Homework Support Research Articles

Prediction of students' strategies for doing science homework by parental support and students' goal orientation

The aim of this study is to examine how parents’ support for their children’s science homework and the goal orientation of students in science homework predict their deep learning and management strategies that students use when doing homework. For this purpose, among quantitative research approaches, correlational method was used in the study. The sample of the study consisted of 328 middle school students enrolling in public schools in Erzurum. As data gathering tools, the Parental Homework Support Scale, Homework Goal Orientation Scale and Homework Strategy use Scale were used. The results of the hierarchical regression analysis revealed that the content- and autonomy-oriented support of the parents were positive predictors of deep learning and management strategies. The mastery and performance goal orientation predicted the management strategy positively, whereas the work-avoidance negatively predicted it. Among the goal orientations, it was seen that only the mastery goal orientation predicted the deep learning strategy and the relationship was in positive direction. The parental homework support and student’s goal orientation in homework explained 61.00% of the variance in the homework management strategy and 53.00% of the variance in the deep learning strategy.

Reciprocal Effects Among Parental Homework Support, Effort, and Achievement? An Empirical Investigation.

The present study investigates reciprocal influences of parental homework support, effort, and math achievement, using two waves of data from 336 9th-graders. Results revealed that higher prior autonomy-oriented support and homework effort resulted in higher subsequent achievement. Higher prior content-oriented support led to higher subsequent effort, but lower subsequent achievement. Additionally, higher prior effort led to higher subsequent autonomy-oriented support. Furthermore, our results supported the structural path invariance over gender. The current investigation advances extant research, by differentiating two forms of parental homework support (autonomy- and content-oriented support), and by showing their respective influences on subsequent homework effort and math achievement.

Participation in extracurricular activities and student achievement: evidence from German all-day schools

ABSTRACTThe present study investigates the effects of participation in academic extracurricular activities on student achievement in mathematics and reading in the course of secondary schooling. We use 2 samples of nonmandatory all-day schools that are part of the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS): N = 1,131 fifth graders at 43 schools were followed until Grade 7 and N = 1,545 seventh graders at 64 schools until Grade 9. We compare students participating in all-day schools’ extracurricular activities homework support, remedial education, and subject-specific programs to nonparticipating students. After controlling for prior achievement and further student background variables as well as estimating school fixed effects, we find no effects of participation in extracurricular activities on student achievement for both samples and both outcomes. The study contributes to the evidence base on the effects of extracurricular activities. We discuss the findings in light of the international discourse on effective extracurricular activities.

Factors Associated With Educational Support in Young Adolescents With ADHD

Objective: This study aimed to examine patterns of use and factors associated with education support use in students with ADHD during early adolescence. Method: Participants were 130 adolescents (M = 13.7 years, SD = 1.1) with ADHD. Educational support use and the factors associated with use were collected by parent and teacher questionnaires and standardized academic tests during the 2014-2015 school years. Support rates and categories are described. Logistic regression models examine individual, family, and school variables associated with support versus no support. Results: About two thirds of students with ADHD (60%) had accessed education support in the current school year, which included social support (36%), Individualized Educational Plans (IEPs; 22%), Student Support Groups (SSGs; 18%), counseling (17%), mentoring (15%), and homework support (9%). Academic risk (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 2.30, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.03, 5.14], p = .04), behavioral problems (adjusted OR = 1.47, 95% CI = [1.01, 2.14], p = .047), and attending a Catholic school (adjusted OR = 5.10, 95% CI = [1.59, 16.42], p = .006) were associated with receiving support independent of adolescent age, gender, ADHD medication use, and socioeconomic status. Conclusions: Future research needs to determine whether education support makes a difference to long-term outcomes for students with ADHD and to determine why some students at academic risk receive no support.

The Impact of Teacher Characteristics on Educational Differentiation Practices in Lower Secondary Mathematics Instruction

This study aimed to investigate how teachers’ certification status, experience in instruction, and teachers’ efficacy beliefs for teaching lower secondary students in mathematics are related to differentiated instruction practices. A total of 42 mathematics teachers and 27 special education teachers answered an electronic questionnaire regarding mathematics teaching efficacy beliefs and their frequency of use of differentiation practices. The results indicated that teachers’ efficacy beliefs were related to differentiation in content, flexible examination models, homework support, and co-teaching. Neither certification status nor teacher experience in instruction was related to the frequency of use of differentiation practices. As teacher efficacy beliefs seem to have an effect on the use of differentiation practices, and especially on co-teaching, it should be important for teacher education to focus on developing pre-service teachers’ efficacy beliefs as well as implementing a strong collaboration between different teacher groups.

TitanTutor: An educational technology solution co-designed by children from different age groups and socio-economic backgrounds

Abstract Children should be included in the design process when developing new technology solutions for child users. Involving children from different age groups as well as diverse socio-economic circumstances in participatory design is an unexplored field. In this article we discuss TitanTutor, an educational technology solution that was designed by such a combination of children using cooperative inquiry (CI). Six children aged nine or ten from a disadvantaged community and nine teenagers from privileged circumstances together designed the web-based application that would be used to provide after-school homework support to young children who lack such support. Two distinct user groups are involved—teenage tutors from privileged educational backgrounds and young tutees who live in circumstances where educational support is limited. Our aim was to investigate how existing participatory design methods such as CI should be implemented to successfully design with these groups. We describe the design-evaluation iterations that produced the TitanTutor system. The results show that designing with a mixed team of children has clear benefits but that there are obstacles that have to be overcome to reach successful design outcomes.

Sociodemographic variables predicting fathers involvement in child rearing in Basavanapura village of Hunasuru taluk, Mysuru district, Karnataka

Background: Role of parents in upbringing of children is crucial in forming a child’s future. In the present generation of increasing nuclear families, father’s role in child rearing becomes even more important in deciding the future of a child. Hence in this regard the following study was conducted to determine the father’s involvement in child rearing and to determine the socio-demographic variables associated with involvement of father in child rearing.Methods: It is a cross-sectional study conducted in rural part of Mysuru District. Houses in the village were selected by simple random sampling through lottery method. Data was collected using Inventory of Fathers Involvement (IFI) questionnaire which was self-administered. Information on socio-demographic variables were also collected. Data thus obtained was coded and entered into SPSS version 22 and analyzed using the same. Data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics, viz. percentages and the inferential statistics using Chi-Square test for qualitative data. Mann Witney U Test was used to know if significant difference existed in various domains of both group (Those with poor and better involvement in child rearing).Results: 75.9% of fathers had poor in child rearing and the remaining 24.1% showed better involved in child rearing based on scores. The difference was observed in all the domains of IFI in the two groups except Attentiveness domain. Age of the father was found to be significantly associated with ‘social encouragement’ and ‘providing’ domains. Birth spacing with ‘Mother Support’ domain. Socio-economic status with ‘praise and affection’ domain. Type of family with ‘developing talents and future concerns’, ‘reading and homework support’ and Sex of the child was seen to be associated with ‘developing talent and future concern’ and overall total score.Conclusions: 3/4th of father’s showed poor involvement in child rearing. The individual scores in all domains was statistically significant in both groups. Various socio-demographic variables were found to influence father’s involvement.

Race and Gender Differences in Teacher Perceptions of Student Homework Performance: a Preliminary Examination

Although most students regularly complete homework, the extent to which race and gender influence teacher perceptions of homework performance has been largely unstudied. However, individual characteristics, such as race and gender, have been shown to meaningfully influence many aspects of students’ educational experiences and outcomes, and it is plausible that race and gender differences may exist in teacher perceptions of homework performance. This study used analysis of variance (ANOVA) to examine student gender and race differences in teacher ratings of three dimensions of homework performance (student competence, parent support, and homework completion). Findings indicated that teachers rated girls and White students as having greater homework competence (ability to complete homework assignments) than boys and racial minority (Black and Latino) students. No significant race or gender differences in teacher ratings of parent support for homework or in rates of homework completion were found. The examination of race and gender differences in homework performance has the potential to contribute to our understanding of race and gender gaps in academic achievement. As such, replication and further study of these differences are warranted.

STAKEHOLDERS PERCEPTION TOWARDS ABOLITION OF RANKING OF STUDENTS AND SCHOOLS IN NATIONAL EXAMINATIONS IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KENYA: A CASE OF WEST POKOT COUNTY

The government of Kenya abolished ranking among schools in the year 2014, which took effect from the year 2015. This was put in place in order to eliminate cut-throat competition among institutions and to end unethical practices by teachers in the rush for top positions. Abolition of ranking in West Pokot drew different reactions and perspectives from different stakeholders of education. The study examined stakeholders’ perception towards abolition of ranking on students and schools in national examination in Secondary schools in Kenya. The objectives of the study were; to determine stakeholders’ perception on ranking of schools, to determine how ranking of school affected students’ commitment to academic performance, the impact of secondary school ranking on the parental commitment on students’ academic matters and how ranking of schools influenced ministry of education officials and county officials’ commitment to academic activities. The research design adopted in this study was cross sectional descriptive survey. Cluster sampling (probability sampling) and non-probability (purposive sampling) techniques were adopted to determine sample size. Questionnaire and interview guides were employed in data collection. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics (chi-square) were adopted for quantitative data analysis. Qualitative data were categorized and analysed according to themes. Theoretical framework was based and guided by Talcott Persons Structural Functionalism Theory. In the conceptual framework, the independent variable in this research is the stakeholders’ perception, while the dependent is the result of abolition. Findings from the study indicated that abolition of ranking had a lot of negative outcomes compared to positive effects and the decision be reverted for better results in our schools. The study concluded that, ranking motivates teachers to cover syllabus, change institutional practices, makes them focus their teaching activities towards examination neglecting other aspects of education but has no impact on their self-esteem. It also encourages completion among departments but can lead to unhealthy competition among different categories of schools. However, ranking leads to narrowing of curriculum and encourage malpractices in national examination. On students’ commitment on academic performance, ranking acts as motivating factor to performing students but might destroy morale to underperforming ones. Students however become less concerned with performance when ranking is abolished. Abolition of ranking influences parents to buy extra teaching and learning materials. It also impacts negatively on parental involvement on school academic programs but does not influence parental support for homework. Abolition of ranking impacts negatively on ministry of education officials’ commitment of academic matters at it affects their involvement in issues like resource allocations. The study recommends that; the decision of abolishing of ranking by government should be reverted or should be practiced by schools at different levels, it should also be done continuously throughout the academic year to get trends of performance and schools should provide psychological support to all students’ especially underperforming ones. Education stakeholders should define measures to curb malpractices in examination among students and students and not to just abolish ranking. Article visualizations:

Investigating the effects of community-based interventions on mathematics achievement of girls from low-income households in Kenya

AbstractThis paper uses difference-in-difference and multivariate analyses procedures to examine the effects of two community-based intervention packages on mathematics achievement of primary school girls from low-income urban households in Kenya. The data involved in this study were collected between 2013 and 2015 from 748 12–19 years old primary school girls residing in two major Nairobi slums of Viwandani and Korogocho. These data were part of a larger intervention study that sought to improve schooling outcomes among girls from disadvantaged home backgrounds by providing them with after-school homework support, life skill mentoring and parental counselling. Results reveal intervention effects of between 23 and 26 mathematics score points on a Rasch scale with a mean of 400 a standard deviation of 100. These effects translate to at least one school term of learning for girls in the comparison group. Effect size for one of the intervention packages was small (0.24), while that of the second package was ...

A study of the validity and reliability of the parental homework support scale

Abstract We conduct a psychometric evaluation of the Parental Homework Support Scale (PHSS) involving 796 eighth-grade students. After randomly dividing the sample into two groups, we performed exploratory factor analysis (EFA) on Group 1 (n = 398) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on Group 2 (n = 398). Findings revealed that the PHSS consisted of two distinct yet related subscales: Content-oriented Support and Autonomy-oriented Support. In addition, the current investigation found a satisfactory level of factor loading invariance across gender. Results further revealed that, consistent with theoretical expectations, the PHSS was positively correlated with value belief, expectancy belief, help seeking, homework management, homework completion, and math homework grade.

Overparenting and Homework: The Student's Task, But Everyone's Responsibility

A high level of parental involvement is widely considered to be essential for optimal child and adolescent development and wellbeing, including academic success. However, recent consideration has been given to the idea that extremely high levels of parental involvement (often called ‘overparenting’ or ‘helicopter parenting’) might not be beneficial. This study used a newly created overparenting measure, the Locke Parenting Scale (LPS), to investigate the association of overparenting and children's homework. Eight hundred and sixty-six parents completed online questionnaires about their parenting beliefs and intentions, and their attitudes associated with their child's homework. Parents with higher LPS scores tended to take more personal responsibility for the completion of their child's homework than did other parents, and ascribed greater responsibility for homework completion to their child's teacher. However, increased perceived responsibility by parents and teachers was not accompanied by a commensurate reduction in what they perceived was the child's responsibility. Future research should examine whether extreme parental attitudes and reported behaviours translate to validated changes in actual homework support.

Differences in the perception of parental involvement in homework depending on the level of student motivation

The main purpose of this work is to check if the student motivation is an important factor in their perception of family involvement on homework. This is to check the relationships between different levels of intrinsic motivation towards school work of students in secondary and their perceptions of parental support and the type of feedback provided by their parents to homework, including the latter parental support and parental control. The sample consists of 730 (43.4% male; 56.6% female) of Secondary School students (12 to 16). The results show that higher levels of intrinsic motivation are associated with a higher perception of students regarding parental accompaniment to do homework and parental control and support them. We conclude, therefore, that student motivation is a factor of great importance to the involvement of the family environment and, more specifically, for the support and feedback provided by parents regarding homework.

Stable same-sex friendships with higher achieving partners promote mathematical reasoning in lower achieving primary school children.

This study was designed to investigate friend influence over mathematical reasoning in a sample of 374 children in 187 same-sex friend dyads (184 girls in 92 friendships; 190 boys in 95 friendships). Participants completed surveys that measured mathematical reasoning in the 3rd grade (approximately 9years old) and 1year later in the 4th grade (approximately 10years old). Analyses designed for dyadic data (i.e., longitudinal actor-partner interdependence model) indicated that higher achieving friends influenced the mathematical reasoning of lower achieving friends, but not the reverse. Specifically, greater initial levels of mathematical reasoning among higher achieving partners in the 3rd grade predicted greater increases in mathematical reasoning from 3rd grade to 4th grade among lower achieving partners. These effects held after controlling for peer acceptance and rejection, task avoidance, interest in mathematics, maternal support for homework, parental education, length of the friendship, and friendship group norms on mathematical reasoning.

Work ability and work-related stress: A cross-sectional study of obstetrical nurses in urban northeastern Ontario.

The aim of this study was to determine: 1) if quality of work life (QWL), location of cross-training, stress variables, and various demographic factors in nurses are associated with work ability, and 2) nursing occupational stress, QWL, and various associated factors are related with nurses' work ability. There is limited research examining the obstetrical nursing environment. Given the amount of time and energy people expend at the workplace, it is crucial for employees to be satisfied with their lives at work. This cross sectional study was conducted in 2012 in four hospitals in northeastern Ontario, Canada. A stratified random sample of registered nurses (n= 111) were selected. The majority of participants were female (94.6%) ranging in age from 24 to 64 years (M = 41.9, s.d. = 10.2). For the stress and QWL model, one variable: QWL (home-work support - see Methods for definition) (p= 0.015), cross-trained (see Methods for definition) nurses (p= 0.048), and having more than 4 patients per shift (p= 0.024) significantly contributed to the variance in work ability scores. In the logistic regression model, the odds of a higher work ability for nurses who received home-work support were estimated to be 1.32 (95% CI, 1.06 to 1.66) times the odds of a higher work ability for nurses who did not receive home-work support. Work ability in the work environment of obstetrical nursing is important. To be high functioning, workplaces should maximize the use of their employees' actual and potential skills.

After-School Spaces: Looking for Learning in All the Right Places

After-school settings provide youth with homework support, social outlets and fun activities, and help build self-confidence. They are safe places for forming relationships with caring adults. More after-school settings are starting to integrate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) topics. What science skills and concepts might youth learn in engineering design-based after-school settings? Traditional assessments often fail to capture the ways youth learn in informal settings, and deep science understandings are notoriously difficult to measure. In this study, we examined three after-school settings where 65 youth were learning science through engineering design challenges. In this informal setting, we examined storyboards, social networking forum (SNF) chat logs, videos of whole-class interactions, interviews with groups and single participants, and traditional multiple-choice pre- and posttest results. As we looked for evidence of learning, we found that the social networking forum was rich with data. Interviews were even more informative, much more so than traditional pencil and paper multiple-choice tests. We found that different kinds of elicitation strategies adopted by site leaders and facilitators played an important role in the ways youth constructed knowledge. These elicitation strategies also helped us find evidence of learning. Based on findings, future iterations of the curricula will involve tighter integration of social networking forums, continued use of videotaped interviews for data collection, an increased focus on training site leaders and facilitators in elicitation strategies, and more open-ended pencil and paper assessments in order to facilitate the process of looking for learning.

Children and Technology: Taking Time for Tech: Offering Support for Students through Technology

While libraries have long been known as destinations for learning, research, and study, the methods we use to provide homework support must be continually updated, not only to demonstrate our relevance in a technological era, but also to ensure that the students we serve have access to the most up-to-date information and devices.

Relationships between perceived parental involvement in homework, student homework behaviors, and academic achievement: differences among elementary, junior high, and high school students

This study aims to produce a deeper understanding of the relationship between perceived parental homework involvement (i.e., parental homework control and parental homework support), student homework behaviors (i.e., time spend on homework completion, time management, and amount of homework completed), and student academic achievement. Using Mplus5.1, a structural equation model was fit for 1683 students at different stages of schooling (i.e., elementary school − 5th and 6th grades; junior high school − 7th and 8th grades; and high school − 9th and 10th grades). The data showed that student homework behaviors, perceived parental homework involvement, and academic achievement are significantly related. However, results vary depending on the students’ grade level: (a) in junior high and high school, perceived parental homework involvement is related to students’ homework behaviors, but not in elementary school; and (b) although students’ homework behaviors are related to academic achievement at each school level, the direction and magnitude of the relationships vary. Specifically, the relationship between perceived parental homework involvement and academic achievement is stronger in junior high and high school than in elementary school; and student homework behaviors mediate the association between perceived parental homework involvement (control and support) and academic achievement only in junior high and high school.

Predicting approach to homework in Primary school students.

The goal of this research was to study the weight of student variables related to homework (intrinsic homework motivation, perceived homework instrumentality, homework attitude, time spent on homework, and homework time management) and context (teacher feedback on homework and parental homework support) in the prediction of approaches to homework. 535 students of the last three courses of primary education participated in the study. Data were analyzed with hierarchical regression models and path analysis. The results obtained suggest that students’ homework engagement (high or low) is related to students´ level of intrinsic motivation and positive attitude towards homework. Furthermore, it was also observed that students who manage their homework time well (and not necessarily those who spend more time) are more likely to show the deepest approach to homework. Parental support and teacher feedback on homework affect student homework engagement through their effect on the levels of intrinsic homework motivation (directly), and on homework attitude, homework time management, and perceived homework instrumentality (indirectly). Data also indicated a strong and significant relationship between parental and teacher involvement.

The social context of parenting: mothers’ inner resources and social structures

Parenting occurs within families and communities and is shaped by parents’ internal resources and the structures that surround their life. Utilising a large national data-set, Understanding Society, this study examined the extent to which variation in mothers’ personality, cognitive ability and well-being, as well as structural and background factors is associated with affective and dialogic parenting and homework support. The findings revealed that psychosocial and structural factors had differential effects on aspects of parenting. Although mothers’ well-being, personality and cognitive factors exerted small-to-modest effects, filial and neighbourhood interactions and background factors emerged as strong predictors for affective and dialogic parenting and homework support. These findings have implications considering that families’ social contexts, in the form of social support networks and neighbourhood connectedness, are shrinking in the face of global recession and disappearing national resources and public services.