Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Attitute to homework'

This study aims to investigate the attitudes to English homework held by teachers of primary school (Grades 4-6) in Mainland China, through an online survey. After obtaining 112 responses and analysing them by utilising both qualitative and quantitative methods, the results found that English teachers in China have a unified positive attitude towards homework and its effect. English homework is most commonly assigned once a day. Repetition or Exercise is the most popular type of assigned homework, and it is overwhelmingly preferred by the teachers, followed by Preparation and Reading. The respondents stress that homework has an indispensable connection with the scheduled school teaching. Through assigning the correct volume of homework, students can develop positive habits with regards to self-study, and therefore students can improve their academic performance in examinations. A combination of both oral and written feedback is utixlised the most. Follow-up of homework usually appears to be two-dimensional; material stimuli such as penalty copy and self-correction, and immaterial stimuli such as encouragement and criticism. All of the evidence shows that China’s particular education system reflects Skinner’s behaviourist theories of learning, meaning that students’ behaviour with regards to acquiring knowledge can be shaped by frequent and random reinforcement, and this behaviour will eventually persist in the long-term even in the absence of reinforcements.

This research focuses on aspects of parental involvement in homework and the differing power relations which homework uncovered within the family. It is concerned with the deeper implications of homework through exploring the attitudes, behaviours and beliefs of teachers and/or parents and/or pupils and to consider who really is in control of the homework process, the perceived and actual roles of the participants, the resistances to homework and the possible changing social factors which impinge on homework. This thesis offers a unique contribution to the homework discourses as it uses a qualitative approach, drawing on an extended version of the French and Raven (1959) conceptualisation of power as a means of interrogating the data, by labelling certain attitudes, behaviours and beliefs, to seek explanations of the patterns of power. These patterns of power are exposed through the family’s story of their engagement, or not, in the homework process. The notion of engaging pupils in the learning process is at the heart of many of the recent educational initiatives, arising from the National debate on Education (2002). At the heart of these new initiatives is the notion of learners being actively involved in the learning process, in and out of the classroom to encourage them to take responsibility for their learning. A number of implications for pupils, parents, teachers and the government are considered. These particularly relate to the effective practices of teachers and parents as a means of preventing the pupils from controlling the homework process and to the government to consider appropriate and effective means of ensuring that all concerned are engaged in conducting homework which is interesting, stimulating and motivating.

Homework is given to learners on a daily basis to practice a specific skill, to foster personal development and to develop planning and time management skills. Although learners in the Foundation Phase are encouraged to do homework on their own, the support and involvement of their parents are required in order to develop personal skills and to maintain a healthy social relationship. As homework is a time of the day when parents usually interact with their children, their attitudes regarding homework in the Foundation Phase impact the way in which a learner will experience the homework process. Some learners experience homework as more pleasant when parents are involved, while others feel that homework disrupt families and causes conflict and tension. Research has indicated that the early years of a child’s life are critical for development, as this is the time when learners acquire fundamental concepts, skills and attitudes and when parents pass on values such as respect, tolerance and appreciation, all of which are important to laying down the foundation for lifelong learning. Parents’ beliefs and behaviours thus have an important role to play in a child’s development, and their attitudes and actions influence the nature and course of their children’s development. Parents and families need to be encouraged to assist their children with homework and to see this as the time of the day when they can bond with their children.
Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2014.
tm2015
Educational Psychology
MEd
Unrestricted

Parental involvement (PI) has increasingly become a major priority in the educational agenda. Parents are regarded as an important source for schools and teachers that largely contribute to good-quality education. Schools are expected to develop practices that include parents in activities that concern both the learning process and school practical aspects. Research on school effectiveness and improvement suggests that teachers and parents partnership is now strongly recommended in order to ensure children's school success (Mortimore et aI, 1988). This study discusses PI terminology and concepts; the process and the construction of PI theory with its models and typologies; research and evidence which has influenced this thesis; and evidence from Brazilian schools. PI typologies and models have greatly influenced this piece of work because it is argued teachers' preparedness for PI can only be examined from that knowledge. In particular, the study uses a typology of PI devised by Joyce Epstein (1989) based on PI research in American primary schools (1982, 1985, 1987, and later, extended to middle and secondary schools). Since little attention has been paid to school PI practices in Brazil, this research aims to understand and reveal Brazilian teachers' position to PI. To pursue this aim two studies were designed to collect parents' and teachers' views about PI practices taken from Joyce Epstein's typology, research and questionnaires. Eleven Brazilian state pre and primary schools were involved: 21 parents whose children were in the fourth grade were interviewed using a semistructured questionnaire, and 181 pre- and primary school teachers answered a structured questionnaire. Parents' data were qualitatively analyzed and teachers' quantitative data were analyzed using factor analysis. The results showed that Brazilian parents see PI in three different ways: help, involvement and communication. Help was related to the practical aspects of schooling; involvement was related to intellectual and2 I educational activities; and communication was seen as the tool for the other two categories that would need to be more effectively developed. The findings suggest that Brazilian teachers welcome parents' support in preparing children to go to school but seemed to reject the idea of parents' helping with curriculum-related activities in the classroom and school. However, they would like parents to follow their advice and instructions for activities developed at homne including homework. The importance of positive communication and parents and children's appraisal was also highlighted. Both Brazilian teachers and parents believed that two-way communication and integration of efforts are essential elements for effective in Brazilian schools.

This dissertation summarizes a study of the use of online homework with developmental mathematics students at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. To address the problem of high failure rates in developmental mathematics courses this study investigated the relationship between online homework and academic achievement, persistence, and attitude. Special focus was placed on non-traditional and Alaska Native students.

A matched pair experimental design was employed. The independent variable was homework type and the dependent variables were achievement, persistence, and attitude. Nineteen sections of developmental mathematics, six instructors, and 423 student participants were involved.

The main effect of homework type was not statistically significant to any of the dependent variables. However, the effect of the interaction between homework type and course level was significant (p = 0.005). Upon further analysis it was found that one of the four levels (beginning algebra) had significantly higher post-test scores when online homework was assigned. The interaction effects of homework type/Native status and homework type/ non-traditional status were not statistically significant on any of the dependent variables.

Also, results from homework questionnaires were compared. In general, students rated paper homework slightly higher than online homework. Instructors rated online homework higher than students did. Non-traditional students scored paper homework higher than online homework.

The conclusion of this study is that while students have a slightly more favorable attitude toward paper homework, online homework in conjunction with graded paper quizzes and face-to-face instruction does not have a negative effect on achievement or persistence.

Syftet med studien är att beskriva fyra lärares respektive tio elevers syn på varför matematikläxor används i lågstadiet samt vilka attityder de har gentemot dem. Metoden som har använts är semistrukturerade intervjuer med elever och lärare i årskurs 1–2. Resultaten visar att samtliga lärare framförallt ger läxa i syfte att repetera och befästa kunskap. Eleverna framförde en likartad uppfattning och menade att läxan är till för att träna mer på det innehåll som har behandlats under lektionstid. Lärarnas attityder gentemot läxor skiljde sig, då två av lärarna uppgav en positiv inställning medan två av lärarna uttryckte en direkt negativ inställning till läxor. Resultaten visar vidare att lärarnas uppfattning om elevernas attityder gentemot matematikläxor skiljer sig från elevernas faktiska attityd. Lärarna förklarade att de upplevde de flesta elevers inställning som positiv. Samtidigt uppgav sex av tio elever en negativ inställning till arbetet med den senaste matematikläxan. Samtliga lärare uppgav att det kan finnas svårigheter med läxor, såsom tidsbrist och att konflikter kan uppstå i hemmet. En slutsats som kan dras från resultaten är att färdighetsträning är den vanligaste orsaken till att läxor ges, enligt både lärarna, eleverna och forskare.
The purpose of the study is to describe four teachers 'and ten students' views on why mathematics homework is used in primary school as well as what attitudes they have towards them. The method used is semi-structured interviews with students and teachers in grades 1–2. The results show that all teachers primarily give homework in order to repeat and consolidate knowledge. The students presented a similar view and said that the purpose of homework is to practice more on the content that has been treated during lesson. The teachers' attitudes towards homework differed, as two of the teachers stated a positive attitude, while two of the teachers expressed a direct negative attitude to homework. The results also show that the teachers' perception of the students' attitudes towards the mathematics homework differs from the students' actual attitude. The teachers explained that they experienced the attitude of most students as positive. At the same time, six out of ten students expressed a negative attitude to the work on the latest mathematics homework. All teachers stated that there may be difficulties with homework, such as lack of time and that conflicts may occur in the home. One conclusion that can be drawn from the results is that skill training is the most common reason why homework is given, according to both the teachers, the students and the researchers.

The aim in this essay is to investigate students’ attitudes to homework in grade six, and closerstudy the attitudes of the students who think homework is difficult and boring. I have chosento investigate and find out why homework is perceived as boring and cumbersome for somestudents in sixth grade. I hope to identify the aspects that contribute to the negativeconsequences that arise in connection with the homework. The following questions are usedto make the study: Do some students experience homework as boring and difficult? Do somestudents get any form of support at home, if so, how do students perceive the support fromhome? How do students feel that homework affects their leisure?What is the reason that the homework is perceived as difficult and boring according to thestudents? How should the shape of homework change according to the students who believethat homework is difficult and boring?

I have chosen to do the study with older students who have more experience with homework.I used both qualitative and quantitative methods, those are interviews and questionnaires. Ichose to focus only on those students who have a negative attitude to homework, which iswhat interested me most. The result was shown in both the questionnaires and interviews thatthe majority of students feel that homework is boring and difficult. It has been shown thatstudents in the interview have a very positive attitude to short and personalized homework.The students believe that other forms of homework, such as experimenting, cooking, solvingcrossword puzzles would be more fun to do. All students believe that they could managedifficult homework if they were more interesting and fun.

 

Over the past decade, technology has become a prominent feature in our lives. Technology has not only been integrated into our lives, but into the classroom as well. Teachers have been provided with a tremendous amount of technology related tools to educate their students. However, many of these technologically enhanced tools have little to no research supporting their claims to enhance learning. This study focuses on one aspect of technology, the iBook, to complete homework relating to fractions, decimals, and percents in a sixth grade classroom. An iBook is a digital textbook that allows the user to interact with the book through various features. Some of these features include galleries, videos, review quizzes, and links to websites. These interactive features have the potential to enhance comprehension through interactivity and increased motivation. Prior to this study, two pilot iterations were conducted. During each pilot study, students in two sixth grade classrooms used the iBook to supplement learning of fractions, decimals, and percents. A comparison group was not included during either iteration, as the goal was to fine-tune the study prior to implementation. The current study was the third iteration, which included a comparison and treatment group. During this study, three research questions were considered: 1) When learning fractions, decimals, and percents, in what ways, if any, do students achieve differently on a unit test when using an interactive iBook for homework as compared to students who have access to the same homework questions in an online static PDF format? 2) What are students' perceptions of completing homework regarding fractions, decimals, and percents with an interactive iBook compared to students who complete homework in an online static PDF format? 3) In what ways does students' achievement on homework differ when completing homework related to fractions, decimals, and percents from an interactive iBook and a static PDF online assignment? Thirty students from a small charter school in southeast Florida participated in the third iteration of this study. Fifteen students were in the comparison group and fifteen were in the treatment group. Students in both groups received comparable classroom instruction, which was determined through audio recordings and similar lesson plans. Treatment group students were provided with a copy of the iBook for homework. Comparison group students were provided with a set of questions identical to the iBook questions in a static digital PDF format. The comparison group students also had access to the textbook, but not the iBook nor the additional resources available within the iBook. The study took place over three weeks. At the commencement of the study, all students were given a pretest to determine their prior knowledge of fractions, decimals, and percents. Students were also asked to respond to questions regarding typical homework duration, level of difficulty, overall experience, and additional resources used for support. During the study, both classes received comparable instruction, which included mini lessons, manipulative based activities, mini quizzes, and group activities. Nightly homework was assigned to each group. At the conclusion of the study, both groups were given a posttest, which was identical to the pretest. Students were asked identical questions about their homework perceptions as prior to the study, but were asked to respond in regards to the study alone. All participating students completed a questionnaire to describe their perceptions of completing homework regarding fractions, decimals, and percents with an iBook as opposed to static digital PDF homework. Lastly, six students from the comparison group participated in a focus group and six students from the treatment group participated in a separate focus group. Data were collected from the pretest and posttest, pre and post homework responses, collected homework, mini quizzes, audio recordings, teacher journal, questionnaires, and the focus group. No difference in achievement was found between the two groups. However, both groups improved significantly from the pretest to posttest. Based on the questionnaires and focus groups, both groups of students felt they learned fractions, decimals, and percents effectively. However, the questionnaire data showed the treatment group found the iBook more convenient than the comparison group did the textbook. Data from this study provide a baseline for future studies regarding iBooks in middle school mathematics. Although the data show no difference in achievement between the two groups, further studies should be conducted in regards to the iBook. Questionnaire and focus group data suggest, with modifications, students may be more inclined to use the resources within the iBook, which may enhance achievement with fractions, decimals, and percents.

In Sweden it is of major concern to the society that every individual get the same possibilities to be able to complete and affect their education. Despite this some students with a foreign background have difficulties when it comes to homework’s. This is contrary to the goals that the government strives for, which is a more just society. The aim of this study is to analyze five elementary schoolteacher’s experiences and attitudes against the homework for students with two languages. I have chosen to illustrate the methods that the teachers use and the difficulties which may arise. Through qualitative interviews and different researchers’ theories five teachers have shared their emotions, thoughts and opinions concerning the chosen subject. The questions at issue are:  Are the teachers experiencing any difficulties concerning homework’s when it comes to students with a different ethnic background than Swedish? What methods do the teachers use when they choose homework’s? Is the decision of homework’s affected by the fact that there are many two language students? The conclusion of the essay is that the teachers have a positive attitude to homework’s, they state that it is important that the children in early age learn to take responsibility for their own learning. The teachers experience difficulties with regard to homework assignments among students with two languages and they point to the students’ worse condition than the ethnic Swedish students as the problem. All five teachers use their one method when it comes to the choice of homework’s and the decision is characterized by the characteristics of the class, which is the students’ skills and provided. In the interviews it appeared that the choice of homework assignments often was affected by the large amount of students with foreign background.

Vår kvalitativa studie utgår från vad lärare säger sig ha för intentioner med läxor och vilket förhållningssätt de har till dem. Vi ville skapa oss en bild om hur vi kan förhålla oss till läxor i vår kommande yrkesroll som lärare. För att uppnå syftet med studien intervjuade vi fyra lärare i de tidiga skolåren. Utifrån materialet intervjuerna gav kom vi fram till fyra olika kategorier kring lärares förhållningssätt till läxor: Läxor som tradition och rutin, Lärares syn på läxor med hänsyn till eleven, Läxans tidsvinst och tidskostnad samt Föräldrar som läxhjälp och samarbetspartner. Resultatet visar att för lärare är läxor viktiga för att upprätthålla en bra och nära relation till föräldrar och för att föräldrarna ska bli delaktiga och kunna se vad deras barn presterar och arbetar med i skolan. Ett annat lärarsyfte, med att ge läxor är att eleverna behöver färdighetsträning för att ta till sig den kunskap som förmedlas i skolan. Läxor är en självklar del av skolan för de allra flesta lärare, men läxor är inget stort diskussionsämne vare sig i arbetslag eller på skolorna i allmänhet.

Our qualitative study is aimed at teachers´ intentions with the homework and their attitude to it. We wanted to create a picture of what attitude we could adopt to homework in our future professional role as teachers. To achieve the objective of the study, we interviewed four teachers in the elementary school. Based on the material the interwiews gave we came up with four categories around teachers´attitude to homework: Homework by tradition and routine, Teachers´views on homework given to the pupils, Homework as a timesaver and a timecost and Parents as a partner and a help with homework. The result shows that for teachers is homework important to maintain a good and close relationship with parents and that parents should be allowed to see their children´s achievements and what they are working with in the school. Another intention, for teachers, with homework is that pupils need skills in order to take in knowledge. Homework is a natural part of school for most teachers, but homework is not a major topic of discussion either in teams or schools in general.

碩士
國立臺中教育大學
環境教育研究所
96
Abstract This study discussed on impact of applying “parent-child homework” in environmental curriculum on environmental knowledge, attitudes and behavior of students and parents. With quasi-experimental design. The students were divided into three groups. First group who accepted lessons of “life environmental protection” without any related homework. Second group who accepted the same lessons of “life environmental protection” with parent-child homework which must be completed with their parents at home. Control group did not accepted any lessons related to environmental protection neither with any parent-child homework.. This study adopted pre-test and post-test questionnaire of students, pre-test and post-test questionnaire of parents, parent survey and outline of parent interview. Result of this study showed that parent-child homework could provide topics which could be discussed by students and their parents. As a result, students and their parents in second group made more progress in environmental knowledge, attitude and behavior performance than those in first group and control group. With parent-child homework, students not only transmitted related environmental knowledge to their parents efficiently but also exerted relative impact on changes of environmental attitude and behavior of their parents. Qualitative data showed that homework completed together by parents and students increased interaction between students and parents. Besides, most of the parents identified with importance of environmental curriculum and agreed to support future curriculum and parent-child homework. However, a few parents felt parent-child homework were too difficult to cooperate. Therefore, content design and times of practice must be considered carefully. At last, the author afford some suggestions on future environmental parent-child homework and study.

碩士
輔仁大學
體育學系碩士班
94
This study was mainly to investigate the effects of exercise training(ET) and physical fitness homework(PFH) intervention on the obese children’s health-related physical fitness、exercise perception and attitudes.There were 45 obese children(BMI≧23.5) divided by random assignment into three groups： ET、ET+PFH and control group(CG).Each group included 15 subjects.ET and ET+PFH attended the regular exercise training 3 times a week,60-85% HRmas for 10 weeks.ET+PFH also took physical fitness homework once a week during the experimental period.CG maintained the normal daily life schedule without taking any training courses.All the subjects had to take the tests of health-related physical fitness、exercise perception and attitudes before and after curriculum.The data of physical fitness was analyzed by mixed design two-way ANOVA；the data of exercise perception and attitudes was analyzed by one-way ANCOVA.Then the comparisons were made with the Tukey method if there was a significant difference among them.The α level was set at <.05.The findings were as follows： 1.ET and ET+PFH have better performance(p<.05) on the health-related physical fitness tests including BMI、sit and reach、sit-ups、800m run than that of CG after intervention program. 2.ET+PFH has a better performance on the exercise perception and attitudes tests(p<.05) than that of ET and CG after intervention program

碩士
輔仁大學
統計資訊學系應用統計碩士在職專班
102
The factors that affect students’ mathematics learning achievement are hot issues. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships of mathematics homework, attitudes toward mathematics learning and mathematics learning achievement. This study used the data taken from eighth grade Taiwanese students in TIMSS 2011. Statistical methods used include Descriptive statistics, Factor Analysis, Analysis of Association, Independent sample t-test and One-Way ANOVA. Then the results showed that there are indeed statistical relations among mathematics homework, attitudes toward mathematics learning and mathematics learning achievement. Further, the analysis of the regression model showed that confidence in mathematics, affection toward mathematics, education levels of learner’s mother and the amount of homework are important explanatory variables for influencing mathematics learning achievement.

The present study examined fifth and eighth grade students' math related-attitudes and perceptions which potentially influence the frequency of math homework completion. Students' attitudes and perceptions were divided into three major categories: Teacher-Related Components (encouraging teacher and evaluative teacher); Student-Related Components (Mastery Orientation consisted of an incremental view of ability, student learning orientation, and utility value; Ego Orientation consisted of an entity view of ability, student performance orientation, and anxiety; the third factor was Self-Efficacy); and Environment-Related Components (time spent on math homework, homework environment, and time spent in competing activities). A questionnaire was developed specifically for this study and completed to 83 fifth graders and 106 eighth graders in the greater New Orleans area The results indicated that when students completed more homework assignments, they earned higher grades, particularly if they adopted an ego orientation. Both encouraging teachers and evaluative teachers fostered mastery orientation in the students and positive feelings of self-efficacy. Students who indicated adopting a mastery orientation reported awareness of increased time needed to do math homework and a homework environment conducive to studying. Further, adoption of a mastery orientation fostered an increased sense of self-efficacy, whereas adoption of an ego orientation fostered a decreased sense of self-efficacy
acase@tulane.edu

This thesis engages in the theme of pupil's home preparation for basic school. Finding the pupils', parents' and teachers' attitudes to homework is the purpose of this thesis. The theoretical part of the thesis is focused on relationship between the family and the school, especially parents' involvement in this problem. Hereafter we occupy with home preparation as organize form of teaching. We describe types and forms of homework. The empirical part we address the attitudes of pupils, attitudes of parents and attitudes of children to homework. The main research questions are importance, types, forms, individualization, reviews, failure of homework. Further we are interested in these attitudes on the first and second grade at the basic school. The research is qualitative-quantitative composed. We pursue to the theme from the point of parents and pupils in qualitative part, the teachers in quantitative part. For this research we used questionnaire and semi-structured interview. It is the form of mixed design.

The importance of a collaborative engagement between parents and teachers in order to enhance learning in the classroom is so great that the two parties seem inseparable. In this study the teachers indicated that they need the assistance of the parents of the learners whom they teach for them to do well. On the other hand, the parents are also keen to lend a helping hand, since it is the future of their children which is at stake. The challenge that emerges from this situation is that, more often, there is a breakdown in communication. The teachers and parents blame each other, especially when the learners do not perform well at the end of a year. The teachers will say the parents did not do anything to help their children with their schoolwork, while the parents will insist that the teachers failed to do their work. It is of utmost importance to stop the blame-game, but rather to seek ways in which both groups can help the learners to do well in the classroom. The teachers need to inform the parents how they (the teachers) expect them to play their part in helping their learners with their schoolwork. Informing parents about their roles and how they may play them is very important, because then the parents will be able to meet the teachers’ expectations, whereby teaching and learning will be facilitated. The ultimate beneficiaries will be the learners, because they will receive education which is well-coordinated by both the teachers and the parents. The collaboration between teachers and the parents will be guided because the kind of parental involvement will be an informed one. The engagement between teachers and parents will yield good results, because in the process they will help each other to find strategies that will assist the learners in the classroom. This study intends to ascertain from the teachers how they expect the parents to help their children with their schoolwork. It seeks to establish what the teachers’ perceptions are regarding parental involvement, that is, what they think it is, and how they think it should be. Two teachers from two primary schools in the Mogalakwena District of Limpopo Province were used in order to collect the data. These teachers clearly indicated that, indeed, the parents can be of great help, because they can touch some aspects that the teachers cannot reach in the lives of the learners. x They, however, also suggested ways in which the parents are supposed to help their children with schoolwork. The study also explored ways how the roles that the parents must play are communicated to the parents. The researcher’s aim was to explore the teachers’ expectations of parental involvement, and also possible ways in which it can be communicated to the parents.Recommendations were made to the policymakers to refer to when they draw up policies for the governance of schools.
Curriculum and Instructional Studies
M. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

This study investigated the relationships between diverse variables and secondary school pupils' Mathematics achievement. It also dealt with the relative contribution of each variable to Mathematics achievement and the significance of differences in Mathematics achievements when pupils' gender and home background as well as teachers' experience, gender, education, in-service education, homework assignment and testing frequency are taken into account. A questionnaire was administered on 163 standard 8 pupils. I The most important findings of this study were: {1) There was a significant relationship between pupil variables and Mathematics achievement. (2) Pupil variables, particularly self-concept, contributed significantly towards the variance in Mathematics achievement. (3) Pupils who wrote tests often (more than once per term) achieved significantly less than students who wrote tests less often
Psychology of Education
M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)