Predicting students’ homework environment management at the secondary school level

Abstract

The present study examined empirical models of variables posited to predict students’ homework environment management at the secondary school level. The participants were 866 8th graders from 61 classes and 745 11th graders from 46 classes. Most of the variance in homework environment management occurred at the student level, with classmates’ shared homework interest as the only significant predictor at the class level. At the student level, homework environment management was positively associated with learning-oriented reasons (i.e. doing homework for reinforcing school learning and developing a sense of responsibility), homework interest, family homework help, academic achievement and teacher feedback. On the other hand, homework environment management was negatively associated with the amount of time spent on television and peer-oriented reasons (i.e. doing homework for working with and seeking approval from peers).

Keywords:

• homework
• self-regulation
• environmental structuring
• environmental control
• adolescent

Notes

aResponses were 1 (none), 2 (some), 3 (about half), 4 (most) and 5 (all).

bResponses were 1 (strongly disagree), 2 (disagree), 3 (agree) and 4 (strongly agree).

cResponses were 1 (very boring), 2 (boring), 3 (neither boring nor interesting), 4 (interesting) and 5 (very interesting).

dResponses were 1 (don’t like it at all), 2 (don’t like it some), 3 (neither like it nor dislike it), 4 (like it some) and 5 (like it very much).

eResponses were 1 (decreases it a lot), 2 (decreases it some), 3 (does not make a difference), 4 (increases it some) and 5 (increases a lot).

fResponses were 1 (never), 2 (rarely), 3 (sometimes), 4 (often) and 5 (routinely).