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Investigating the factors affecting students' motivation to do online homework
Author
Hui, Keen Lon
Supervisor
Wong, Siew Koon Philip
Abstract
Homework is an essential component in school. It is a well-established pedagogical tool used to motivate students and focus their study on particularly important concepts. It is also used to provide feedback to students on their progress and help teachers evaluate student's learning. While it is widely accepted as a valuable learning tool, teachers are finding it difficult to motivate students to treat homework especially Mathematics with enthusiasm.
In my school context, the results for Mathematics are not as good as the other subjects. On one extreme, academically-strong students may find homework boring and unchallenging. On the other extreme, academically-weak students may find it laborious and torturous. The motivation (intrinsic and/or extrinsic) to do homework depends very much on the characteristics of students. Home backgrounds variables also play a part in motivating students to do homework. A good understanding of these factors will allow teachers to find a balance while setting homework for their students.
The traditional pen and paper exercises have worked well for many teachers but it is disadvantaged by the long turn-a-round time between when students submit their work and get feedback which makes it less effective. Feedback plays an important part in motivating students to learn. When students are able to receive positive feedback on their understanding of concepts as quickly as possible, it reinforces their confidence. It will lead to increasing their motivation to continue to work on more challenging exercises. It also means that less time spent in assessing leads to more time is available for teaching. Online tools available have enabled homework to be delivered electronically.
This study aims to investigate the connection between the students' characteristics as well as their home background and their motivation to do online homework. Secondly, it also attempts to assess the motivational level of these students when doing online homework. Lastly, the receptiveness of students towards web-based homework is also recorded.
Forty-two primary 5 students from a neighbourhood school in Singapore participated in the study. These students have access to internet at home to do the online homework. The core subjects - English, Mathematics and Science - were taught by one English Language teacher. The focus of the study is on Mathematics. All the students were put through a familiarisation session on how to access and navigate through the portal before embarking on their own exploration.
Both the qualitative and quantitative data collected from the study revealed that the students' characteristics and home background do influence their motivation to do online homework. The study also revealed that most students are motivated and preferred doing online homework.
In my school context, the results for Mathematics are not as good as the other subjects. On one extreme, academically-strong students may find homework boring and unchallenging. On the other extreme, academically-weak students may find it laborious and torturous. The motivation (intrinsic and/or extrinsic) to do homework depends very much on the characteristics of students. Home backgrounds variables also play a part in motivating students to do homework. A good understanding of these factors will allow teachers to find a balance while setting homework for their students.
The traditional pen and paper exercises have worked well for many teachers but it is disadvantaged by the long turn-a-round time between when students submit their work and get feedback which makes it less effective. Feedback plays an important part in motivating students to learn. When students are able to receive positive feedback on their understanding of concepts as quickly as possible, it reinforces their confidence. It will lead to increasing their motivation to continue to work on more challenging exercises. It also means that less time spent in assessing leads to more time is available for teaching. Online tools available have enabled homework to be delivered electronically.
This study aims to investigate the connection between the students' characteristics as well as their home background and their motivation to do online homework. Secondly, it also attempts to assess the motivational level of these students when doing online homework. Lastly, the receptiveness of students towards web-based homework is also recorded.
Forty-two primary 5 students from a neighbourhood school in Singapore participated in the study. These students have access to internet at home to do the online homework. The core subjects - English, Mathematics and Science - were taught by one English Language teacher. The focus of the study is on Mathematics. All the students were put through a familiarisation session on how to access and navigate through the portal before embarking on their own exploration.
Both the qualitative and quantitative data collected from the study revealed that the students' characteristics and home background do influence their motivation to do online homework. The study also revealed that most students are motivated and preferred doing online homework.
Date Issued
2002
Call Number
LB1048 Hui
Date Submitted
2002