Supporting Students’ Academic Achievement Through Middle School Math Homework Design

Math homework is a highly debated topic within the middle school education field. Teachers, parents, and students all have differing opinions on what the ideal math homework assignment is and how it promotes academic achievement. This study was intended for discovering what the optimal middle school math homework assignment looks like, how teachers can best follow-up on the assignment, and the most beneficial quantity and frequency of homework. Currently, teachers need more distinct guidelines when designing homework assignments. Students in Barrett, The Honors College, at Arizona State University were asked a series of questions about the type, length, and follow-up practices of their homework assignments and how they felt about them. It was found that students who like math are generally highly motivated in the subject. Most often, students are given short but frequent practice homework assignments, which they find to be most helpful, and they appreciate when teachers review the steps and solutions to the assignments in class. These results should allow educators to better align their math homework assignments with practices that students find to be helpful and necessary.