In what ways will limiting mandatory traditional homework impact student motivation in a fourth grade classroom?

Matt Dreier


Seminar Title


In what ways will limiting mandatory traditional homework impact student motivation in a fourth grade classroom?


Concept/Strategy

Focus of the Research


Motivation


Grade Level

Research Was Applied


4th Grade


Relevant Grade Level

Connections


4th Grade


Discipline

Where Research Was Applied


Mathematics


Additional Discipline Areas

I see Application to


Language Arts


Invitation/Commercial


“Ugh!” One of the most common words heard from teachers when they give their nightly homework. Since 1392, traditional homework has continued to be one of the least favorite parts of school for 94.73% of students worldwide! I am excited about my research because my students have started to enjoy doing homework. Now, they get to choose what they do. If a student doesn’t like a certain type of homework, they don’t do it, and children love not doing things they don’t want to. Motivation in my classroom has increased due to the famine of traditional homework. The only problem I am experiencing in my class is the deafening cheers encountered when students get their weekly assignment sheet that gives their choices for homework. Although I was focused on improving motivation in my classroom, many other characteristics were affected in a positive way such as relationships, attitude, and school enjoyment. If you are looking for a way to continue bettering your students, while they enjoy growing in multiple disciplines, then replacing traditional homework with choice homework is for you!


Abstract


I aim to make a positive impact on the lives of my students in class so they can further themselves as students and members of our community. Knowing that every student has different interests and lifestyles at home, I try to find the best strategies to use that will work most effectively for each of my students. My goal is for every student to leave fourth grade not only as a better student, but as a better person. Every year that I have taught, the biggest struggles I have come across in my classroom revolve around student motivation, particularly in math. One of the areas most impacted by decreased student motivation is homework completion. Past classes have shown me that very seldom do students fail to complete homework because they don’t know how to do it but rather because they lacked the motivation or interest to complete it. When asked why they didn’t complete a homework assignment I got answers similar to “I was too busy” or “Homework is boring”. In the cases where students do not know how to complete the homework, they rarely have the help at home to do it correctly. I notice that when students start their day off by having uncompleted homework, the negative reaction from me, in the form of reprimanding and questioning, causes them to begin their day in a negative way and often their emotions then stay there all day. They lose their motivation to learn from the moment they walk through my classroom door. I began brainstorming with a colleague and wondered if eliminating traditional homework would reduce the number of unmotivated students in my classroom, as well as, help greatly decrease the number of issues presented by unmotivated learners. To start my research, I had to come up with a new classroom assignment sheet that gave choice to the students and let them pick what they wanted to do for the week, along with completing our school’s required reading amount. These choices included some educational picks, along with some that required students to spend time with their family or helping others out. To track student growth, I had both students and parents take a pre and post implementation survey. Also, each week I recorded ways students have grown from the replacement of traditional homework. As a result of my action research, I will continue giving student choice on homework in the future. In addition, I will continue to look for other ways for them to grow outside of the classroom.