Between-Teacher Differences in Homework Assignments and the Development of Students’ Homework Effort, Homework Emotions, and Achievement

The study examines whether teachers’ homework objectives, implementation practices, and attitudes towards parental involvement are associated with the development of students’ homework effort, homework emotions, and achievement during grade 8. A total of 63 teachers (40 male, 23 female; mean teaching experience M = 17.5 years) of French as a second language and their 1,299 grade 8 students (51.2% female; mean age at first measurement point: M = 13.84, SD = 0.56) participated in the study. In multilevel models, teachers’ homework attitudes and behaviors were specified to predict outcomes at the end of grade 8, controlling for covariates at the beginning of grade 8. A low emphasis on drill and practice tasks and a high emphasis on motivation and self-regulation was associated with favorable developments in homework effort and achievement. Controlling homework assignments were associated with less homework effort and more negative homework emotions; the opposite pattern was found for students whose teacher supported student homework autonomy rather than parental homework involvement. The authors call for a systematic integration of findings from homework research in teacher training