Degree Name

EdD (Doctor of Education)

Program

Educational Leadership

Date of Award

8-2017

Committee Chair or Co-Chairs

Virginia Foley

Committee Members

John Boyd, Don Good, Cecil Blankenship

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore teacher and parent perceptions of homework effectiveness and homework purpose. Specifically, the researcher examined teacher and parent perceptions, perceptions of teachers in different grade level bands, and perceptions of teachers with different levels of experience. In this nonexperimental quantitative study, the researcher examined and analyzed the answers provided on an anonymous survey (Appendix A) provided electronically to educators and parents of students in five school systems in northeast Tennessee.

Parents had a higher perception of both homework effectiveness and homework purpose. Homework effectiveness was perceived as higher by the “other” group (not k-2, 3-5, 6-8, or 9-12) in comparison to the 9-12 group of teachers. There were no significant differences in perceptions of homework effectiveness among the k-2, 3-5, and 6-8 groups of teachers. Homework purpose was perceived as higher in the 9-12 group than in the 3-5 group and the “other” group of teachers. No significant differences were found between the k-2 and 6-8 groups of teachers on homework purpose. There was no significant difference between perceptions of homework effectiveness or homework purpose among teachers with different levels of experience.

This study revealed that parents tend to perceive a greater benefit in homework for both effectiveness and purpose than teachers do. While the level of teacher experience does not influence teacher perception of homework effectiveness or purpose, there are some significant differences in perceptions of teachers by different grade level bands. Recommendations are made to conduct further research on the topic of homework design, the impact of grading policies on homework perceptions, and homework differentiation.

Document Type

Dissertation - unrestricted

Copyright

Copyright by the authors.

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