C.

Ross Capstone B

Capstone Project:

Capstone B

Cassondra M. Ross 6212

Reeths-Puffer School District

Reeths-Puffer High School

August, 2010
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Abstract
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Introduction

I have always been concerned about students not completing their homework and how

this might affect their mastery of the material and thus their final grades in the course. This year,

my concern has grown tremendously as the homework completion rates of my students are

plummeting. My question for the year has become what can I do to motivate students to do their

homework? This research project developed from that question and my concern.

This study will take place at Reeths-Puffer High School located in a conservative

community with a wide range of socioeconomic status and race. According to the Teacher

Cancellation Low Income Directory (2009) distributed by the United States Department of

Education, Reeths-Puffer High School qualifies as a Low Income School for teacher loan

cancellation benefits. This designation is based on a high concentration of low-income families.

The students involved with this study are juniors and seniors in Algebra 2 and Basic Chemistry

courses. For these students, these courses are either required as part of Michigan’s Merit Exam

Curriculum or for graduation credits. Both the math and the science classes have been designed

for the student who is at-risk for failure. Approximately 37% of the students receive special

education services via an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and many come from low-income

families and/or split homes.

For many of my students, these two courses have no value except that they are a

graduation requirement. So, I am assuming that no matter what I try, I will fail because the

students do not care about these courses. To them, these classes are merely something another

adult has told them they need to do. I want my students to be successful and graduate regardless

of how the feel about these courses. Algebra 2 and Basic Chemistry are both difficult courses
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and many of these students in this study would have not chosen to take these courses on their

own. Therefore, I incorporate homework time into class time and I am a firm believer that

homework is for practice and should not be graded for right or wrong. So, I fear that this "bias"

will unwittingly influence my research. I am already expecting failure with this intervention

because I do not grade homework now and the students are not turning it in. To combat this bias,

I will be starting the study in a new marking period with a clean slate for the students. I will also

continue to encourage the students to do their homework regardless of previous completion rates.

The purpose of my study will be to describe the effects of not grading homework,

homework quizzes, and collecting homework weekly (or at the end of a unit) on homework

completion and the effect of homework completion on overall academic achievement. This study

will be conducted from April 2010 to May 2010. Before the start of the study, proper permission

was granted by the school administration, consent and assent was granted by the student

participants and their parents.

Review of Literature

Axelrod, M., Zhe, E., Haugen, K., & Klein, J. (2009). Self-management of on-task homework
behavior: A promising strategy for adolescents with attention and behavior problems.
School Psychology Review, 38(3), 325-333.
This article starts by supporting my thoughts that students feel that homework has no

value and is simply assigned in order to give them something to do. The authors also discuss how

parent involvement can only help as much as the parents are involved. The more the parents are

involved, the more help the students will receive. In developing relationships with my students, I

have learned that many parents are not involved. Leaving the parents out puts more emphasis on

strategies that can be used by the student. These authors present self-regulation and self-

monitoring ideas that could be used at home but that I think I could use in the classroom. Two of
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the researcher's strategies include a central work location with no outside distractions and

observations of on-task behavior.

Butts, P. (2009). Frequent absences? Help students keep up, not drop out. Kappa Delta Pi
Record, 45(4), 163-165.
With at-risk students, absenteeism is an issue that affects homework completion. This

article addresses several proactive strategies for assisting absent students with homework

completions. These strategies include giving students frequent, itemized progress reports, using

online lesson plans and grade books, providing make-up folders (one for each day), and

displaying homework calendars. It lists the pros and cons of each strategy and how the teacher is

involved with each strategy. I use all but one strategy listed. This article did not challenge my

ideas, rather it provided support for some of what I am already doing in the classroom and will

continue to do through this project.

Chedzoy, S. M., & Burden, R. L. (2007). Marking time or moving on: student perceptions of
school life in year 8 and their attributions for their success and failure in learning.
Research in Education, 77, 31-45.
This study was completed to seek out answers to several questions related to students’

changing perceptions of school. Some of those questions include: Do they still enjoy secondary

school after the excitement of a new school has work off? Do they still enjoy the classes they

thought they would? What are their feelings about homework? Is it helpful to their learning?

How can the usefulness of homework be improved? It was these last questions regarding

homework that drew me to this study.

The results of this study suggest that the majority of the students held negative views of

homework with only a small portion finding that the homework was helpful to their learning.

Some of the suggestions for making homework more useful include: having less each night,
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spacing it out, making it more interesting, linking it more closely to lessons, and giving it only if

it will be graded with feedback. The final suggestion aligns with my thoughts that homework

should be graded (credit/ no credit or a letter grade).

Cooper, H. (2007). The battle over homework: Common ground for administrators, teachers,
and parents. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
The Battle Over Homework is broken down into six chapters that summarize recent

studies on the topic of homework. The first chapter provides a definition of homework and

possible positive and negative effects of homework. Chapter two provides summaries of research

on the effectiveness of homework. The third chapter describes strategies for how to vary

homework in order to influence its effectiveness. This chapter is followed by one that looks at

how families influence the homework process. Chapter five describes homework policy

guidelines based on recommendations by government agencies, educational organizations, and

schools. The final chapter offers tips for parents and teachers to help ensure the effective and

efficient completion of homework.

One interesting aspect of this book was the author’s description of the historical cycle of

the importance of homework. Cooper describes homework as important in the early twentieth

century, losing its importance around 1940, and then gaining its importance again in the 1950s

when the Russians launched Sputnik. Cooper continues to describe the importance of homework

as an up-and-down cycle that is now at a level of low importance due to our nation’s emphasis

on the stress that is causes students.

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Cooper, H., Civey Robinson, J., & Patall, E. A. (2006). Does homework improve academic
achievement? A synthesis of research, 1987-2003. Review of Educational Research,
76(1), 1-62.
This article reviewed and summarized research (from 1987-2003) on the effects of

homework. In their overview, the authors state that “whatever impact homework might have on

achievement varies from student to student; depending on how much each student is assigned or

complete” (p. 2-3).

Research suggests that homework has positive effects and negative effects. The positive

effects include: “(a) immediate achievement and learning, (b) long-term academic; (c) non-

academic; and, (d) parental and family benefits” (p. 6). The negative effects include loss of

interest in school, denial of ‘play time’, pressure from parents, cheating, and increased

differences between high- and low-achieving students. Until I read this article, I had not thought

about how homework could increase differences among high- and low-achieving students.

However, the idea makes sense. Most high-achieving students have help at home. If you do not

have support at home for homework, what motivates you to complete it? Knowing that I have

many students from low-socioeconomic homes, I do provide as much in-class time as possible to

complete work.

Cooper, J. E., Horn, S., & Strahan, D. B. (2005). "If only they would do their homework:”
Promoting self-regulation in high school english classes. The High School Journal, 88(3),
10-25.
This study examined ways that several high school English teachers attempted to promote

higher levels of student self-regulation based on an intervention designed to improve the quality

of their assignments. This study suggests that, “students perform better when they take more

responsibility for their work and when assignments are more challenging” (p. 10).
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To begin their study, the researchers reviewed other studies on student motivation.

During their review of this research, they discovered that students self-regulate when they set

goals for themselves and those who do self-regulate are intrinsically motivated to do so. Students

who self-regulate are usually interested in the subject, prepared for class, and participate in class.

They also discovered that teachers have an active role in helping students self-regulate by

teaching and modeling self-regulation skills. Teachers also help students become self-regulated

by offering interesting and challenging tasks. The authors suggest that teachers should start with

easy tasks that provide students opportunities for success and are more likely to continue with

their work.

As part of the study, the students had to complete a homework log. The researchers found

that this required the students to think about their work ethic and the quality of the work. This

could be a strategy that I might use in my action research project. The teachers involved in the

research found that they were creating better assignments because they were putting more

thought into what they were assigning.

Lynch, A., Theodore, L., Bray, M., & Kehle, T. (2009). A Comparison of group-oriented
contingencies and randomized reinforcers to improve homework completion and
accuracy for students with disabilities. School Psychology Review, 38(3), 307-324.
This study is specific to students with disabilities as are the previous two articles.

However, I have found that many of these strategies will also work for the student who is at-risk

and may not be diagnosed as having a learning disability. The authors stressed the correlation

between homework completion and overall academic achievement; those who complete

homework show an increase in overall academic achievement. The authors state that benefits of

completing homework “include developing and maintaining scholastic skills through practice

(Gajria & Salend, 1995), with the intent of becoming proficient and mastering new material (p.
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307-8). This study focused on the importance of promoting homework completion in groups

rather than individually. I plan to focus on my classes rather than individual students.

Merriman, D., & Codding, R. (2008). The effects of coaching on mathematics homework
completion and accuracy of high school students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity
disorder. Journal of Behavioral Education, 17(4), 339-355.
Another study geared towards students with a disability yet, has strategies that can be

applied to all students. The authors of this article again support the idea that homework

completion aids in overall academic achievement. The research outlined in this article was

unique to the others because it suggests a strategy of coaching the students. Coaching for the

purposes of this study included goal setting, self-monitoring and parent monitoring, and

performance feedback on homework performance and study skills. This may be a strategy that I

can implement in my action research project. I also have colleagues who think of themselves as

coaches rather than teachers and this may open up some conversations as to how this is working

for them.

Sheridan, S. (2009). Homework interventions for children with attention and learning problems:
Where is the “home” in homework?. School Psychology Review, 38(3), 334-337.
This article describes the issues related to homework keeping the student with attention

and learning problems in mind. It includes why they have issues with homework completion

including lack of adequate, quiet work space and rules not established for homework completion

at home. This has definitely helped me think about asking my students whether they have a

“homework” spot at home and/or if they have rules for completing their work.
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Simplicio, J. S. C. (2005). Homework in the 21st century: The antiquated and ineffectual
implementation of a time honored educational strategy. Education, 126(1), 138-142.
This article dives into the controversies behind homework. Proponents of homework

suggest that it is used to develop skills and reinforce knowledge. Opponents suggest that teachers

are requiring too much time be spent on tedious, repetitive, and boring homework assignments.

Simplicio lists three major problems with the practice of assigning homework: teachers are not

consistent in assigning homework, homework does not match educational goals, and because

daily schedules of students are overloaded, homework is completed quickly and the quality is

poor. To solve these problems, Simplicio suggests coordinating after school time for homework

completion. He believes that this will offer a better chance of the work getting done and that

teachers can better assess and monitor student skill levels.

Xu, J. (2005). Purposes for doing homework reported by middle and high school students. The
Journal for Educational Research, 99(1), 46-55.
This study was conducted to examine purposes for doing homework as reported by over

920 students between 5th grade and 12th grade. The purposes were broken down into intrinsic and

extrinsic reasons. This study discovered that parents and teachers shared similar views about the

purposes for homework; to reinforce school learning and develop self-regulation skills. Students

were aware that homework helped them better understand the subject but were unaware of how

what their parents felt about homework.

One important factor mentioned in this study is that “middle and high school boys in

particular need, and can benefit from, family homework involvement” (p. 54). For me, this

means that I should be in touch with the families of my male students to offer them support when

helping their student with homework or by providing after school time for their student to work

with me.
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Research Process

The purpose of my study will be to describe the effects of not grading homework,

homework quizzes, and collecting homework weekly (or at the end of a unit) on homework

completion and the effect of homework completion on overall academic achievement for

approximately one month of the final marking period.

1. What motivates students to complete their homework?

2. How does collecting homework at weekly (vs. daily) intervals or at the end of a unit

affect homework completion?

3. How does grading homework vs. giving credit affect homework completion?

To follow is the data collection matrix for my action research project. Descriptions of the

data sources, how they will work together, and how each will potentially be analyzed are below

the matrix.

Research Questions Data Source

1 2 3

1. What motivates students to Student Survey Student Interviews Teacher (peer)

complete their homework? Interviews

2. How does collecting Student Student completion Student Opinion

homework at weekly (vs. completion rates rates after change via Notes regarding
daily) intervals or at the end of before change via Pinnacle Grade Book change
a unit have an effect on Pinnacle Grade
homework completion? Book

3. How does grading Student Survey Student completion Student completion

homework vs. giving credit rates before change via rates after change via
affect homework completion? Pinnacle Grade Book Pinnacle Grade Book
and Student Opinion
Notes regarding
change
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The student survey will be one of my most valuable data collection tools. It will provide

both qualitative and quantitative data regarding what motivates students to complete homework

and how they feel about homework in general. I plan to graph or chart the quantitative data

provided on the survey and group the qualitative data by identifying common themes as

suggested by Mills (2007). The student and teacher interviews will be used to identify common

themes for what motivates students to complete their homework.

Our Pinnacle Grade Book system will provide valuable quantitative data regarding

student homework completion rates before and after each change is implemented. I can use the

data in the Grade Book to determine how many students have completed assignments on time

and their level of mastery on test objectives. I will then have to interpret the data statistically in

order to summarize it into some sort of visual display such as a bar graph or pie graph. The

display that I use will depend on which graph will display the information in the best way and

make it easiest for my audience to understand. This will help me pull the data together and

interpret trends.

I will be seeking student opinion after each change I implement during my action

research project. Often we feel a certain way before a change is made and then once the change

has been implemented we feel differently. By asking the students for their feedback, I will have

qualitative results that will help me further evaluate the results of my research.

Not one of these data sources could work alone to provide me with all of the data that I

will need for my research. The student survey, student/teacher interviews, and Grade Book data

will provide pre-research information. They will provide themes and ideas of areas where I can
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make changes. The student opinion notes and follow-up Grade Book data will provide post-

research information. These data sources will provide the outcome of my research.

It is important to define the variables in an action research plan so that there is no

confusion about the purpose of the plan (Mills, 2007). The definitions of the following variables

help clarify what it is the researcher will be studying.

• Grading homework is defined as giving a percentage (or points) based on the number of

questions with correct solutions.

• Not grading homework is defined as giving credit for the completion of the work and is

not based on accurateness.

• Homework is considered complete when all questions have been attempted and corrected

as they are reviewed in class.

• Homework quizzes are short assessments (1-5 questions) that will be given after the

homework has been corrected and questions have been answered and/or clarified. The

questions on the homework quiz will be parallel (similar) to the homework and assess the

main objectives of the assignment.

• Collecting homework weekly is defined as giving credit or a grade for homework once a

week versus the day after the homework was assigned.

• Collecting homework at the end of a unit is defined as giving credit or a grade for

homework when the test is taken for that unit.

• Overall academic achievement will be based on the mastery of the objectives on teacher-

created assessments.
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Interventions and innovations are what will be done to address the issues identified in the

action research plan (Mills, 2007). In this study my interventions are changing my current rate of

homework collection, using homework quizzes, and grading homework for accurateness. As a

result these interventions, I hypothesize that the homework completion rate of the students will

increase and that the overall academic achievement of the students for the last portion of the

marking period will improve.

I currently collect homework the day after it is assigned. As part of this project, I will

collect homework on a weekly basis or at the end of a unit. After making these changes, I will be

comparing the difference in homework completion rates for collecting homework the day after it

is assigned versus collecting homework on a weekly basis or at the end of a unit. Evidence of the

homework completion rates will be collected from grades entered into Pinnacle Grade Book.

For this project, I will use homework quizzes in my science classes. These are short

assessments (1-5 questions) that will be given after the homework has been corrected and

questions have been answered and/or clarified. The questions on the homework quiz will be

parallel (similar) to the homework and assess the main objectives of the assignment. I will be

comparing the difference in homework completion rates from before the homework quizzes to

after the homework quizzes. Evidence of the homework completion rates will be collected from

grades entered into Pinnacle Grade Book.

I currently give credit for the completion of homework. As part of my research, I will be

grading homework for accurateness. If students do not complete the homework, they will

receive a zero. If the homework is partially complete or complete, the grade they receive will be

based on the number of questions that are correct. I will be comparing the difference in
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homework completion rates from when homework was credit/no credit to when homework was

graded for accurateness. Evidence of the homework completion rates will be collected from

grades entered into Pinnacle Grade Book.

Data Analysis

The homework completion rates of my students have continued to plummet over the four

years I have been teaching. I have grown very concerned regarding how this affects their mastery

of course content. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to describe the effects of not grading

homework, homework quizzes, and collecting homework weekly (or at the end of a unit) on

homework completion and the effect of homework completion on overall academic achievement.

Data was collected using the following research questions:

1. What motivates students to complete their homework?

2. How does collecting homework at weekly (vs. daily) intervals or at the end of a unit

affect homework completion?

3. How does grading homework vs. giving credit affect homework completion?

What motivates students to complete their homework?

Three data collection tools were used in order to determine what motivates the students to

complete their homework. The students completed a survey (Appendix B), I conducted student

interviews (Appendix D), and interviewed several of my peers (Appendix E). These tools

provided both qualitative and quantitative data related to the question.

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The Student Homework Survey (Appendix B) was administered prior to making any of

the aforementioned interventions. The purpose of the survey was to determine the factors that

motivate students to complete their homework. Seventy students completed the survey and

Figure 1 summarizes the factors that influence whether or not those students complete their

homework.

Figure 1. Factors that motivate students to complete homework based on results of Student

Homework Survey (Appendix B)

The leading factor in motivating students to do their homework is because it is graded

and/or it helps determine the overall course grade with 86% of the students listing it as one of the

reasons that they complete homework. 63% of the students surveyed also stated that they

complete homework because it helps them understand the material.

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The Student Interviews (Appendix D) were completed as a follow-up to the survey.

Approximately thirty students were selected at random to determine what motivates them to do

their homework. The resounding theme presented in the interview responses related to the fact

that homework helps determine the grade in a course (P = 80%) and that is why the students

complete it. During the interviews, students also discussed the common reasons why they do not

do their homework (See Figure 2) including not understanding the material (P = 46%) or because

they do not have time due to other commitments (P = 54%) such as sports, household chores,

other homework, etc.

Figure 2. Common factors that influence why students do not complete their homework.

Twenty teachers were selected at random and asked what grading policies most

encourage students to do their homework as well as what reasons students give for not

completing their homework (see Appendix E). The teachers who were interviewed felt that

students are encouraged to complete their homework if they are given credit based on completion

(P = 80%) versus accurateness. One of the teachers (P = 5%) felt that there was no grading
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policy that would encourage the students to do their homework. He felt that the motivation

comes from within (intrinsic) versus any type of extrinsic motivation (grades, money, etc.).

Figure 3 provides a summary of the peer interview results regarding grading policies that

encourage students to complete homework.

Figure 3. Grading policies that teachers feel encourage students to complete their homework.
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The teacher interviews also confirmed that students will not complete their homework if they do

not understand it (P = 70%) and if they have other things to do (P = 20%). Figure 4 shows the

main reasons students have given for not completing homework.

Figure 4. Reasons given to teachers for not completing homework.

In summary, students are motivated to complete homework because it is graded and/or it

helps determine their overall grade in the course. They also complete homework because it helps

them understand the material which will affect their overall grade in class. While most students

understand the value of homework, they will not complete it if they do not understand it and if

they do not have time. Many students will attempt the work even if they do not understand it but

will not complete it because no one at home can help with the questions they may have.

After determining what motivates the students to complete their homework, two changes

were made to my original homework policy of collecting homework the next day and grading it
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based on completion rather than accurateness. The next two sections of data analysis relate to

these changes.

How does collecting homework at weekly (vs. daily) intervals or at the end of a unit

affect homework completion?

To answer this research question, quantitative data regarding homework completion rates

was collected from our electronic grade book and tabulated in the Student Completion Rate

Chart (Appendix C). The students also gave their opinions regarding this intervention on a

Student Opinion Sheet (Appendix F) that was administered after the changes were made.

Homework was collected at weekly intervals or at the end of a unit for the science classes.

Prior to making any interventions, an average of 66% of the homework assignments

graded were completed and turned in on time. Approximately 27% of the assignments were not

turned in or they were incomplete. The remaining 7% of the homework assignments were turned

in late. Figure 5 shows homework completion rates by class hour for the affected classes.
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Figure 5. Homework completion rates, by hour, prior to interventions (based on data from

Pinnacle grade book).

The data is from Basic Chemistry classes that were designed so that the students were able to

complete most of their homework in class.

When homework collection was delayed and/or homework was collected at the end of a

unit, homework completion increased to an average of 83%. Table 1 shows a comparison of

homework completion rates before and after the collection of homework was delayed. The rate

of homework completion increased by an average of 17%.

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Table 1

Comparison of Homework Completion Rates Prior to and After Intervention

Class Prior to Intervention Post Intervention Percent Change

4th Hour 61% 90% 29%
5th Hour 68% 84% 16%
th
6 Hour 68% 74% 6%

Note. For the post intervention data, late work was not accepted.

According to the Student Opinion Sheets (Appendix F), approximately one-third of the

students preferred the delayed homework collection and/or unit packs because it allowed them to

work at their own pace and because they had more time to work and ask questions. There were a

few students (5 out of 60) who noted that the extended time did not do anything to motivate them

to complete their homework; rather they waited until the last minute to get the work done.

Several students (P = 23%) noted that none of the changes motivated them to do their

homework. One student also noted that she was concern over the increased possibility for lost

material. She did her work on time but could not turn her unit pack in early and was afraid she

would lose it. Table 2 provides a summary of some of the comments made by the students on the

Student Opinion Sheets.

Table 2
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Student Responses Regarding Interventions – Reported as Number of Responses Out of 60

Preferred Grading for Accurateness 5

Preferred Credit/No Credit 7
Preferred Delayed Collection 20
Did Not Mind Homework Quizzes 20
Changes Did Not Motivate Me 14
Changes Motivated Me 16

As a result of this research, I have determined that delayed homework collection and/or

unit packs are a strategy that is much preferred by the students and homework completion rates

were dramatically affected by this intervention. In addition to delaying homework collection, I

also researched the effect of grading homework based on completion rather than accurateness.

The data analysis for this intervention is next.

How does grading homework vs. giving credit affect homework completion?

To determine the effects of grading homework for accurateness versus completion,

student preferences were determined from the Student Homework Survey (Appendix B), and

quantitative data regarding homework completion rates was collected from our electronic grade

book and tabulated in the Student Completion Rate Chart (Appendix C). This change was made

in my math classes.

The Student Homework Survey (Appendix B) was administered prior to grading

homework based on accuracy. The purpose of the survey was to determine what students prefer

when it comes to the grading of homework. Of the seventy students who completed the survey,

approximately 86% of them prefer to receive a grade for homework based on its completion

rather than accuracy. Students were also asked what their homework grading policy would be if

they could create their own. Student homework policies included the following:
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• Graded for effort (credit/no credit).

• No homework or time in class to complete.

• Homework 3 days a week.

• Two days to complete an assignment.

• Make homework optional.

• Half of the credit for doing the assignment, and the other half should be based on

accuracy.

Prior to making any interventions, an average of 60.5% of the homework assignments

graded were completed and turned in on time. Approximately 25% of the assignments were not

turned in or they were incomplete. The remaining 14.5% of the homework assignments were

turned in late. Figure 6 shows homework completion rates by class hour for the affected classes.

Figure 6. Homework completion rates, by hour, prior to grading for accurateness (based on data

from Pinnacle grade book).

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When homework was graded for accuracy and not accepted late, homework completion

increased for one hour only. Table 3 shows a comparison of homework completion rates before

and after homework was graded for accuracy and no late work was accepted.

Table 3

Comparison of Homework Completion Rates Prior to and After Intervention

Class Prior to Intervention Post Intervention Percent Change

1st Hour 60% 64% 4%
2nd Hour 61% 61% No Change

Note. For the post intervention data, late work was not accepted.

Based on this research, it appears that giving homework grades based on completeness is

slightly more effective than grading homework for accurateness with no acceptance of late work.

Students prefer receiving credit for their efforts on homework and there was essentially no

change in the rate of homework completion. The 4% increase in homework completion that

occurred in one hour may have had more to do with the fact that no late work was accepted

rather than grading the work based on accurateness; students were more motivated to do the

homework because they could not turn it in late.

In conclusion, more than half of the students involved in this study are motivated to

complete their homework because it is graded, helps determine their overall grade in a class, and

because it helps them understand the content of their classes. When they better understand the

material, they can do better on assessments and therefore do better in the class. In order to ensure

that homework is completed, teachers should make sure that the students have time to work in

class and that they understand the material that is covered by the assignment. Students feel that
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delayed homework collection offers extra time for them to ask questions and to complete

assignments that they may not have time to get done based on prior commitments. In general,

grading homework may only slightly motivate students to complete their work; they would much

prefer to receive credit based on their efforts. Not allowing students the chance to turn work in

late may motivate the students to complete their homework and should be further studied.

Together, delaying homework collection, not accepting late work, and requiring students to

complete homework quizzes seem to have the greatest effect on improving homework

completion rates.

Action Plan

I have always had the philosophy that homework should be for practice and therefore not

graded for accurateness. That is why I have always made it a policy to give credit for homework

based on completion. This study has confirmed that students much prefer to receive credit for

their efforts and when they are motivated to complete the homework, they are completing the

practice necessary to master the content in their classes. As a result of this study, I will continue

to give students credit for their efforts rather than on how well they did on the assignment.

In life we tend to avoid doing the things we do not know how to do; students feel this

way about homework. Consequently, it is extremely important that I design homework in which

the students understand both the directions and what is being assessed. This means that I must

make every effort to review and/or complete homework before it is assigned to the students. I
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must also provide time for questions when the homework is assigned and before it is reviewed.

This is critical for those students who do not have anyone at home to help them.

Students participate in extra-curricular activities, have homework for other classes, and

have responsibilities at home therefore, it is important that homework does not take a lot of time.

This can be accomplished by designing homework so that it only asks the students to complete

those questions that are essential to them understanding the course material. Also, time should be

provided in class for students to ask for help in case they have no one at home who can (or will)

answer their questions.

We have several departmental meetings throughout the school year and I plan to share

this information with the teachers in my department. The Principal of our building has

established a Professional Learning Community within our building that meets on a monthly

basis. I will share the results of this study with them as well.
 C. Ross Capstone B
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Appendix A: Data Collection Matrix

Research Questions Data Source

1 2 3

1. What motivates students to Student Survey Student Interviews Teacher (peer)

complete their homework? Interviews

2. How does collecting Student Student completion Student Opinion

homework at weekly (vs. completion rates rates after change via Notes regarding
daily) intervals or at the end of before change via Pinnacle Grade Book change
a unit have an effect on Pinnacle Grade
homework completion? Book

3. How does grading Student Survey Student completion Student completion

homework vs. giving credit rates before change via rates after change via
affect homework completion? Pinnacle Grade Book Pinnacle Grade Book
and Student Opinion
Notes regarding
change

The student survey will be one of my most valuable data collection tools. It will provide

both qualitative and quantitative data regarding what motivates students to complete homework

and how they feel about homework in general. I plan to graph or chart the quantitative data

provided on the survey and group the qualitative data by identifying common themes as

suggested by Mills (2007). The student and teacher interviews will be used to identify common

themes for what motivates students to complete their homework.

Our Pinnacle Grade Book system will provide valuable quantitative data regarding

student homework completion rates before and after each change is implemented. I can use the

data in the Grade Book to determine how many students have completed assignments on time

and their level of mastery on test objectives. I will then have to interpret the data statistically in

order to summarize it into some sort of visual display such as a bar graph or pie graph. The
C. Ross Capstone B
29
display that I use will depend on which graph will display the information in the best way and

make it easiest for my audience to understand. This will help me pull the data together and

interpret trends.

I will be seeking student opinion after each change I implement during my action

research project. Often we feel a certain way before a change is made and then once the change

has been implemented we feel differently. By asking the students for their feedback, I will have

qualitative results that will help me further evaluate the results of my research.

Not one of these data sources could work alone to provide me with all of the data that I

will need for my research. The student survey, student/teacher interviews, and Grade Book data

will provide pre-research information. They will provide themes and ideas of areas where I can

make changes. The student opinion notes and follow-up Grade Book data will provide post-

research information. These data sources will provide the outcome of my research.
C. Ross Capstone B
30

Appendix B: Student Survey

Please respond to question 1 by circling the response that most closely reflects your opinion:
strongly agree (SA), agree (A), undecided (U), disagree (D), strongly disagree (SD).
1. I believe that completing homework affects overall academic achievement and is therefore
relevant. SA A U D SD

2. I complete homework because (circle all that apply)

a. It helps me understand the material
b. It is graded
c. My parents make me
d. It helps me do better on the tests
e. Daily work is a life long skill
f. It gives me something to do
g. It helps me develop a sense of responsibility
h. It helps me learn to work independently
i. It helps me learn study skills
j. It helps me develop good discipline
k. It brings me parent approval
l. It brings me teacher approval
m. It brings me approval of my peers
n. Other? _______________________________

3. What motivates you to do homework?

4. I DO NOT complete homework because (circle all that apply)

a. It does not help me understand the material

b. It is graded
c. It is not graded
d. My parents make me
e. I do not understand it
f. I don’t have time
g. I have chores
h. My parents or siblings can’t help me
i. My parents or siblings won’t help me
j. I don’t have anyone to help me
k. My peers tease me for doing my work
l. Other? _______________________________
C. Ross Capstone B
31

5. When it comes to the grading of homework, I would MOST prefer (circle only one answer)
a. Receiving a grade based on completion of the homework, not based on accuracy
b. Receiving a grade based on accuracy
c. Not receiving a grade
d. Other? _______________________

6. How many days a week do you have homework?

a. 0 b. 1-2 c. 3-4 d. 5 or more

7. How many of those days do you actually do the homework?

a. 0 b. 1-2 c. 3-4 d. 5 or more

8. When you have homework, how many hours do you usually spend on homework?
a. Less than 1 b. 1-2 c. 3-4 d. More than 4

9. What are some strategies that teachers CURRENTLY USE to help you focus while completing your
homework?

10. What are some strategies that teachers COULD USE to help you focus while completing your
homework?

11. What are some strategies that you use at home to help you focus while completing your
work?

12. The best thing about homework is?

13. The hardest thing about homework is?

14. What I like most about homework is?

15. What I like least about homework is?

16. If you could create your own homework policy, what would it be?

Other Comments:
C. Ross Capstone B
32
Appendix C: Student Completion Rate Chart

Student Name Homework 1 Homework 2 Homework 3 Homework 4 Homework 5

E
C. Ross Capstone B
33
Appendix D: Student Interview

1. Why do you do homework?

2. Why don’t you complete homework?

3. What homework grading policies would most encourage you to do your homework?
C. Ross Capstone B
34
Appendix E: Peer Interview

1. What homework grading policies do you use that you feel most encourage students to do
their homework?

2. What reasons do students most often give for not doing homework?
C. Ross Capstone B
35
Appendix F: Student Opinion Sheets

Please comment on the following changes that were made to the homework policies for your
course:

Homework quizzes, delayed collection of homework, unit pack, grading homework for
accurateness, etc.

What did you like? What didn’t you like? Did any of the changes motivate you to do your
homework? Etc.
C. Ross Capstone B
36
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