TEACHERS’ VIEWS ON THE VALUE OF HOMEWORK AT

THE MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL

By

George H. Adams

B.A., University of Connecticut, 1977

A RESEARCH PROPOSAL SUBMITTED IN

PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE

REQUIREMENTS FOR

RESEARCH IN EDUCATION (EDU 508)

Instructor: Dr. Hari Koirala

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

EASTERN CONNECTICUT STATE UNIVERSITY

Summer 2007

TEACHERS’ VIEWS ON THE VALUE OF HOMEWORK AT

THE MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL

Introduction and Statement of the Problem

Two statements reflect popular, yet diametrically opposed, opinions that exist today about homework.  The first, appearing on National Public Radio’s website, illustrates the negative impact that many researchers feel homework has.  “Homework is intended to reinforce classroom learning, and help students keep up with their studies.  But for the students in poorer school districts with the fewest resources, homework can actually cause students to fall even farther behind.”  (NPR.org. 2003) The article points out the detrimental effects of overloading students in a home environment that often lacks supervision, or requires that role to be filled by the student for younger siblings.  On the opposite side is a reprinting of a summary of the U.S. Department of Education’s position on homework.  “It {homework}serves as an intellectual discipline, establishes study habits, eases time constraints on the amount of curricular material that can be covered in class, and supplements and reinforces work done in school.  In addition, it fosters student initiative, independence, and responsibility, and brings home and school closer together.”  (Plato, 2000, Pros of Homework, Part II)

Homework is a contradictory, elusive, and intriguing topic for educators, and as an intrinsic part of school life, is deserving of study to interpret its true value, if any.  Is it helpful, or harmful?  While other groups (parents, administration, students) may have presented opinions with regard to homework, teachers have the onus of justifying its use on a daily basis.  Teachers, generators of homework assignments, need the opportunity to present their rationale for assigning homework, and to clarify the role it serves in promoting student achievement.  This study will provide that opportunity.  With this rationale explained, perhaps schools can create clear, consistent policy about homework, and eliminate some of the controversy attached to it.

Review of Literature

The literature on homework and its function in the American education system is plentiful.  Topics include parental involvement, amount assigned, the rationale behind assigning it, the call for more of it to serve as a solution to the problem of our educational system trailing other nations’ academic successes, or its proposed ability to bring about true educational equality by supplying all students with work that creates the same study skills.  Some works question whether homework helps at all in promoting the express desire of school systems to enrich their students academically, culturally, and morally.  Kralovec and Buell (2000) take this critical stance when examining the impact that homework has on academic achievement, social development, and overall educational growth.  They are joined by Kohn (2006) who maintains that it is erroneous to set the value of anything in a classroom (or connected with a school environment) if one is ignorant about its relationship to the stated aims, or curriculum, of that class, and Rosemond (1993) who is critical of parents’ participation in the homework process.  These studies also look at the teacher’s role in determining and literally assigning value to homework.

  Huntsinger’s (1999) extensive study of the differences between cultural views of homework and success of students within those cultures, and The Brown Center on Education Policy position (2003) contradict the above studies, however.  Contrasted, these differing views serve to illustrate some of the major elements contributing to the homework issue.

 Kralovec and Buell (2000) created controversy when researching the benefit, if any, of assigning homework.  Looking for an intrinsic connection between the homework assigned and its support of the proposed aims of a classroom, they found little correlation, despite school districts’ insistence on its value in reinforcing class work in the home.  As a result, their position supports the idea that classroom work should be completed in the school environment where teachers are available for all students and can maintain equal educational access.  This is a question at the heart of many studies on homework: is it actually promoting an equal opportunity for all students given home environment disparities and socio-economic differences?  Recognizing that all districts have homework policies, Kralovec and Buell argue that teachers feel a necessity to assign it, even though homework derails the curricular work required in the classroom by taking up time with grading and repeating homework assignments; time that would be better spent accomplishing required classroom goals.  Through the intertwining of case studies, classroom observations, and historical perspective, they point out that while substantial homework presents a perception of good teaching and classroom standards, many expert teachers feel that homework decreases their level of efficacy.

In contrast, Huntsinger (1999) states that a four-year longitudinal study of 80 families (40 Chinese-American, 40 European-American) indicates clearly that homework given in the preschool and primary grades reaps long-term benefits.  In the Chinese-American households studied, parents questioned the lack of homework in American schools, and had the opinion that homework was just another facet of daily living.  There was no differentiation between homework and play in the household.  Huntsinger’s study showed that children who did considerable homework were more academically competent than, and as psychologically well adjusted as, children who did little or no homework in the early grades.  The study concluded that children benefit from more practice on basic skills outside school.

 Huntsinger, in presenting an opinion in favor of homework, is just one of a large number of proponents of homework, including educational researchers, represented here by the Brown Center on Education Policy (2003).  The Center’s report on education policy questions the idea of too much homework being detrimental, or even that phenomena’s existence at all.  Additionally, it states unequivocally that a positive relationship exists between academic achievement and homework for high school and middle school students, and that if a problem exists, parents and teachers, not policy reform, should deal with it.

The pendulum swings the other way as Rosemond (1993) points out that parental involvement dilutes or eliminates the benefit of homework altogether, and that over-assigning homework can cause a child to lose interest not only in school, but also in learning entirely.  Rosemond’s work is anecdotal, and illustrates the fact that as early as 1993 homework had become a flashpoint topic between parents, administrators, teachers, and students.  The issues of over-involvement by parents, poor quality assignments, and too much work assigned are familiar today, though with the emphasis placed on successful testing by the No Child Left Behind legislation, homework is studied far more closely as contributing to success or failure.

Finally, Kohn (2006), known for his provocative work on several topics but particularly standardized testing, takes the position that it is a myth that homework has any value at all.  He refers to the concept that critics have of modern education that harder is better, and thus more homework, harder to complete, is better.  He posits that homework should only promote two standards: high quality learning and the desire to keep learning.  Such standards drive many curriculum designs; in turn, the curricular designs dictate what teachers should and should not do in their classes.  However, in his opinion, most homework does not support either of these standards.  He provides examples of schools reducing or eliminating homework, in part believing that it does not promote the educational agenda presented by curriculum.  Additionally, Kohn comments on the acquisition of skills through repetitious homework as creating students who perform without thinking, leading to habit, not understanding. 

By looking at the supposed benefits of homework (responsibility, budgeting time, encouragement of parental involvement, and promotion of study skills) and pointing out the flaws in logic applied, Kohn illustrates how the issue of homework is an issue about pedagogy as well.  When teachers make the decision to include homework assignments, is it because they have a true benefit in mind?  Kohn maintains that the majority of the time homework is assigned because of a decision made in advance of the school year that all students do a certain amount of supplemental work each evening regardless of class instruction, and that the type of work is decided upon later.

The literature identifies concerns about assigning homework, its impact on students in general, and on its validity being determined, in large part, by perceptions of what is accomplished through its use.  Further research should examine these perceptions, particularly from the point of view of those administering homework: the teachers.  This research project will explore this point of view.

Significance of the Proposed Study

Any serious consideration of classroom policies in today’s educational climate requires an understanding of, and a personal philosophy about, homework.  The positions presented above do not even consider the numerous “compromise” positions that teachers and administrators have developed to satisfy community requests/demands or their own policies,

while providing support for what they believe, or disbelieve, is a legitimate supplement to classroom education.  The aspect of homework most analyzed (and criticized) is the amount of time spent on it by students.  Second is the home environment’s contribution to the student’s homework success or failure, and the subsequent effect on overall academic success.  In certain studies, this takes into consideration ethnic, historical, and cultural factors, and examines variables that have influence on homework, but not homework alone.

One solution is to hear teachers’ opinions, and to look at the specific ways homework improves academic performance.  This approach asks a teacher to weigh those factors that should apply to all activity in a classroom, removing the type, the length, the amount, the difficulty of the homework assignment, and the student’s home environment from examination, and replacing them with one of two possible outcomes: homework does promote improved academic performance, or it does not.  Teachers that use it should be able to have a dialogue about how it does this; in essence, the way it contributes to student achievement as spelled out by curriculum. 

 To provide immediate relevance to the educational community by opening a dialogue about an essential quality of any activity that is classroom-related, this study will attempt to answer three specific, inter-related research questions.  It is hoped the answers will provide a foundation for specific, consistent homework policy within this middle school. To do this, the three research questions listed below must be addressed, and results analyzed.

Research Questions:

How does homework contribute to academic success?

In what way is homework integral to learning at the middle school level?

What alternatives could replace homework?

Research Design

Selection of Participants

This is a case study research project, using qualitative methods of data collection.  The population for the study is all teachers who give homework, with the target population being all teachers in a district who give homework.  The sample for this study will be one middle school’s faculty who give homework.  This middle school is located in a suburban community in New Haven County, with a faculty population of sixty.  The researcher is a member of the faculty at this middle school; as such, the environment and the participants are easily accessible.  The sample group will receive a survey that asks about amounts of homework given, expected time commitment by students, and open-ended questions regarding their reasons for assigning homework and its overall educational value.  Out of all results, six teachers will be selected randomly for a follow-up in-depth interview.  This selection will be purposive, representing all teachers who give homework, but specifically the middle school grade levels.

Method of Data Collection

Permission will be obtained from the Superintendent of Schools (See Appendix R) and the principal of the middle school to conduct the study.  Data for this study will be collected from teachers who had previously indicated that they give homework, and are willing to participate in the survey (See Appendix S).  A short letter through e-mail to all faculty members in the middle school building explaining the project is ideal for this purpose.  Those who give homework, and indicate a willingness to participate, will be required to sign consent forms (See Appendix T) giving permission for their survey results to be included in the study, and to potentially include them in, and use the comments generated by, follow-up interviews.  While the in-depth interview portion of the research project will require face-to-face interaction, the results of the surveys and the interviews will be anonymous.  This is imperative in that ultimately the administration receives results of this research.

A random selection of 50% of the study’s participants will be supplied with a copy of the completed study and a final questionnaire.  This questionnaire will have a specific purpose: to use member checking for triangulation to establish the validity of the study (See Appendix U). 

The following methods will be used in this investigation:

1.  After determining the faculty members who meet the homework requirement and demonstrate willingness to participate by signing the consent forms, a questionnaire aimed at assessing teachers’ perspectives of homework will be distributed to the participants in electronic form on their computers.  This questionnaire, created by the researcher, will include open and closed questions, and an opportunity for the participant to supply feedback on the data gathering itself. 

2.  The teachers will be asked to complete the questionnaire and return it to the researcher’s mailbox with the appropriate identification within a week.

3.  Qualifying faculty will provide names and contact information exclusively for the researcher’s use to provide the opportunity to include them in the interview process.  An additional element of identification will be grade level taught, as the researcher wishes to have at least one representative of each grade level in the interviews.

4.  The researcher will consolidate the survey information, looking for shared themes and insights, or, as important, divergent information.  The researcher will create follow-up discussion questions stemming from these results, intending to retrieve information specific to the research questions.

5.  The researcher will sort the surveys by faculty grade level, and randomly select six participants, two from each grade (if possible).  These participants, after contact, will schedule individual follow-up interviews, preferably within the week.  They will answer the new discussion questions in a face-to-face format.  The researcher will record those answers.

6.  To promote triangulation, a random selection of 50% of the study’s sample will be supplied with a copy of the study, and requested to complete a follow-up survey (See Appendix U) anonymously.  The survey will contain questions regarding the extent to which the study was accurate, how it affected their views on homework, and the level of professionalism exhibited.

7.  All faculty responses, consolidated and analyzed, representing the study’s results, will be shared with the principal.  The respondents will not be identified.  A formal report on the research process, with recommendations and observations on the results regarding homework and its role in the middle school, will be supplied to the participants and administration.

Limitations of Design, Issues of Validity, Reliability, and Credibility

            The design of this study has at least one potential weakness: its success rests upon the willingness of the sample to devote their time and energy to providing accurate information about the homework topic, and to assist in the follow-up interview and evaluation process.  School environments and the relationships within them are very complex.  The fact that the researcher is part of the environment, easing access and the distribution/retrieval of research materials, could have an adverse effect on the study based upon the respondents’ personal relationships with the researcher, and bias.  Additionally, sharing the research study’s results with the administration could affect the responses in one of two ways.  First, teachers may be overly critical or even disingenuous, using this study to disguise dissatisfaction about other areas of their daily academic lives.  The initial questionnaire will be very narrowly focused to avoid this possibility.  Conversely, teachers may hesitate to be negative, fearing repercussions from the administration, based upon a perception of the inability to disguise respondents’ identities completely. 

The topic itself is mildly controversial.  Teachers may try to anticipate responses that more closely parallel the positions held by the administration or the parents in the community who exert the greatest influence upon the school environment.  The researcher is depending upon the sample to respond honestly, and without fear of repercussion.  The sample itself is not large; while it can be purposive, the validity of the results may be questioned because of the polarizing effect of the topic.  Ideally, it would be best if those teachers giving homework were split in their opinions of its effectiveness – too large a number of responses on either side of the argument reduces the variety of information available for interpretation.

Finally, the extent to which the faculty perceives the importance of a study on homework, and weighs that importance against other issues affecting them, can affect the integrity of responses.  If the teachers view the issue of homework as one of many problems, and perhaps not the most prevalent, immediate, or challenging, their responses may lack the seriousness and honesty necessary to establish the work’s credibility.

To References