The experiences of classroom teachers on the homework process in teaching mathematics: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

Abstract

This phenomenological study aimed to explore a group of classroom teachers' experiences with homework assignment in teaching mathematics. The participants of the study were 27 classroom teachers who were selected using the criterion-based sampling technique. The research data were collected with a semi-structured interview form developed by the researchers and subjected to interpretive phenomenological analysis. The results showed that the teachers plan the homework they would assign the evening before the class and use resources available on the internet while planning it. It was also revealed that they assign mathematics homework for various purposes such as ensuring comprehension of the subjects, knowledge retention and use of the learned subjects in daily life. They reported that they check and provide feedback on the assigned homework during the classes that the assigned homework is sometimes done by the family members of the students and that both preparing and checking the homework take an extensive amount of time. As a solution to these problems, they suggested communicating and negotiating with the parents, getting support from school counselors and reducing the number of the themes in the primary mathematics curriculum.

Investigating Mathematics Homework Practices of Higher Secondary Teachers in Bhutan

“…The present study revealed that teachers assign a few questions as HW on a daily basis as they do not want to burden and demotivate the students by giving too many questions, and students are expected to complete the task within an hour. This finding is similar to the findings of Ergen & Durmuş , who reported that teachers focused on assigning HW that took less than an hour so that the students would not be discouraged [15]. Nevertheless, in the context of this study, the number of hours spent by the students might be higher than what is mentioned by the teachers.…”

“…Most of the teachers believed that it was not possible to assess every student's HW because of time constraints. A similar conclusion was drawn by the findings of Ergen and Durmuş who found that some teachers only checked whether the students had done the homework or not since the feedback process took a lot of time [15]. However, the concern here is that students won't be able to correct their mistakes if the assessment is not done, which could result in incorrect learning.…”

“…Finally, homework assignments should instil a sense of competence in students so that they can perform it successfully without assistance. Homework should have utility value such as usefulness, [15] concluded that if students believe the assigned homework is useful, it would motivate them to participate in homework, which would encourage more favourable perspectives on such participation.…”

“…However, this practice could rarely happen as it requires a lot of time. Moreover, assessing the homework and providing feedback are crucial components that have a positive impact on the HW process [15]. Thus, assessing students' homework is important because it motivates them to complete their homework, thereby improving their learning; it informs teachers about their teaching; and, most importantly, it informs teachers about the students' learning progress.…”

“…Ideally, homework provides teachers with feedback on students' learning, and accordingly, teachers can adjust their teaching and re-teach the concepts again if necessary, before assigning exercises [34]. Teachers assign mathematics homework to ensure understanding of the subjects, and to retain knowledge [15]. In addition, study shows that the elementary school teachers' focus on assigning homework was on teaching and enhancing time management skills in students, while the secondary school teachers' focus was on knowledge enrichment [22].…”