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ERIC Number: ED500837
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2008-May
Pages: 71
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Increasing Homework Completion of Middle School Students by Using Parental Involvement Strategies and Establishing Routines
Haas, Rebecca; Reiley, Kimberly
Online Submission
The purpose of this action research project report was to increase the homework completion rate of middle school students through the use of interventions. The participants in this study came from one public middle school. The participants were thirty-four 6th grade students in language arts, respectively. The intervention took place from September 10, 2007 through November 20, 2007. The targeted students at one public middle school in northwestern Illinois exhibited low levels of homework completion. The teacher researchers surveyed teachers, parents, and students, in addition to completing teacher observation checklists for each of the targeted students. The teacher survey asked questions pertaining to students turning in homework, and receiving consequences for not doing so. The parent survey revealed that students do not bring homework assignments home but do ask for assistance when needed. The student survey indicated that parents helped their child with their homework assignments less than half the time (zero to three days a week). Also, students indicated that they fill out their planners most of the time (four to five days a week). The teacher observation checklists showed that incomplete homework assignments were a significant problem for the targeted students. One of the interventions that was chosen to implement was positive reinforcement through the Gotcha system. This intervention has been referred to as a way for students to receive positive feedback, as well as a way to motivate students to increase their rate of homework completion. Another intervention chosen to use included increasing parental involvement in the completion of student homework through the use of daily homework planners. This intervention has been used as a strategy that has led to increased parental involvement, and an increase in the homework completion rate (Bryan & Burstein, 2004, Teacher). This intervention involved students writing assignments in their homework planners daily and taking the planners home to have them signed by their parents. By doing this students and parents were establishing a homework completion routine. The teacher researchers found that the use of Gotcha's and student planners seemed to positively effect the parent involvement rate. However, the percentage of incomplete assignments increased by seven percent. The teacher researchers also found that fewer students asked their parents for help with their homework. The teacher researchers believe that the use of planners helped students to organize their homework, and made parents more aware of homework assignments. Six appendixes are included: (1) Student Survey; (2) Parent Survey; (3) Teacher Survey; (4) Teacher observation Log; (5) Sample of Gotcha; and (6) Homework Planner. (Contains 2 tables and 22 graphs.) [Master of Arts Action Research Project, Field-Based Master's Program, Saint Xavier University & Pearson Achievement Solutions, Inc.]
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Grade 6; Middle Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A