| Few topics within the field of education spark more debate than that of homework. Researchers have investigated nearly every aspect of this topic; the results are varied and serve only to spark more debate. Homework design is one such area that has been studied to a far lesser degree; teachers have little empirical information about the design of homework that is effective, particularly within the realm of world-language study. To examine the impact of homework design on student learning in world language classes at the secondary level, this quasi-experimental study used a repeated-measures design with pre- and post-tests with three common designs to the world-language classroom: preparation, practice, and performance. Instruction cycles with no-homework provided control measures. Secondary data from 70 secondary world-language students (grades 8-11 in Spanish) from a rural New England school with a majority of students below the poverty line was used for analysis. The data from this study were analyzed using a paired-samples t-test, plus repeated-measures and factorial ANOVAs, to answer seven research questions and test 13 corresponding hypotheses. Results were not statistically significant for the simple comparison of homework versus no homework. However, results were statistically significant for the main effects of homework design and the main effect of course level in all designs, suggesting that design matters when creating outside-of-school work for students of different course levels. Results of tests for practice homework yielded the highest improvement means. No statistically significant differences were found for gender, nor for grade level. Dozens of studies suggest a benefit of homework that serves a specific purpose; this study will serve to bolster effective teaching practices and give more direction to teachers as to the most promising designs. Additional empirical information to support the deliberate design of homework will be of benefit to teachers, administrators, and families. Implications for further research include an expansion of the designs studied as well as a broader set of independent variables related to student type. Recommendations for practice include the use of homework only by those practitioners who understand the impact of deliberate and effective design; furthermore, administrative decisions regarding the abolishment of homework should be replaced by decisions to learn and promote professional growth in the use of homework. |
