2. Problem Statement
• 11th and 12th grade Pre-Calculus students
are missing out on homework as an
educational opportunity because they are:
– Unfamiliar with available resources
– Dependent on immediate feedback
– Frustrated with their assignments
– Busy students
3. Literature Review Highlights
• Time spent on homework does not affect achievement(Trautwein, 2007)
• Student and Teacher Perceptions
– Higher achievement from students with positive views of
homework (Dettmers et al, 2011)
– Students attribute homework effort differences to homework
characteristics
– Teachers attribute differences in homework effort to
personality traits (Trautwein & Ludtke, 2009)
• Other Factors
– Race has not been shown to have an effect (Xu, 2012)
– Gender changes homework approach (Trautwein & Ludtke, 2009)
• Immediate Feedback through Technology
– “attempt-feedback-reattempt” shown to be key to success (Butler &
Zerr, 2007)
4. Goals and Objectives
• Implement the use of Wolfram Alpha as an
instructional tool
• Investigate Wolfram Alpha as an effective
resource for immediate feedback on
homework
• Measured through:
– Student achievement and effort
– Student perceptions of homework
5. Methodology
Qualitative Data
Quantitative Data
Surveys
• Pre-Implementation
• Assignment-Specific
• Collected homework
assignments studied
for quality answers
(given approx. 5 times)
• Post-Implementation
Focus Group
• Post-Implementation
• Achievement data
from class
assessments
6. Possible Outcomes
• Students will have a more positive
perception of homework including an
increase in confidence.
• Students will build a deeper understanding
of the concepts.
• Students will show achievement gains.
7. References
Butler, M. B., & Zerr, R. J. (2005). The Use of Online Homework Systems to Enhance Out-ofClass Student Engagement. International Journal For Technology In Mathematics Education,
12(2), 51-58.
Dettmers, S., Trautwein, U., Lüdtke, O., Goetz, T., Frenzel, A. C., & Pekrun, R. (2011).
Students’ emotions during homework in mathematics: Testing a theoretical model of
antecedents and achievement outcomes. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 36(1), 25-35.
doi:10.1016/j.cedpsych.2010.10.00
Trautwein, U. (2007). The homework–achievement relation reconsidered: Differentiating
homework time, homework frequency, and homework effort. Learning & Instruction, 17(3), 372388. doi:10.1016/j.learninstruc.2007.02.009
Trautwein, U., & Lüdtke, O. (2009). Predicting homework motivation and homework effort in six
school subjects: The role of person and family characteristics, classroom factors, and school
track. Learning & Instruction, 19(3), 243-258. doi:10.1016/j.learninstruc.2008.05.001
Xu, J. (2012). Secondary School Students' Interest in Homework: What about Race and School
Location?. School Community Journal, 22(2), 65-86.
