Homework motivation and preferences of Turkish students

Abstract

Turkish students’ motivation sources, organisational approaches, physical needs and environmental and interpersonal preferences during the homework process were examined in 1776 students in Grades 5–8 from 10 randomly selected schools in two districts of a major urban city in Turkey. These constructs were examined to determine grade, gender, socio‐economic status (SES) differences and interaction effects amongst the three grouping variables. Grade differences were demonstrated in some elements (e.g. motivation) whereas others (e.g. physical needs) were stable across grades. Gender differences were not significant in most elements, and Turkish students with low‐SES background reported more positive attitudes towards homework and more culturally acceptable ways of engaging in homework than did their high‐SES peers. The significance of the study in Turkish education system was discussed.

Keywords:

• homework
• motivation
• learning preferences
• learning styles
• grade
• gender
• socio‐economic status