Holy Spirit Academy of Malolos

City of Malolos

SCIENCE DEPARTMENT

S.Y. 2014 -2015

ACTION RESEARCH

Homework Assignment

Revisited

Prepared by:

Mr. Ronaldo T. Cajanding

Mr. Raymond Tiongson

Ms. Agustina dela Cruz

Ms. Geneizzel Gotuato

Ms. Raina Isabel Gomez

Homework Assignment Revisited

ABSTRACT

This Action Research was designed to investigate the

behavior and attitude of the students of Holy Spirit Academy

of Malolos for the School Year 2014 – 2015 towards issues

about the giving of assignments or homework in enhancing

students learning in Science. The respondents were chosen

through cluster purposive sampling wherein the class records

of some science teachers were revisited. These identified

students who were not doing well in their homework/

assignment were recommended to answer questionnaire

essential for the realization of this research study.

Respondents’ answers were tallied, clustered, analyzed, and

interpreted through inferential statistics. The results

revealed that this issue has great appeal among the students

surveyed. The actual exposure to this study enabled them to

voice out their behavior and attitude towards homework or

assignment as well as its appropriate purpose and the

important role of parents or guardians in accomplishing it.

Likewise, they were able to suggest ways on how to

systematize the manner of giving homework or assignments.

Furthermore, it was found that the use of this tool to

create well designed homework or assignment has identified

broad purposes toward its use in the classroom. In the light

of these findings, it is recommended that this quality

assurance tool be applied by the science teachers to their

own classes in the future.

INTRODUCTION

Studies conducted showed that there are too many

problems perceived most often by the different schools and

they were given immediate action or solution. One of this is

the issues about the giving of assignments or homework. By

definition, homework constitutes the out-of-class or at-home

activities that the teachers assign to students. These

activities are an extension to schoolwork.

Homework can include practice assignments that

emphasize newly acquired skills. It can be in the form of

preparation assignments to make students ready for class

activities. Homework encourages student initiative, builds a

sense of responsibility, commitment towards schoolwork and

establishes a communication link between students, parents

and teachers.

Homework or assignment is one of the components in the

computation of grades for those who belong to the Basic

Education Curriculum BEC and its component ranges from 5% to

10% depending on the subject it will be part of. However, in

the K-12 Curriculum student performance does not specify

such factor but consider this as one of the tools or

measures for the different levels of assessment. Whatever is

appropriate, teachers, parents, and students must realized

that it shall be used primarily as a quality assurance tool

to track student progress in the attainment of standards,

promote self-reflection and personal accountability for

one’s learning and basis for profiling of students

performance.

Homework has been one of the issues for quite some time

now in teachers’ collaboration and articulation as well as

parents concern during their school visit. Some believe that

homework helps reinforce the concepts taught in school. But

others believe that the extra time those children get at

home, can be used for some co-curricular activities, thus

introducing them to new realms of life and expanding their

horizon.

Today, students have many distractions when completing

their homework and its output also gives headache to the

teachers. We need to win the battle against those, and it's

not easy! Perhaps, this action research will help us out of

this dilemma.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The main thrust of the study was to investigate the

behavior and attitude of the students towards issues about

the giving of assignments or homework in enhancing students

learning in Science.

ACTION RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Will homework or assignment as a tool in enhancing

students’ learning in Science valuable to the students of

Holy Spirit Academy of Malolos?

This paper attempted to answer specific questions such

as: 1.What makes science homework easy or difficult to do?

2. How much science homework is 'right'? 3. What makes

science homework effective and worth giving at all? 4. What

support do you get from your parents in doing science

homework at home? 5. Why do you not work on your science

homework?

RESEARCH DESIGN/ METHODS OF COLLECTING DATA

The descriptive-survey method was used in this study

and descriptive means that surveys are made in order to

discover some aspects of students’ behavior and attitude

towards homework or assignment and the word survey denotes

an investigation of a field to ascertain the typical

condition is obtaining. The researchers used teachers’ class

records, questionnaire, and interviews for this study. The

questionnaires were administered by selected students to the

respondents for them to express their answers well. Student

interviews were done informally before, during, and after

classes. Several categories affecting motivation were being

presented in the questionnaire.

RESEARCH ENVIRONMENT AND RESPONDENTS

The research was conducted at the high school

department where the teachers conducting this research were

the subjects and the students of these teachers selected

purposively in the ninth and tenth grade. The student

respondents were the researchers' own students where 10 - 15

students from each teacher were selected. Forty-five

students were used as respondents.

To measure students' behavior and attitude towards

giving and doing of homework or assignment, researchers used

questionnaires which are open-ended in nature for students'

opinion, ideas and feelings towards the research topic look

as if usual. The data that were collected from this research

helped the teachers to evaluate their perception about

giving of homework or assignment so as to improve

instruction. The results of this study could benefit

teachers, parents, and students.

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Homework continues to be a controversial topic today.

The debate over homework is an old one, with attitudes

shifting throughout the debate over the years. Proponents

and opponents make cases to support their views on the

necessity and importance of homework in the development of

the student and the construction of knowledge. Good and

Brophy (2003) indicate that many view homework as, “An

important extension of in-school opportunities to learn” (p.

393). While some proponents of homework believe in its

purpose, a question still persists about the role of

homework in determining the student’s grade. Should homework

be assigned and graded on a regular basis, or should it be

viewed as an educational means to an end? As a means to an

end, should one centralized school or district policy govern

homework, or should some flexibility exist?

Education consultant Ken O’Connor (1999) suggests eight

guidelines for successful assessment, which includes a

directive to not mark every single assignment for grades,

but rather take a sampling of student efforts in order to

assess how much they have learned. His approach pushes for a

more standards based approach in determining grades,

combining formative assessment to track students’ grasp of

lesson concepts as they learn, enabling adjustment of

teaching practice on-the-fly, and summative assessment in

the form of a test or quiz, which measures the level of

student knowledge and understanding after the learning

process. This is also a valuable tool for the teacher, as

they may be better able to gauge the efficacy of their

lessons and unit.

In a study conducted by Hill, Spencer, Alston and

Fitzgerald (1986), homework was positively linked to student

achievement. They indicate that homework is an inexpensive

method of improving student academic preparation without

increasing staff or modifying curriculum. “So, as the

pressure to improve test scores continues to increase, so

does the emphasis on homework” (p. 58). 142 school systems

in North Carolina were contacted. Of the initial 142

schools, 96 responded, and were sent three-part

questionnaires seeking information about the existence,

scope, development and evaluation of homework policies in

their schools. The researchers cite several general

conclusions based on their findings, including the

importance, and apparent lack, of homework policies in

existence. Despite the pervasive nature of homework in every

participating school, only 50% of the schools indicated the

existence of a written homework policy. Amongst the policies

reported by the other half of the participating schools,

most of the policies specified the type or quality of

homework to be assigned, and allowed some flexibility in the

assignment and evaluation of homework. The authors

indicated: Particularly encouraging signs were that a

variety of types of homework were suggested, and the focus

of homework assignment was toward meaningful, creative, and

high-level thinking endeavors... and away from tedious busy

work and drill. (Hill, Spencer, et. al, 1986, p. 68)

Cauley and McMillan (2009) define formative assessment

as, “A process through which assessment-elicited evidence of

student learning is gathered and instruction is modified in

response to feedback” (p. 1). The authors suggest the use

of feedback in the process, but suggest a steering away from

performance-goal oriented extrinsic motivators such as

grades. Emphasis on performance and grades during the

formative process can be detrimental to eventual student

achievement because it might shift student focus away from

their goal of mastery of course material to concern over the

way their abilities might be judged by their peers (Cauley &

McMillan, 2009, p. 3). Constructive feedback throughout this

process maintains the focus on mastery goals created at the

outset, and provides the student with the support necessary

to make connections between new learning and prior

knowledge. Homework, ongoing formative assessment, and

feedback are all considered to be part of the instruction

process. Grading and recording the work completed throughout

this time would not accurately create a record of the

student’s level of understanding and knowledge because they

are still in the process of learning the material.

McMillan, Myran and Workman (2002) conducted a study of

over 900 teachers in order to investigate the assessment and

grading practices in practice. The authors used surveys

returned by a sample of 901 participating teachers of grades

3-5, representing a total population of 1,561 teachers of

those grade levels from 124 schools near Richmond, Virginia.

The surveys featured a 6-point scale for participants to

rate the emphasis they placed on different assessment and

grading practices, with 1 being not at all and 6

representing completely. The findings revealed relatively

low emphasis on homework grades, but also a positive

correlation between the importance of homework and

increasing grade levels. The authors state that: Given the

relatively low emphasis on homework, comparisons with other

students, other teachers’ grading, and the infrequent

occurrence of borderline cases, these results suggest that

teachers conceptualize two major ingredients – actual

performance, and effort, ability, and improvement. Of these

two, academic performance clearly is most important, but

effort, ability, and improvement remain as fairly important,

especially for some teachers. (McMillan, Myran, & Workman,

2002, p. 209)

O’Connor (1999) begins his list of eight guidelines for

successful assessment with the indication that the only

acceptable basis for student grades is their own individual

achievement. He goes on to specify that grades recorded must

measure the student’s achievement of the learning goals

established at the outset of the unit. This suggestion is

aligned with the information provided by Cauley and McMillan

(2009), which emphasizes the importance of setting mastery

goals prior to the instruction process. They also convey the

idea that feedback, and not grades, should be used during

the learning process, as formative assessment takes place.

The true measurement of what the student has learned comes

at the end of that learning process, in the form of a

summative assessment, which McTighe and O’Connor (2005)

suggest also be used at the outset of the unit to establish

realistic performance goals: This practice has three

virtues. First, the summative assessments clarify the

targeted standards and benchmarks for teachers and

learners... Second, the performance assessment tasks yield

evidence that reveals understanding... Third, presenting the

authentic performance tasks at the beginning of a new unit

or course provides a meaningful learning goal for the

student. (McTighe and O’Connor, 2005, p. 2)

Waiting until the end of a unit, however, to measure student

learning is a mistake, since the time for instruction and

learning of that material has ended. It is in the course of

the instruction and learning process that McTighe and

O’Connor also place importance on the formative assessment

process.

Homework is a form of formative assessment, along with

draft work, ungraded quizzes and other exercises used with

the intent of guiding and instructing the student to promote

higher-level cognitive connections. Placing little or no

emphasis on grades on those types of exercises and

activities allows for focus on the mastery goal, and keeps

feedback constructive. “Although teachers may record the

results of formative assessments, we shouldn’t factor these

results into summative evaluation and grading” (McTighe &

O’Connor, 2005, p. 1). This philosophy could be seen in the

low levels of emphasis placed on homework grades in the

study by McMillan, Myran, and Workman. Effort, ability, and

improvement remained important factors in that study, and

McTighe and O’Connor echo that idea in their discussion of

replacing old student achievements with new ones. They take

into consideration, the varying learning curves of different

students, and their progress toward goals set at the

beginning of the unit. A student will likely have a greater

mastery over the unit material at the end of instruction,

than at the outset of instruction. That point, at the end of

instruction is the appropriate time to measure what the

student has learned, allowing improvements to replace

previous difficulties or failures. McTighe and O’Conner

(2005) note, “Allowing new evidence to replace old conveys

an important message to students – that teachers care about

their successful learning, not merely their grades” (p. 6).

The material reviewed has established the importance of

the existence of a flexible, written homework policy on a

school or district level. Mr. O’Connor presents a total

package, in this respect, to schools and districts that are

seeking to establish a policy, or re-evaluate their current

one. Following my research and analysis of the relationships

between the literature, and Mr. O’Connor’s work, questions

still remains unanswered, possibly to be addressed in

further study: Will students be motivated to complete

homework and/or classroom activities that they know will not

be graded? If there were a problem with student motivation

in this respect, what would the impact be on achievement in

a setting where the same, or similar type of policy is in

place? If a teacher wishes to use homework for the purposes

of ungraded formative assessment, they must be certain that

the work is truly that of the learner him or herself, with

no outside assistance coming from family members or tutors

they might see outside of school. This is a major problem

related to the use of homework in this way, as homework

results may not truly be indicative of the student’s

acquired knowledge.

RESEARCH PROCESS

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMEN

T REVISITED

Identification of the Research Problem

Review of Related

Literature

Preparation of the

Research Design

Actual Experimentati

on

Data Collection,

Organization, & Processing

Analysis & Interpretatio

n of Processed

Data

Formulation of the

Conclusion

The research process is a cyclic process for most of

the time, the conclusion that is reached at the end of the

research leads to other problems which researcher may

undertake in the future. In essence, it perpetuates the

dynamic nature of the research problem. The questions that

the researcher intend to include in the questionnaire for

students were identified. The following questions were

included in the questionnaire:

Please answer the following questions honestly.

1. What makes science homework easy or difficult to do?

2. How much science homework is 'right'?

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMEN

T REVISITED

Identification of the Research Problem

Review of Related

Literature

Preparation of the

Research Design

Actual Experimentati

on

Data Collection,

Organization, & Processing

Analysis & Interpretatio

n of Processed

Data

Formulation of the

Conclusion

3. What makes science homework effective and worth giving

at all?

4. What support do you get from your parents in doing

science homework at home?

5. Why do you not work on your science homework?

DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION

Table 1 showed that out of the 45 student respondents, 40%

were males and 60% females. Of the male students

respondents, only 7 males belong to Grade Nine while 11

males from Grade Ten. For the females, it showed that there

were 18 respondents from Grade Nine and only 9 came from

Grade Ten.

Table 1: Respondents by Gender

GenderGroup

Male Female Total

Grade Nine 7 18 25Grade Ten 11 9 20Total 18 27 45

Table 2 showed that 0% of the respondents had grades between

96 -100 in Science, 2.2% between 91- 95, 22.2 % between 86-

90, 33.3 % between 81– 85, and 20% between 75– 80. However

on 22.2 % of the respondents had grades 74 and below and its

greater percentages is in Grade Ten.

Table 2: Grades in Science

GradesGroup

100-96

95-91 90-86 85-81 80-75 74and

belowGrade

9

0 1 10 8 2 4

Grade

100 0 0 7 7 6

Total 0 1 10 15 9 10

Table 3 showed that the most reasons for the first question

were: first, sources/ resources; second, nature of the

questions; third, instruction given; fourth, their attitude

and interest; fifth, time in doing it; and last, their

acquired knowledge about previous lesson.

Tabble 3: What makes science homework easy or difficult to

do?

Answers

Group

Sources/ Resources

Time (Tired already)

Attitude/ Interest

Nature of the questions

Instruction given

Acquiredknowledge about previouslesson

Grade

9

10 3 2 8 2 2

Grade 5 1 4 4 5 1

10

Total 15 4 6 12 7 3

Table 4 showed that the most answer for the second question

were: first, once a week; second, two to three times a week;

third, that it can be done in 10 to 20 minutes; fourth,

everyday; fifth, it depends; and last, more than three

times.

Table 4: How much science homework is right?

Answers

Group

Everyday

Once a week

2-3 times aweek

More than 3 times

It depends

Others,can be done in10-20 min

Grade

9

4 10 2 1 2 6

Grade

100 5 12 0 0 3

Total 4 15 14 1 2 9

Table 5 showed that the most answer for the third question

were: first, review of the past lesson or supplementary to

the lesson; second, preparation for the next lesson; third,

it promotes mastery; fourth, developed good study habits;

and at fifth and sixth, enhances imagination, critical

thinking and if it is given with recognition.

Table 5: What makes science homework effective and worth

giving at all?

AnswersGroup

Preparation for the nextlesson

Review of the past lesson/ Supplementary

Promotesmastery

Develop good study habits

Enhancesimagination and criticalthinking

With recognition

Grade

9

10 9 4 1 1 0

Grade

10

5 11 1 2 0 1

Total 15 20 5 3 1 1Table 6 showed that the most answer for the fourth question were:

first, no support; second, they provide the resources; third,

they made it clear and they expand the idea; fourth, they simply

remind students; and tied at fifth and sixth, tutorials and the

answer the assignment.

Table 6: What support do you get from your parents in doing

science homework at home?

AnswersGroup

Provides the resources

Reminding the student

None Make itclear, expand the idea

Tutorials

Others

Grade

9

10 0 10 5 0 0

Grade

10

3 3 7 5 1 1

Total 13 3 17 10 1 1

Table 7 showed that the most answer in the last question were:

first, I can not manage my time well and I’m tired already when I

got home; second, it’s difficult; third, I can do it in school

and I’m lazy to do it at home; fourth, I lack resources; fifth, I

forgot that I have homework; and last, I am distracted and not

interested.

Table 7: Why do you not work on your science homework?

GradesGroup

I can do it in school/I am lazy todo it at home

The assignment is difficult

I cannot manage my timewell (Tired already)

I lack resources

I am distracted/ not interested

Forgot that I have homework

Grade

9

11 11 8 4 3 0

Grade

10

2 3 7 2 1 5

Total 13 14 15 6 4 5

RESULTS AND FINDINGS

Guided by the aforementioned background, the study

found the following:

1. What makes science homework easy or difficult to do?

Homework is seen as a valuable resource for teaching.

This study documented the importance of resources or sources

by allowing students to work on their assignment and learn

it easily. Nature of the questions is also essential to the

respondents for them to be motivated to do it well. Too many

problem solving or computations in science homework will

bring them to lose their interest.

2. How much science homework is right?

There is some evidence about the relationship between

time and homework. Respondents tend perform poorly if there

are too many and long assignments. Presumably they want it

to be once a week and answerable within 10 to 20 minutes

because they were tired already when they reached their

houses after school and they tend to be less productive

during the night. Some of them are encountering teenage

problem for them to demand for time with their family

members for advices.

3. What makes science homework effective and worth giving at

all?

Homework allows teachers to track students’ progress,

meaning that they can spot when a student is struggling with

content or falling behind the rest of the cohort. Submitting

homework also provides a good lesson in responsibility and

diligence, often with disciplinary consequences if homework

is not returned or completed to the required standard.

Homework can also be a good talking point during parent–

teacher interviews, review of the past lesson or

supplementary learning materials.

4. What support do you get from your parents in doing

science homework at home?

Blame for the apparent homework dilemma has been

shifted from teachers, to students, to administrators, to

parents. This study documented that most of the respondents

do not get support from their parents in doing science

homework at home. Others were fortunate because some of

these parents were providing them assistance such as

providing resources, expanding their ideas, reminding them

in doing it, and bringing them to the tutors.

5. Why do you not work on your science homework?

Although teachers work hard to set homework tasks that

will engage their students, it is sometimes difficult to see

the value in the assignments the student brings home. Its

meaning as a learning tool are lost entirely if the students

were tired already. The volume and nature of homework may

also mean that the student is not able to dedicate as much

time to each task as would be ideal. It was surprisingly

that most of the students do their homework in school.

Whatever is the reason, it is about time for the school to

have a homework policy that dictates the type of homework

tasks given to students and their frequency.

Listed below and on the following pages are the

suggestions given by students

“We all know that assignments are vital part of studying that’s why science

assignments are great help. However, students could not give their all on just

one subject. I suggest that assignments, if possible should be given in moderate

pace”

“Give the students enough time to finish the homework and there should be a

schedule for the assignment in different subjects” ( 3)

“Less questions for homework because we need more time for our family and

friends”

“Written science homeworks will be more interesting if there will be homeworks

in practical approach so students will not only learn through understanding of

definitions but also on what they see”

“Give clear details to work with the homework easily”

“Make it easier yet we can still get something”

“Propose assignments that does not require materials or if so, those that are

available at home”

RECOMMENDATION

On the basis of the aforementioned results and

findings, the following recommendations are presented:

1. That the school must have a homework policy that

dictates the type and purpose of homework tasks given

to students and their frequency;

2. That the policy should be included in the Area

Guidelines given to the teachers each school year;

3. That the administration develop intervention program on

how to involve the parents/ guardians in assisting,

enhancing, and tracking students learning;

4. That all the members of the teaching force be vigilant

in detecting and reporting incidences of assignment

related issues to the proper school authorities.

References

Steven A. Carbone II. (2009).The Value of Homework. VOL. 1 NO. 12 |

PG. 1/1. Cauley, K., McMillan, J. (2009). Formative assessment

techniques to support student motivation and achievement.

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Development Collection.

Good, T., Brophy, J. (2003). Looking in classrooms, ninth

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Hill, S., Spencer, S., Alston, R., Fitzgerald, J. (1986).

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