Modeling students' time management in math homework

Understanding the Development of Self-Regulated Learning: An Intervention Study to Promote Self-Regulated Learning in Vocational Schools

Self-regulated learning (SRL) provides the foundation for building sustainable knowledge and is therefore important for schools, classrooms, and lifelong learning in general. Especially in vocational education and training, the concept of SRL remains fundamental as it relates to preparing future employees. However, further research is needed on how vocational students situationally regulate their learning process and the extent to which this may be related to a dispositional change in their SRL. In this study, we analyzed longitudinal questionnaire data from 159 students who attended either SRL-conducive or regular vocational classes. We refer to Perry and colleagues' (2018) framework of an SRL-conducive learning environment, which focuses on (meta)cognitive, motivational, and emotional aspects of learning. Using multilevel analysis, we found differences in the development of (meta)cognitive components of learning, whereas no clear differences could be identified for motivational and emotional components. The results support the assumption that process analyses can be used to draw a more differentiated picture of SRL in vocational schools. Moreover, indirect approaches to promoting SRL should be designed to include all SRL-relevant aspects.

Effects of homework creativity on academic achievement and creativity disposition: Evidence from comparisons with homework time and completion based on two independent Chinese samples

During the past several decades, the previous studies have been focusing on the related theoretical issues and measuring tool of homework behaviors (mainly including homework time, completion, and homework creativity). However, the effects of these homework behaviors on general creativity remain unknown. Employing a number of questionnaires, this study investigated two samples from middle schools of Mainland China. The results showed that (1) the eight-item version of Homework Creativity Behaviors Scale had acceptable validity and reliability; (2) compared with homework completion and homework time, homework creativity explained less variety of academic achievement (3.7% for homework creativity; 5.4% for completion and time); (3) homework creativity explained more variance of general creativity than that of homework completion and homework time accounted (7.0% for homework creativity; 1.3% for completion and time); and (4) homework creativity was negatively associated with grade level. Contrary to the popular beliefs, homework completion and homework creativity have positive effects on the students' general creativity. Several issues that need further studies were also discussed.

How Did It Get So Late So Soon? The Effects of Time Management Knowledge and Practice on Students’ Time Management Skills and Academic Performance

Time management is regarded as an important prerequisite for effective and efficient learning in higher education. However, university students’ time management frequently proves to be deficient, especially with freshman students, who can therefore benefit from appropriate time management interventions. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of an intervention focused on imparting time management knowledge with those of an intervention focused on time management practice. We conducted an experiment with N = 118 university students who took part in a course over the duration of one semester. Participants with a time management deficit at the beginning of the semester (n = 88) were randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions: (a) time management knowledge, (b) time management practice, (c) control group. Exam scores at the end of the semester were considered as an indicator of participants’ academic performance. The results showed significant time management improvements for both time management intervention groups, but the time management practice group appeared superior. Academic performance was better in the time management practice group also, although the results were inconsistent. The effect of time management practice on academic performance was mediated by students’ time management skills.

Individual and class-level factors for students' management of homework environment: The self-regulation perspective

The present study investigated the predictive effects of clusters of variables on homework environment management based on the data from 3018 students in Grade 8. These clusters included: background variables, homework characteristics, adult support and monitoring, homework purposes, goal orientations, and contextual control. At the individual level, management of homework environment was significantly related to at least one variable from each of the six clusters. Specifically, it was associated negatively with time spent watching TV, and positively with prior achievement, homework interest, homework quality, family help, teacher feedback, academic purpose, self-regulatory purpose, mastery-approach, and help seeking. Additionally, males managed homework environment less frequently than females. Finally, management of homework environment was positively related to homework quality at the class level.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-021-02596-5.

Empirically derived profiles of homework purposes in eleventh grade students: a latent profile analysis

Informed by expectation-value theory and related literature, the goal of the current investigation was to identify profiles of students drawn from three purposes of homework (academic, self-regulatory, and approval-seeking). Participants were 750 eleventh-grade students in China. Results from latent profile analysis (LPA) revealed identified four different profiles of students: Very Low Profile (very low in all purposes; 5.73%), Low Profile (low in all purposes; 30.40%), Moderate Profile (moderate in all purposes; 54.40%), and High Profile (high in all purposes; 9.47%). Results further revealed that student gender was associated with profile membership. Finally, profile membership was significantly related to homework effort and completion (with a medium effect size) in that, in general, the higher the homework purposes, the higher the homework effort and homework completion.

Effort, Enjoyment, and Self-Confidence: A Mediation Model

A conventional view in education is the belief that expending more effort in mathematics will lead directly to a higher academic achievement. Whilst no one would argue that effort is unnecessary, the link between effort and academic achievement needs to be examined further. In particular, there may be a possibility of mediator variables in this relationship. Thus, the aim of this study is to analyze possible mediation effects of non-cognitive factors, specifically enjoyment, and self-confidence, in the relation between effort and academic achievement. The sample comprised of 227 tertiary level students (92 males 135 females) enrolled in a mathematics module at a tertiary institute. Self-reported measures of effort, enjoyment, and self-confidence were obtained together with their end of semester math examination results. Results indicated that enjoyment and self-confidence sequentially mediate the relationship between effort and academic achievement. Implications to educational practice are discussed.

How Do Student Prior Achievement and Homework Behaviors Relate to Perceived Parental Involvement in Homework?

This study investigated how students' prior achievement is related to their homework behaviors (i.e., time spent on homework, homework time management, and amount of homework), and to their perceptions of parental involvement in homework (i.e., parental control and parental support). A total of 1250 secondary students from 7 to 10th grade participated in the study. Structural equation models were fitted to the data, compared, and a partial mediation model was chosen. The results indicated that students' prior academic performance was significantly associated with both of the students' homework variables, with direct and indirect results linking achievement and homework behaviors with perceived parental control and support behaviors about homework. Low-achieving students, in particular, perceived more parental control of homework in the secondary grades. These results, together with those of previous research, suggest a recursive relationship between secondary school students' achievement and their perceptions of parental involvement in homework, which represents the process of student learning and family engagement over time. Study limitations and educational implications are discussed.

Students' Achievement and Homework Assignment Strategies

The optimum time students should spend on homework has been widely researched although the results are far from unanimous. The main objective of this research is to analyze how homework assignment strategies in schools affect students' academic performance and the differences in students' time spent on homework. Participants were a representative sample of Spanish adolescents (N = 26,543) with a mean age of 14.4 (±0.75), 49.7% girls. A test battery was used to measure academic performance in four subjects: Spanish, Mathematics, Science, and Citizenship. A questionnaire allowed the measurement of the indicators used for the description of homework and control variables. Two three-level hierarchical-linear models (student, school, autonomous community) were produced for each subject being evaluated. The relationship between academic results and homework time is negative at the individual level but positive at school level. An increase in the amount of homework a school assigns is associated with an increase in the differences in student time spent on homework. An optimum amount of homework is proposed which schools should assign to maximize gains in achievement for students overall.

Examining the Psychometric Properties of the Homework Management Scale for High School Students in China

This study reports on the psychometric evaluation of the Chinese version of the Homework Management Scale (HMS). The HMS was designed to assess students’ homework management strategies. Based on a randomized split of 884 high school students in China, we conducted exploratory factor analysis on Group 1 ( n = 442) and confirmatory factor analysis on Group 2 ( n = 442). The factor structure of the Chinese version of the HMS was consistent with the original one developed in the United States (i.e., the existence of five separate, yet related, subscales). Reliability coefficients of the HMS and its subscales were in the adequate to good range. Finally, the HMS and its subscales, as predicted, were related to relevant homework measures in the theoretically expected directions. These findings suggest that the Chinese version of the HMS is a valid multidimensional measure for homework management. Suggestions for its application and future research are provided.