A Comparison of Traditional Homework to Computer-Supported Homework
Michael Mendicino
West Virginia University
Leena Razzaq and Neil T. Heffernan
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Abstract
This study compared learning for fifth grade students in two math homework conditions. The paper-and-pencil condition represented traditional homework, with review of problems in class the following day. The Web-based homework condition provided immediate feedback in the form of hints on demand and step-by-step scaffolding. We analyzed the results for students who completed both the paper-and-pencil and the Web-based conditions. In this group of 28 students, students learned significantly more when given computer feedback than when doing traditional paper-and-pencil homework, with an effect size of .61. The implications of this study are that, given the large effect size, it may be worth the cost and effort to give Web-based homework when students have access to the needed equipment, such as in schools that have implemented one-to-one computing programs.
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Contributors
Michael Mendicino is a doctoral student in the Department of Technology, Learning, and Culture at West Virginia University. He specializes in instruction for students with mild learning disabilities.
Leena Razzaq is a PhD student in the Department of Computer Science at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She is interested in studying how different tutoring strategies in intelligent tutoring systems affect students of varying abilities.
Neil T. Heffernan is an assistant professor of computer science at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Heffernan holds a PhD in computer science and specializes in building intelligent tutoring systems.
Contact
Michael Mendicino
PO Box 6122, 506 Allen Hall,
West Virginia University,
Morgantown, WV, 26506-6122,
Phone: 304.293.3879
E-mail: mmendic1@mix.wvu.edu
Leena Razzaq
Department of Computer Science, Fuller Labs 312, Worcester Polytechnic Institute,
100 Institute Road,
Worcester, MA 01609-2280,
Fax: 508.831.5776,
E-mail: leenar@cs.wpi.edu
Neil T. Heffernan
Department of Computer Science, Fuller Labs 237, Worcester Polytechnic Institute,
100 Institute Road,
Worcester, MA 01609-2280,
Phone: 508.831.5569,
Fax: 508.831.5776,
E-mail: nth@cs.wpi.edu
Copyright 2009, (International Society for Technology in Education). All rights reserved.
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