Doing Homework

Abstract

A survey of homework experiences was administered to 1,527 elementary and junior high students in regular (n = 1,242), resource (n = 234), and self-contained special education (n = 51) classrooms. The results found significant main effects for Group, Grade, and Group by Grade interactions for items related to amount of, type of, and time spent doing homework; opportunity to do homework at school; parents' assistance; students' beliefs about homework assignments and grading; and students' feelings about homework and school. The higher incidence of negative feelings and opinions from students in resource room programs suggests that students' understanding of assignments, the nature of the assignments, and the feedback given to students are important issues requiring closer evaluation. The results also suggest that changes in homework assignments and grading may make the transition from elementary to junior high school particularly difficult for students with special needs.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Baumgartner, D. , Bryan, T. , Donahue, M. , & Nelson, C. (1993). Thanks for asking: Parent comments about homework, tests, and grades. Exceptionality, 4, 177–183.

Bryan, T. , & Nelson, C. (1992). Parents' views of homework. Unpublished manuscript, University of Illinois at Chicago.

Check, J. F. , & Ziebell, D. G. (1980). Homework: A dirty word. The Clearing House, 54, 439–441.

Cooper, H. M. (1989). Homework. White Plains, NY: Longman.

Epstein, J. L. (1983). Homework practices, achievements, and behaviors of elementary school students. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 250 351)

Epstein, J. L. (1985). Home and school connections in schools of the future: Implications of research on parent involvement. Peabody Journal of Education, 62, 18–41.

Epstein, M. H. , Polloway, E. A. , Foley, R. M. , & Patton, J. R. (1992). Homework: A comparison of teachers' and parents' perceptions of the problems experienced by students identified as having behavioral disorders, learning disabilities, or no disabilities. Remedial and Special Education, 14(5), 40–50.

Heller, H. W. , Spooner, F. , Anderson, D. , & Mims, A. (1988). Homework: A review of special education practices in the Southwest. Teacher Education and Special Education, 11, 43–51.

Nicholls, J. G. (1989). The competitive ethos and democratic education. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

10.

Polloway, E. A. , Foley, R. M. , & Epstein, M. H. (1992). A comparison of the homework problems of students with learning disabilities and nonhandicapped students. Learning Disabilities: Research and Practice, 7, 203–209.

11.

Poulsen, S. J. (1989). Shortage of scientists, engineers, and mathematicians in the next decade. Wingspread.

12.

Salend, S. J. , & Schliff, J. (1989). An examination of the homework practices of teachers of students with learning disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 22, 621–623.

13.

Snow, C. E. , Barnes, W. S. , Chandler, J. , Goodman, I. F. , & Hemphill, L. (1991). Unfulfilled expectations: Home and school influences on literacy. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

14.

Strother, D. B. (1984). Homework: Too much, just right, or not enough? Phi Delta Kappan, 28, 423–426.

15.

Walberg, H. J. , Paschal, R. A. , & Weinstein, T. (1985). Homework's powerful effects on learning. Educational Leadership, 42, 76–78.