Week Five - Research Proposal

Introduction:

The topic that I am researching is homework in the math classroom.  I am specifically wondering about the type of homework assignment and if having a variety in the type of homework assigned will help with the completion rate among students.  I believe that homework is necessary because students need to practice solving and working with math problems by themselves.  In class, students are encouraged to work together to develop techniques and to explain math topics.  Homework is a great tool for learning because it forces students to work on their own.  If the first time a student tries to do a problem on their own is at the time of the test, I believe they will not be as prepared as if they had done homework on their own during the unit.  Traditionally I have only given pencil and paper homework, through this research project I am specifically focusing on alternate types of homework and looking at the completion rates during this process. 

For this research project, when I talk about my students, I am referring to my fifth period math for business and personal finance class.  This class has 13 students.  

Literature Review:

I reviewed many websites that provided a lot of example of alternate types of homework.  These website gave me many ideas to try in personal finance. 
I also reviewed articles about how technology can help students achievement.
Finally, I reviewed articles about how helpful homework is throughout the school years.  It is shown that too much homework too soon can hurt children, but as they get older more and more homework should be expected.  

Questions to be Answered:

1. Would a different type of homework assignment increase student completion rates?
2. Does homework completion rate correlate to a higher assessment grade?

Methodology:

To begin, I will give a short questionnaire to the students in my fifth period class.  I want to know why students do or do not do their homework.  I want to find out how they feel about homework and I also want to find out if they like pencil and paper homework or if they would like a different type of assignment.

I will conduct a short interview with each student to get their feelings about homework, why or why they don't complete it and if they feel it is helpful.  

I have a list of different types of (alternate) homework assignments and I will introduce one new type of assignment a week.  (Podcast, designing their own questions, using excel, design a story based on a mathematical situation, budget templates for weekly spending, online simulations like 'how the market works')

I will collect data on homework completion percentages for each of the new alternate homework assignments.  I will also give each student a short 3 question questionnaire about the new type of homework the day after the new homework assignment is due.

At the end of the project, I will conduct my second interview with each student to see which type of alternate homework assignment they liked the best and why.  I will also like to find out if they feel the alternate type of homework helped them understand better.

Finally, I will look at the homework completion data and talk specifically to those students who are at the bottom of my list.  I want to know why they don't complete homework and what suggestions they have for homework assignments.

Results with Discussion:

I will specifically be looking at data from homework completion and scores on assessments.  I will also be looking at which type of alternate homework provided the highest completion rate and I will look at student feedback.