Students' Voices Regarding Homework (Third Edition)

This book is the result of a research on students' voices and perspectives about homework. As a former teacher and administrator, I wanted to know why students do not do their homework. Here are the answers for you. In this book you will find the students, and their teachers' thoughts about homework. There are 3 trends in homework: pro homework, against homework, and homework reform. Yet, most of this research considers the adults' perspective. My interest is on the reality of how homework affects the environment at school and at home. The questionnaires and interviews educed the participants' perceptions and practices about homework. The participating students were in fifth and sixth grade. They represented English language learners, General Education, Gifted and Talented, and Special Education. The participating teachers instruct 5th and 6th grade. The results revealed the reasons why students do not complete their homework. They do not because they find it too hard, boring, or they do not understand it. The participants considered worksheets boring and hard. They expressed to like research projects because it affords flexibility and creativity. The results also suggest no difference in the students' responses from various groups. The teachers' responses revealed a disconcerting issue. We learned that 90% of them assign incomplete classwork as homework. This truth reveals a lack of training in designing homework. The results of this study are important for parents, teachers, and school administrators. It provokes social change, we should enlist students' voices in their education. It should encourage teachers and administrators to develop different homework practices. Homework that would encourage completion, grow dendrites, and student learning.