The experiences of classroom teachers on the homework process in teaching mathematics: An interpretative phenomenological analysis
Yusuf Ergen 1 * , Mehmet Emin Durmuş 2
More Detail
1 Kahramanmaraş Sütçü İmam University, Faculty of Education, Turkey
2 Martyr İlhami Koçak Primary School, Erzurum, Turkey
* Corresponding Author

Abstract

This phenomenological study aimed to explore a group of classroom teachers’ experiences with homework assignment in teaching mathematics.  The participants of the study were 27 classroom teachers who were selected using the criterion-based sampling technique. The research data were collected with a semi-structured interview form developed by the researchers and subjected to interpretive phenomenological analysis. The results showed that the teachers plan the homework they would assign the evening before the class and use resources available on the internet while planning it. It was also revealed that they assign mathematics homework for various purposes such as ensuring comprehension of the subjects, knowledge retention and use of the learned subjects in daily life. They reported that they check and provide feedback on the assigned homework during the classes that the assigned homework is sometimes done by the family members of the students and that both preparing and checking the homework take an extensive amount of time. As a solution to these problems, they suggested communicating and negotiating with the parents, getting support from school counselors and reducing the number of the themes in the primary mathematics curriculum.

Keywords

References

  • Abdelfattah, F. & Lam, J. (2018). Linking homework to achievement in mathematics: An examination of 8th grade Arab participation in TIMSS 2015. International Journal of Instruction, 11(4), 607-624.
  • Akbaba, A., & Tüzemen, M. (2015). İlkokul 1, 2 ve 3. sınıflarda ödev vermenin pedagojik boyutunun ilgili öğretmen görüşlerine göre değerlendirilmesi [Evaluating the pedagogical aspect of giving assignment in primary school 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades based on teachers’ views]. The Journal of Academic Social Science Studies, 32, 119-138.
  • Albelbisi, N. A. & Yusop, F. D. (2018). Secondary school students' use of and attitudes toward online mathematics homework. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology-TOJET, 17(1), 144-153.
  • Arıkan, Y. D. & Altun, E. (2007). A research on preschool and primary student-teachers’ use of online homework sites. Elementary Education Online, 6(3), 366-376.
  • Aytuna, H. A. (1998). Orta dereceli okullarda öğretmenlik ve problemleri [Teaching and problems in secondary schools]. MoNE Publications.
  • Babadoğan, C. (1990). Ev ödevlerinin eğitim programı içindeki yeri [The place of homework in the education program]. Ankara University Journal of Edeucational Sciences, 23(2), 745-767. https://doi.org/10.1501/Egifak_0000000783
  • Baki, A. (2019). Matematiği öğretme bilgisi (2. baskı) [Knowledge of teaching mathematics (2nd ed.)]. Pegem.
  • Baumgartner, D., Bryan, T., Donahue, M. & Nelson, C. (1993). Thanks for asking: parent comments about homework, tests, and grades, Exceptionality, 4(3), 177-185. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327035ex0403_3
  • Baykul, Y. (2003). İlköğretimde matematik öğretimi 1-5 sınıflar için [Teaching mathematics in primary education for grades 1-5]. Pegem.
  • Baynazoğlu, L. (2019). Sınıf öğretmenlerinin ev ödevleri hakkındaki görüşlerinin incelenmesi [Investigation of classroom teachers' opinions on homework]. Milli Eğitim Dergisi, 48(221), 51-71.
  • Binbaşıoğlu, C. (1994). Genel öğretim bilgisi [General teaching knowledge]. Kadıoğlu Printing House.
  • Brock, C. H., Lapp, D., Flood, J., Fisher, D., & Han, K. T. (2007). Does homework matter? An investigation of teacher perceptions about homework practices for children from nondominant backgrounds. Urban Educations, 42(4), 349-372. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0042085907304277
  • Buyukalan, S. F. & Altinay, Y. B. (2018). Views of primary teachers about homework (A qualitative analysis). Journal of Education and Training Studies, 6(9), 152-162. https://doi.org/10.11114/jets.v6i9.3382
  • Büyüktokatlı, N. (2009). Examining Teachers' Views on Homework Practices in Primary Education [Unpublished master's thesis]. Selçuk University, Turkey.
  • Canter, L. & Hausner, L. (1995). Devoirs sans larmes, Guide à l’intention de parents pour motiver les enfants à faire leurs devoirs et à réussir à l’école [Homework without tears, a guide for parents to motivate kids to do homework and succeed in school]. Les éditions de la Chenelière inc. http://catalogue.cdeacf.ca/Record.htm?record=19295730124910139129
  • Chandra, V. & Fisher, D. I. (2009). Students’ perceptions of a blended web-based learning environment. Learning Environment Research, 12, 31-44. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-008-9051-6
  • Chouinard, R., Archambault, J. & Rheault, A. (2006). Les devoirs, corvée inutile ou élément essentiel de la réussite scolaire? [Homework, an unnecessary chore or an essential element of academic success?]. Revue des sciences del'éducation,32(2), 307-324. https://doi.org/10.7202/014410ar
  • Cooper, H. (1989). Synthesis of research on homework. Educational Leadership, 11, 85-91.
  • Cooper, H. (2001). Homework for all - In moderation. Educational Leadership, 58(7), 34-39.
  • Cooper, H., Lindsay, J. J., & Nye, B. (2000). Homework in the home: How student, family, and parenting-style differences relate to the homework process. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25, 464-487. https://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.1999.1036
  • Cooper, H., Robinson, J. & Patall, E. (2006). Does homework improve academic achievement? A synthesis of research, 1987–2003. Review of Educational Research, 76, 1–62. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3700582
  • Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative research methods. Qualitative research and research design according to five approaches (M. Bütün & S. B. Demir, Trans.). Siyasal. (Orginal work published 2002)
  • Çelik, S. & Aktürk, Z. (2009). An attempt to increase student performance in a classical classroom setting: Effects of seating arrangement and doing homeworks. Journal of National Education, 39(184), 37-43.
  • Dağ, E. (2012). Evaluating the homework of math lesson for fifth class students using web environments and researching the effectiveness of these environments on students, Education Sciences, 7(1), 466-475.
  • Davidovitch, N. & Yavich, R. (2017). Views of students, parents, and teachers on homework in elementary school. International Education Studies, 10(10), 90-108.
  • Doğanay, A. , Türkoğlu, A., & Yıldırım, A. (2009). Okulda başarı için ders çalışma ve öğrenme yöntemleri [Study and learning methods for success in school]. Seçkin.
  • Duru, S. & Çöğmen, S. (2017). Views of primary and secondary school students and their parents on homework. Elementary Education, 16(1), 354-365.
  • Department of Education, Research and Development (2011). İlköğretim okullarındaki (1-5) ödev uygulamalarının değerlendirilmesi araştırması [Research on the evaluation of homework applications in primary schools (1-5)]. Ministry of Education. https://www.meb.gov.tr/earged/earged/ilk_ok_odev_uyg_deg.pdf.
  • Emaikwu, S.O. (2011). Fundamentals of research methods and statistics. Selfers Academic Press.
  • Epstein, J. L. (1983). Homework practices, achievements and behaviors of elementary. ELT Journal, 27(5) 138-143.
  • Ersoy, A. & Anagün, Ş. S. (2009). Elementary teachers’ views about homework process in science and technology course. Necatibey Faculty of Education Electronic Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 3(1), 58-79.
  • Ersoy, A. F. (2016). Fenomenoloji [Phenomenology]. In A. Saban & A. Ersoy (Eds.), Eğitimde nitel araştırma desenleri [Qualitative research patterns in education] (pp. 51-109). Anı.
  • Fan, H., Xu, J., Cai, Z., He, J., & Fan, X. (2017). Homework and students' achievement in math and science: A 30-year meta-analysis, 1986–2015. Educational Research Review, 20, 35-54.
  • Fernández-Alonso, R., Suárez-Álvarez, J. & Muñiz, J. (2015). Adolescents’ homework performance in mathematics and science: personal factors and teaching practices. Journal of Educational Pstchology, 107(4), 1075-1085. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000032
  • Goetz, T., Nett, U. E., Martiny, S. E., Hall, N. C., Pekrun, R., Dettmers, S., & Trautwein, U. (2012). Students' emotions during homework: Structures, self-concept antecedents, and achievement outcomes. Learning and Individual Differences, 22(2), 225-234. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2011.04.006
  • Güneş, F. (2014). Homework discussions in education. Bartın University Journal of Education Faculty, 3(2), 1-25.
  • Güven, U. & Akçay, A. O. (2019). Trends of homework in mathematics: comparative research based on timss study. International Journal of Instruction, 12(1), 1367-1382.
  • Holdener, J. A., & Jones, B. D. (2018). Calculus homework: a storied approach. Problems, Resources, and Issues in Mathematics Undergraduate Studies, 29(1), 21-42. https://doi.org/10.1080/10511970.2017.1394946
  • İflazoğlu, A. & Hizmetçi, S. (2006, April). İlköğretim birinci kademe sınıf öğretmenlerinin ev ödevleri hakkındaki görüşlerine ilişkin nitel bir çalışma örneği [A qualitative study example of primary school first grade teachers' opinions on homework] [Paper presentation]. National Classroom Teaching Congress, Ankara, Turkey. https://www.pegem.net/Akademi/sempozyumbildiri_detay.aspx?id=8848
  • Jerrim, J., Lopez-Agudo, L. A. & Marcenaro-Gutierrez, O. D. (2019). The relationship between homework and the academic progress of children in Spain during compulsory elementary education: A twin fixed-effects approach. British Educational Research Journal, 45(5), 1021-1049. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3549
  • Johnson, J. K. & Pontius, A. (1989). Homework: A survey of teacher beliefs and practices. Research in Education, 41, 71-78. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F003452378904100108
  • Jong, R., Westerhof, K. J. & Creemers, B. P. M. (2000). Homework and student math achievement in junior high schools. Educational Research and Evaluation, 6, 130–157. https://doi.org/10.1076/1380-3611(200006)6:2;1-E;F130
  • Kabapınar, Y., & Yılmaz, D. (2020, March). Öğretmen adaylarinin matematik ile imtihanı: Bir türlü ısınamadım sana x,y,z [Pre-service teachers' testing with mathematics: I couldn't get to know you x, y, z] [Oral presentation]. FSMVU-ERC2020 Educational Research Congress, İstanbul, Turkey. https://eak2020.fsm.edu.tr/
  • Kapıkıran, Ş., & Kıran, H. (1999). The effect of the homework on the students’ academic success. Pamukkale University Journal of Education, 5, 54-60.
  • Kaplan, G. (2018). Opinions of students, teachers and parents about mathematics homework given to secondary school students [Unpublished master's thesis]. Hacettepe University,Turkey.
  • Kurt, U. & Tas, Y. (2019). Prediction of students' strategies for doing science homework by parental support and students' goal orientation. Pegem Journal of Education and Instruction, 9(2), 585-604.
  • Kütükte, Z. (2010). Primary school teachers' perceptions, views and applications about performance and project assignments [Unpublished master's thesis]. Gaziosmanpaşa University, Turkey.
  • Landry-Cuerrier, J. & Migneault, M. L. (2009). L’école, la famille et les devoirs [School, family and homework]. Vie Pédagogique, 151, 97. https://periscope-r.quebec/sites/default/files/full-text/numero_151.pdf#page=97
  • Laud, L. & Patel, P. (2013). Getting started with formative assessment. In C. C. Collins. Using formative assessment to differentiate middle school literacy instruction (pp.1-17). Corwin.
  • Lopez, K. A., & Willis, D. G. (2004). Descriptive versus interpretive phenomenology: Their contributions to nursing knowledge. Qualitative Health Research, 14(5), 726-735.
  • Mcmullen, S. (2007). The impact of homework time on academic achievement. http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.529.2879&rep=rep1&type=pdf
  • Medwell, J. & Wray, D. (2019). Primary homework in England: The beliefs and practices of teachers in primary schools. International Journal of Primary, Elementary and Early Years Education, 47(2), 191-204. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2017.1421999
  • Murphy, R., Roschelle, J., Feng, M., & Mason, C. A. (2020). Investigating efficacy, moderators and mediators for an online mathematics homework intervention. Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness, 13(2), 235-270. https://doi.org/10.1080/19345747.2019.1710885
  • Núñez, J. C., Suárez, N., Rosário, P., Vallejo, G., Cerezo, R., & Valle, A. (2015). Teachers’ feedback on homework, homework-related behaviors, and academic achievement. The Journal of Educational Research, 108(3), 204-216. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2013.878298
  • Ok, M. & Çalışkan, M. (2019). Homework: opinions of teachers, students and parents. OPUS International Journal of Society Studies, 11(18), 594-620. https://doi.org/10.26466/opus.544599
  • Özer, B. & Öcal, S. (2013). The evaluation of the applications and opinions of classroom teachers for homeworks. International Journal of Turkish Literature, Culture and Education, 2(1), 133-149.
  • Patall, E. A., Cooper, H., & Robinson, J. C. (2008). Parent involvement in homework: A research synthesis. Review of Educational Research, 78(4), 1039-1101.
  • Patton, M. Q. (2018). Qalitative research & evaluation methods (M. Bütün & S. B. Demir, Trans.). Sage. (Orginal work published 2002). https://www.doi.org/10.14527/9786053649335
  • Rosário, P., Cunha, J., Nunes, A. R., Moreira, T., Núñez, J. C., & Xu, J. (2019). “Did you do your homework?” Mathematics teachers’ homework follow-up practices at middle school level. Psychology in the Schools, 56(1), 92-108. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.22198
  • Rosário, P., Núñez, J. C., Vallejo, G., Cunha, J., Nunes, T., Mourão, R., & Pinto, R. (2015). Does homework design matter? The role of homework's purpose in student mathematics achievement. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 43, 10-24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2015.08.001.
  • Rowell, L. L. & Hong, E. (2002). The role of school counselors in homework intervention. Professional School Counseling, 5(4), 285.
  • Sart, G. (2015). Fenomenoloji ve yorumlayıcı fenomenolojik analiz [Phenomenology and interpretive phenomenological analysis]. In F. N. Seggie & F. Bayyurt (Eds.), Nitel araştırma yöntem, teknik, analiz ve yaklaşımları [Qualitative research methods, techniques, analysis and approaches] (pp. 70 – 81). Anı.
  • Schumm, J. S. (2005). How to help your child with homework: the complete guide to encouraging good study habits and ending the homework wars. Free Spirit Publishing.
  • Scott-Jones, D. (1995). Parent-child interactions and school achievement. In B. A. Ryan, G. R. Adams, T. P. Gullotta, R. P. Weissberg & R. L. Hampton (Eds.), The family-school connection: Theory, research, and practice 2 ( pp. 75-107). Sage.
  • Serhan, D. & Almeqdadi, F. (2020). Students' perceptions of using mymathlab and webassign in mathematics classroom. International Journal of Technology in Education and Science, 4(1), 12-17.
  • Silinskas, G. & Kikas, E. (2017). Parental involvement in math homework: Links to children’s performance and motivation. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 63(1), 17-37. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00313831.2017.1324901
  • Silinskas, G. & Kikas, E. (2019). Math homework: Parental help and children’s academic outcomes. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 59, 101784. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2019.101784
  • Singh, P., Sidhu, G.K., & Chan, Y.F. (2013). Malaysian parents' practices and perspectives on the organization of school homework. Pertanika Journal of Social Science and Humanities, 21, 1019-1037.
  • Smith, J. A., Jarman, M., & Osborn, M. (1999). Doing interpretative phenomenological analysis. In M. Murray & K. Chamberlain (Eds.), Qualitative health psychology: Theories and Methods (pp. 218–240). Sage.
  • Smith, J., Flowers, P., & Larkin, M. (2013). Interpretative phenomenological analysis. Theory, method and research (2nd ed.). Sage.
  • Sousa, P., Dias, P. C. & Cadime, I. (2017). Predictors of primary school teachers’ knowledge about developmental dyscalculia. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 32(2), 204-220. https://doi.org/10.1080/08856257.2016.1216635
  • Stone, A. (2014). Online assessment: what influences students to engage with feedback? The clinical teacher, 11(4), 284-289. https://doi.org/10.1111/tct.12158
  • Taş, Y., Sungur-Vural, S., & Öztekin C. (2014). A study of science teachers’ homework practices. Research in Education, 91, 45-64. https://doi.org/10.7227%2FRIE.91.1.5
  • Tertemiz, I.N. (1991). Ödevin başarıya etkisi [The effect of homework on success]. Education and Science, 81, 33-45.
  • Trautwein, U. (2007). The homework-achievement relation reconsidered: Differentiating homework time, homework frequency, and homework effort. Learning and Instruction, 17, 372–388. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2007.02.009
  • Turanlı, A. S. (2009). Teachers' opinions about homework : A qualitative study on contextual factors. Çukurova University Journal of Education Faculty, 37(3), 129-143.
  • Van Voorhis, F. L. (2004). Reflecting on the homework ritual: Assignments and designs. Theory Into Practice, 43(3), 205-212. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip4303_6
  • Vatterott, C. (2010). Five hallmarks of good homework. Educational Leadership, 68(1), 10-15.
  • Voinea, M. & Purcaru, M. (2015), Individual learning plan in teaching mathematics for children with sen – a constructivist approach. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 187, 190 – 195.
  • Ward, E. L. (2019). Homework at the board: shifting feedback and responsibility. Problems, Resources, and Issues in Mathematics Undergraduate Studies (PRIMUS), 30(2), 230-242. https://doi.org/10.1080/10511970.2018.1542418
  • Xu, J., Yuan, R., Xu, B., & Xu, M. (2014). Modeling students' time management in math homework. Learning and Individual Differences, 34, 33-42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2014.05.011
  • Yıldırım, O., Erdogan, T., & Ciğdem, H. (2017). The investigation of the usability of web-based assignment system. Theory and Practice in Educational Sciences, 13(1), 1-9.
  • Yuniarti, Y., Kusumah, Y. S., Suryadi, D., & Kartasasmita, B. G. (2017). The effectiveness of open-ended problems based analytic-synthetic learning on the mathematical creative thinking ability of pre-service elementary school teachers. International Electronic Journal of Mathematics Education, 12(3), 655-666.

License

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.