An examination of learners’ homework engagement, academic achievement, and perceptions

Abstract

ABSTRACT Completing homework is a highly common task shared by nearly all primary- and secondary-level learners throughout their compulsory education globally. This mixed-methods study examined whether the estimated amount of homework completed (HW) in primary and secondary education is related to learners’ academic achievement (AA), and what learners’ perceptions of the value of homework are. 434 tertiary-level students completed a survey and 24 of them also attended follow-up individual interviews. The findings revealed no statistically significant relationships between HW and AA. Although HW was associated with school banding, we found no relationship between HW and AA when grouping the participants by banding and gender. Two themes emerged from the interviews, namely the presence/absence of the perceived value of homework and positive/negative emotions associated with homework. The findings pose some challenges to beliefs (or ‘conventional wisdom’) such as homework having an unquestionably positive impact on learning, and the more homework the better.