The issue of homework has been a hot topic, with many educators professing strong views about the practices that should be adopted. Alfie Kohn claims that the practice of assigning homework has negligible effects on student achievement and, because students dread it, homework can actually lead to a lack of interest in learning. Yet, the research…

In this qualitative study, we initiate a discussion as to why instructors should implement numerous assessments into their mathematics courses. We describe the purpose and structure of formative and summative assessments implemented in an undergraduate two-semester sequence of abstract algebra. The evaluations included homework, exams, projects,…

Homework is a reality in the lives of most American school children. At its best, homework is a highly useful and appropriate strategy. At its worst, it can wreak havoc in the lives of many children and families who fail to master behavioral and environmental routines that create conditions and patterns conducive for optimal performance. Thus,…

This article reports key findings from a project that focused on the academic literacy development of children who are born and/or begin their formal schooling in Canada but are raised in homes where the societally dominant language is not the primary idiom. Analyses involved characterizing students' home ecological environments; assessing the…

Most students come to their graduate programs with academic writing skills insufficient to excel in their studies. A lack of academic writing skills among graduate students has been a problem in a college of education at a large southeastern public research university where the project described in this article was implemented. To address this…

This study reports the effects of student response systems (clickers) "versus" online homework on students' long-term retention of General Chemistry I course material. Long-term content retention was measured by a comprehensive yearlong American Chemical Society (ACS) GC97 exam administered seven months after students had completed the General…

Introduction: The study presented here explored the relationship between computer and Internet use and the performance on standardized tests by secondary school students with visual impairments. Methods: With data retrieved from the first three waves (2001-05) of the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2, the correlational study focused on…

A previous study conducted a decade ago determined that there can be considerable disagreement--not only between students and faculty, but also among students and among faculty--regarding behaviors that constitute cheating. This article reports the results of a research study that replicated the student survey administered for the previous study,…

The purpose of this study was not only to report the development process of the studio model, but also to determine the students' perceptions about the studio model. This model retains the large lecture component but combines recitation and laboratory instruction into studio model. This research was based on qualitative analysis. The data of the…

According to the "acting White" hypothesis, African American students who do well in school are negatively sanctioned by their peers, leading them to withdraw future academic engagement. No study to date has tested the entire causal process posited by the hypothesis. This article uses the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002, nationally…

Background: The remarkable academic advancement of Asian students in cross-national studies has been attributed to numerous factors, including the value placed on education by Chinese parents. However, there is a dearth of research on how exactly Chinese parents are involved in children's early learning. Purpose: This study has two major research…

Families, whether guided or instructed to, often become involved in their children's homework. This study examined the effects of a weekly interactive mathematics program (Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork-TIPS) on family involvement, emotions and attitudes, and student achievement. Students and families (N=153) from four urban elementary…

The author, an early adopter of Aplia, describes the use of Aplia both pre- and post-acquisition by Cengage Learning. Students improve their exam scores (by 5 to 7 percent) and are receptive to using Aplia. Students report despite spending between 7 and 9 hours a week on Aplia assignments, they would gravitate to future offerings that included…

Homework has been an integral part of the educational system for over 100 years. What likely began as simple memorization tasks has evolved into complex projects and sparked an increasingly heated debate over the purpose and value of homework assignments. This "Focus On" examines the purpose of homework, how to create homework that has value,…

Teenagers working more than 20 hours per week perform worse in school than youth who work less. There are two competing explanations for this association: (1) that paid work takes time and effort away from activities that promote achievement, such as completing homework, preparing for examinations, getting help from parents and teachers, and…