesson

and thirdly extension homework focuses on promoting the shift of previous learning to new tasks

(Minke, 2017). Together , the present finding confirm student perceive homework as valuable for

their learning if the teacher assigns homework planned according to the needs of the classroom

learning and student academic level. Homework at primary level should be voluntary and stress

free, thus written assignments should only be considered valuable rather special projects,

additional reading for pleasure, worked missed due to absence may all be a proper basis for

homework.


Chapter 6

Conclusions

This research was conducted to measure the impact of homework on students‟ academic

achievement in primary grades and to find out students approach towards homework on a daily

basis in primary grades. The data gathered from the study reveals that that homework has an overall

positive effect on student academic scores, if the homework assignments are according to the

students’ academic needs and create motivation in them to finish and submit it on time. The

quantitative test scores helped us to find that the academic achievement of students, which show a

positive sign when they are assigned homework. Evidence from literature review has proved that

homework is given to reinforce the learning of the classroom.

In the qualitative part of the research, the focus was the attitude and perception of students

regarding homework. Data was collected through focus group interviews and the students

expressed their opinion about the type of homework that should be given. The studied proved the

fact that students know that homework is beneficial for them and is a tool for revision of concepts

and preparation for exams. The students also showed a positive attitude towards homework if the

teachers assign interesting and short homework on a daily basis. They wanted short assignments on

weekdays so they are able to finish it quickly. Secondly, the homework should be interesting and

different from the classwork otherwise the students get bored and are not motivated to submit it. A very

important point was the students‟ expectations of receiving immediate feedback from teachers after

submitting homework. Otherwise, they feel that their efforts have not been appreciated and there has

been no learning from their homework. Students feel motivated to correct their mistakes and reinforce

their concepts when teachers provide feedback on the homework assignment submitted. Sometimes

students are confused as to why do they have to do homework which is similar to classwork. Therefore,

they felt that homework should be a task, which helps them increases their concept, and thus preferred

project based homework which includes research and sharing their work in the class with their peers.


This suggests that learning is aided by doing. The current homework policy of school is daily ten-minute

homework for two subjects, which is sufficient, but sometimes the home works are overlapping with

each other, which create confusion for the students. This creates burden on the student and parents who

have to help the students manage their homework. Hence, students got anxious when the instructions

were not clear and the tasks not well defined.

Recommendations

Based on the results achieved through the research, the following recommendations are

presented.

A balance has to be created by the school administration and teachers where a strict

homework policy is maintained.

The homework policy should be designed keeping in mind the students learning

objectives and success criteria.

Daily homework should be short and relevant to the class learning.

Homework should be more research and inquiry based.

Homework task should be assigned with specific instructions.

Homework should be engaging and planned in such a way that it revises the previous

concepts as well as prepares them for the lesson in the next class.

Group work and projects should be given over the weekend.

A system of flexible submission methods needs to be implemented to bring ease to

students so they do not develop a negative attitude towards homework.

Timely feedback should be given by the teacher to help clear concepts.


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HOMEWORK AND ITS EFFECT ON STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT 51 Appendix A

Science Test

Name

Date

Total Marks 10

Skeleton

Group A Group B

Upper arm bone Thigh bone

Shin bone

Rib Skull

Hipbone

(a) How are the above bones grouped?

(b) In which group would you put a piece of finger bone?

Q2) look at the pictures of the skull and ribcage

How similar?

They are both

How different with regards to

Appearance

function


Appendix B

Science Test 2

Name

Date

Q1a) what is a joint?

JOINTS

Total marks 10

(b)For each of the following joints, give one example of where it can be found in your body?

Joints Where it can be found

1.Hinge

2.Ball and socket

Joints

This is a ball This is a joint

Q2 (a) Give an example of how joint A helps in our movement?

(b) What happens if we do not have joint B in our body?


Science Test 3

Name

Date

Appendix C MUSCLES

Total marks 10

Q1) What ARE VOLUNTARY AND INVOLANTARY MUSCLES? State two examples of

each.

Voluntary muscles

Examples

Involuntary Muscles

Examples

Mention any two ways in which we can take care of our bones.


Appendix D

Focus Group Questions

Q1.Do you all like getting homework?

Q2.What one mind comes in your mind when you think of homework?

Q3.What is the subject you like most getting homework in?

Q4.Do you want homework every day?

Q5.What other subjects you prefer to get homework for?

Q6.Do you get enough time to do your homework?

Q7. Why do you think you get homework?

Q8. Do you feel burdened when you get homework?

Q9. One word that comes to your mind when you think about homework.

Q10. Do you feel stressed about homework?

Do you do your homework by yourself or do you need help with homework?

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A STUDY OF HOMEWORK AND ITS EFFECT ON STUDENT … · Spencer, (2017) the homework debate continues even today, whether it benefits the students in their overall academic achievement