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

Abstract

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

Student Perception of Teacher and Parent Involvement in Homework and Student Engagement: The Mediating Role of Motivation

“…As Trautwein et al (2006) stated in their theoretical homework model, the perceptions of homework quality influence homework expectations and the value ascribed to it, which predicts homework effort. In a recent study with elementary students, Rosário et al (2019) concluded that what seemed to explain achievement was the students’ perception of the quality of homework (i.e., assignments which are well-chosen by the teacher, which are interesting, related to the material taught in class, and useful for understanding the material covered in class), more than the type of homework set (see also, Fredricks, 2011).…”

“…The most common purpose reported by most teachers was teacher monitoring of student learning, with checking homework completion and checking homework on the board being the most commonly used type of homework feedback in class. In another study at middle school level, Rosário et al (2019) found that teachers’ purposes for homework follow-up practices in class were focused on identifying students’ learning strengths and weaknesses, promoting students’ engagement, and addressing students’ difficulties in mathematics. The follow-up practices included homework feedback provided in class: oral or written praise, criticism, written comments (highlighting right and wrong answers), rewards, general review of homework in class, and grading (e.g., Elawar and Corno, 1985; Corno, 2000; Cooper, 2001; Medwell and Wray, 2018).…”

Investigation of Parents’ Views about Middle School Math Homework

“…This is because math subjects have a complex structure, and deficiency on any subject may cause a problem in learning new contents. Accordingly, homework follow-up by teachers is an important role of teachers in the homework process (Cunha et al, 2018a;Rosário et al, 2015aRosário et al, , 2019.…”

“…Patall et al (2008) reported that the effect of form of parental homework involvement on student outcomes varies depending on subject content. Therefore, studies on homework conducted in recent years highlight the importance of focusing on a specific subject area (Cunha et al, 2018a(Cunha et al, , 2018bRosário et al, 2019;Xu et al, 2017b). However, most of the studies carried out in Turkey have analyzed parents' views about homework without focusing on a specific subject (e.g., Coşkun-Keskin and Özer, 2016;Duru and Çöğmen, 2017;Turan-Özpolat, Karakoç and Kara, 2017;Yar-Yıldırım, 2018).…”

“Homework Should Be…but We Do Not Live in an Ideal World”: Mathematics Teachers’ Perspectives on Quality Homework and on Homework Assigned in Elementary and Middle Schools

“…A vast body of research indicates that homework enhances students’ academic achievement [see the meta-analysis conducted by Fan et al (2017)], however, maladaptive homework behaviors of students (e.g., procrastination, lack of interest in homework, failure to complete homework) may affect homework benefits (Bembenutty, 2011a; Hong et al, 2011; Rosário et al, 2019). These behaviors may be related to the characteristics of the homework assigned (e.g., large amount of homework, disconnect between the type and level of difficulty of homework assignments and students’ needs and abilities, see Margolis and McCabe, 2004; Trautwein, 2007).…”