Students' Achievement and Homework Assignment Strategies

Abstract

The optimum time students should spend on homework has been widely researched although the results are far from unanimous. The main objective of this research is to analyze how homework assignment strategies in schools affect students' academic performance and the differences in students' time spent on homework. Participants were a representative sample of Spanish adolescents (N = 26,543) with a mean age of 14.4 (±0.75), 49.7% girls. A test battery was used to measure academic performance in four subjects: Spanish, Mathematics, Science, and Citizenship. A questionnaire allowed the measurement of the indicators used for the description of homework and control variables. Two three-level hierarchical-linear models (student, school, autonomous community) were produced for each subject being evaluated. The relationship between academic results and homework time is negative at the individual level but positive at school level. An increase in the amount of homework a school assigns is associated with an increase in the differences in student time spent on homework. An optimum amount of homework is proposed which schools should assign to maximize gains in achievement for students overall.

Homework and Academic Achievement in Latin America: A Multilevel Approach

“…Flunger et al (2015) identified five student profiles according to time spent and students’ behavior and effort related to homework. In addition, behavior and time spent on homework are conditioned by other variables which also have an influence on school results, such as cognitive capacity, school history, prior knowledge, motivation, sex, age, and sociological factors (De Jong et al, 2000; Trautwein et al, 2002; Trautwein, 2007; Dettmers et al, 2009; Fernández-Alonso et al, 2014, 2015, 2017a). Many studies which have examined the relationship between time spent on homework and school results have not included the effects of these variables in their analyses, hence these apparent contradictions.…”

“…In that case it is capturing the effect of the teachers’ homework policies, a measure with a completely different meaning. In addition, the effect of these two variables on performance is different, the individual measure has little effect on school results (Farrow et al, 1999; De Jong et al, 2000; Dettmers et al, 2010; Murillo and Martínez-Garrido, 2013; Fernández-Alonso et al, 2014; Núñez et al, 2014), and when it is statistically significant, the effect is negative (Trautwein, 2007; Trautwein et al, 2009; Lubbers et al, 2010; Chang et al, 2014; Fernández-Alonso et al, 2015, 2017a; Núñez et al, 2015). This is consistent with the idea that the time spent on homework by the different types of students is not related to school results (Flunger et al, 2015).…”

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

“…For example, frequent, short, and purposeful assignments (first phase) are positively related to students' homework effort, positive emotions, and academic achievement (e.g., Fan et al, 2017;Fernández-Alonso, Suárez-Álvarez, & Muñiz, 2015;Rosário et al, 2018;Trautwein, Niggli, Schnyder, & Lüdtke, 2009). On the other hand, high amount of homework and repetitive exercises are counterproductive to students' achievement (e.g., Fernández-Alonso, Álvarez-Díaz, Suárez-Álvarez, & Muñiz, 2017;Trautwein, 2007;Trautwein, Köller, Schmitz, & Baumert, 2002). Research also indicated that students' autonomous homework completion (second phase) is more beneficial to academic achievement than completing homework with help (Fernández-Alonso et al, 2015;Fernández-Alonso, Suárez-Álvarez, & Muñiz, 2016).…”

Análisis de la Oportunidad de Aprendizaje en el estudio TERCE de la UNESCO

“…Cuando la variable dependiente es el rendimiento escolar conviene incluir variables de ajuste que eviten sobreestimar los efectos de las variables de interés (Fernández-Alonso, Álvarez-Díaz, Suárez-Álvarez & Muñiz, 2017). Dentro de los datos disponibles en la matriz de TERCE se han elegido seis variables de control que permiten describir las características sociológicas del alumnado.…”