| The impact of homework on the achievement of students has been subject to debate for over a century. While it is largely maintained that it has a positive influence on achievement, there are arguments that homework has negative effects on development. The goal of this study was to determine whether mandatory, graded homework had a significant impact on achievement on exams and quizzes as opposed to voluntary homework in college algebra courses. Two instructors each taught two groups of students during separate semesters, a control group given mandatory, graded homework and an experimental group given voluntary 'suggested assignments.' Using Student's t-test, it was found that during the first semester, there was a significant difference in exam scores and three of ten quizzes between control and experimental groups in favor of the control group. During the second semester, there was no significant difference on any exams or quizzes. Due to this conflicting data, the researcher can draw no concrete explanation for the results. It was determined that student attitudes towards the class may also play a key role in achievement. However, data collected from student surveys at the end of each semester indicates that a majority of students in both experimental groups felt they would have performed better had homework been graded. |
