Exploring Homework Completion and NonCompletion in Post-Secondary Language Study - Literature Review

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by dhado

A study reviews research on foreign-language homework and presents a case study examining what students do and do not complete in written and online homework within beginning post-secondary language courses. Findings are interpreted through self-efficacy theory, highlighting how student perceptions of capability relate to homework completion patterns. The work argues for instructional implications, including offering homework-choice options, especially for learners with high self-efficacy, and reassessing assumptions about who completes homework and why.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Literature Review

Homework’s role and research gaps in foreign language instruction

Early studies on homework, achievement, and laboratory time

Classification of homework types in beginning French

6 Exploring Homework Completion and NonCompletion in Post-Secondary Language Study Carolyn Gascoigne University of Nebraska – Omaha Abstract While homework is something that language professionals often assign, based on the paucity of research on the topic, it is clearly not something to which much attention is given in terms of professional discourse or research. In the following pages, the author reviews the limited available research and describes a case study that seeks to examine what students are doing, as well as not doing, in terms of written and online homework in beginning post-secondary foreign language courses. Results are examined through the lens of self-efficacy theory. Implications include allowingfor student choice in homework options, particularly for those students with high levels of self-efficacy. Of the many aspects of the second language teaching-learning process that have been researched and debated in the professional literature, the topic of homework has been notably absent, in spite of the fact that most language teachers--at least those teaching introductory and intermediate levels--admit to assigning it regularly (Wallinger, 2000). Perhaps this is due to the messy nature of homework study. Indeed, how does one set out to study something that is subject to so many internal and external factors? For Cooper (1989),“homework probably involves the complex interaction of more influences than any other instructional device”(p. 87) . Still, the role and impact of homework has been studied in other disciplines, particularly in the areas of English, math, and science. (Cooper, Lindsay, Nye, & Greathouse, 1998; Wallinger, 2000) . Most investigations within these other disciplines, however, have overwhelmingly targeted elementary, junior-high, and highschool learners. In a meta-analysis of 120 studies of homework’s effects, Cooper (1989) concluded that homework has a positive effect on learning among high school students, a slightly lower, but still positive, effect on junior high school students, and essentially no effect on elementary school learners (p. 88) . While grappling with homework questions in post-secondary French classes atthe University of Nebraska at Omaha, such as how often, how much, what type, and whether or not homework should be graded, a new question has recently surfaced: who is completing, or not completing it, and why? In years past the answer at least appeared to be clear: serious students completed assignments, and the disaffected students often did not. Upon closer inspection, this may no longer be the case, or perhaps never was. Instead, self-efficacy theory may provide insight into understanding who is completing and who is not completing homework. 84 Dimension 2015 Literature Review Turning to the professional literature for insight into the general topic of foreign language homework proved disappointing in terms of the number of studies or even position papers on the topic. Among the few exceptions is a distant study by Politzer (1960) . He sought to examine 1) the relationship between homework and foreign language achievement, and 2) the contribution of time spent in the language lab to student achievement. Each of the two research questions was studied at a different institution. The first question was examined in a multi-section first-semester French course at the University of Michigan, where the total amount of time spent in the language lab by 396 students was compared to their final course grades. Politzer found that “the amount of time spent in the laboratory correlated quite neatly with the achievement of the student”(p. 14) . In a first-semester French course enrolling 250 students at Harvard University, Politzer compared the amount of time spent completing homework, as revealed by study surveys, to final course grades, wherein he found a negative correlation. Specifically, the A students reported spending the least amount of time doing homework. P

FAQs

Why has foreign-language homework received limited attention in professional research discourse?

The text notes that homework is regularly assigned by language teachers, yet research and position papers on it are notably scarce, partly because homework study is affected by many internal and external factors.

What do earlier studies suggest about the relationship between homework time and student achievement?

Politzer’s findings are reported as mixed: in one setting laboratory time correlated positively with achievement, while in another, students who reported being high achievers spent less time on homework, indicating a potential reverse relationship between time input and outcomes.

How does self-efficacy theory help explain who completes or does not complete homework?

The document states that self-efficacy theory may provide insight into understanding completion versus noncompletion by focusing on learners’ beliefs about their capabilities and connecting those beliefs to observed homework behaviors.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by dhado