Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Students’ Perceptions on the Impact of Online Homework Systems on Their Performance in a General Chemistry Course

  • Published:
Journal of Science Education and Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Student perceptions toward homework assigned in general chemistry courses was investigated in this study. The study participants were required to complete homework assignments using two different online systems, ALEKS (adaptive-responsive system) and Sapling (traditional-responsive system). An online survey investigating their general perceptions of homework was administered at the beginning of the semester, and after the participants had completed most of the course, another survey was administered toward the end of the semester exploring their perceptions of both homework systems used in the course. We found that most students believed homework was important to their performance in the course. Our results also showed that students’ prior experience in high school science classes had an impact on their perceptions of the amount and the frequency of homework they expected in their general chemistry course. In general, students perceived ALEKS to be a more effective tool for preparing exams, however they also complained that the system was more time-consuming compared to Sapling. For CHEM 1, we did not see a significant change in students’ performance based on their homework system preference. In conclusion, students believed homework was a tool to help them learn the subject matter better, and they generally had positive perceptions toward both online homework systems.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

Data Availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

References

  • Altun, E. (2008). 6th, 7th and 8th graders’ Attitudes towards Online Homework Assignment Sites. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology-TOJET, 7(4), 5–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arora, M. L. (2013). Longitudinal study of online statics homework as a method to improve learning. Journal of STEM Education: Innovations and Research, 14(1).

  • Babaali, P., & Gonzalez, L. (2015). A quantitative analysis of the relationship between an online homework system and student achievement in pre-calculus. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 46(5), 687–699.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Balli, S. J., Wedman, J. F., & Demo, D. H. (1997). Family involvement with middle-grades homework: Effects of differential prompting. The Journal of Experimental Education, 66(1), 31–48.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bempechat, J. (2004). The motivational benefits of homework: A social-cognitive perspective. Theory into practice, 43(3), 189–196.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bennett, S., & Kalish, N. (2007). The case against homework: How homework is hurting our children and what we can do about it. Harmony.

  • Buijs, M., & Admiraal, W. (2013). Homework assignments to enhance student engagement in secondary education. European journal of psychology of education, 28(3), 767–779.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chang, C. B., Wall, D., Tare, M., Golonka, E., & Vatz, K. (2014). Relationships of attitudes toward homework and time spent on homework to course outcomes: The case of foreign language learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 106(4), 1049.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, X. (2013). STEM Attrition: College Students’ Paths into and out of STEM Fields. Statistical Analysis Report. NCES 2014-001. National Center for Education Statistics.

  • Cherry, K. (2020). verywellmind. Retrieved 1 Aug from https://www.verywellmind.com/perception-and-the-perceptual-process-2795839.

  • Cheung, S., & Leung Ngai, J. (1993). Impact of homework stress on children’s physical and psychological well-being. Journal-Hong Kong Medical Association, 44, 146–146.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cooper, H., Robinson, J. C., & Patall, E. A. (2006). Does homework improve academic achievement? A synthesis of research, 1987–2003. Review of educational research, 76(1), 1–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cunha, J., Rosário, P., Núñez, J. C., Vallejo, G., Martins, J., & Högemann, J. (2019). Does teacher homework feedback matter to 6th graders’ school engagement?: A mixed methods study. Metacognition and Learning, 14(2), 89–129.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Demirci, N. (2007). University Students’ perceptions of web-based vs. paper-based homework in a General Physics Course. Online Submission, 3(1), 29–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eichler, J. F., & Peeples, J. (2013). Online homework put to the test: A report on the impact of two online learning systems on student performance in general chemistry. Journal of Chemical Education, 90(9), 1137–1143.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Epstein, J. L. (1988). Homework Practices, Achievements, and Behaviors of Elementary School Students. Report No. 26.

  • Epstein, J. L., & Becker, H. J. (1982). Teachers’ reported practices of parent involvement: Problems and possibilities. The elementary school journal, 83(2), 103–113.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Epstein, J. L., & Van Voorhis, F. L. (2001). More than minutes: Teachers’ roles in designing homework. Educational psychologist, 36(3), 181–193.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fautch, J. M. (2019). Adaptive Learning Technology in General Chemistry: Does it Support Student Success? Enhancing Retention in Introductory Chemistry Courses: Teaching Practices and assessments (pp. 91–104). ACS Publications.

  • Galloway, M., Conner, J., & Pope, D. (2013). Nonacademic effects of homework in privileged, high-performing high schools. The Journal of Experimental Education, 81(4), 490–510.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garlock, H. (2021). A Teacher’s Perspective on the Effectiveness of Homework at Various Grade Levels.

  • Gebru, M. T., Phelps, A. J., & Wulfsberg, G. (2012). Effect of clickers versus online homework on students’ long-term retention of general chemistry course material. Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 13(3), 325–329.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graham, M. J., Frederick, J., Byars-Winston, A., Hunter, A. B., & Handelsman, J. (2013). Increasing persistence of college students in STEM. Science, 341(6153), 1455–1456.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halcrow, C., & Dunnigan, G. (2012). Online homework in calculus I: Friend or foe? Primus, 22(8), 664–682.

  • Harris, R., Mack, M., Bryant, J., Theobald, E., & Freeman, S. (2020). Reducing achievement gaps in undergraduate general chemistry could lift underrepresented students into a “hyperpersistent zone. Science Advances, 6(24), eaaz5687.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hewson, S. (2011). The mathematical problems faced by advanced STEM students. Cambridge: NRICH. Available via: http://nrich.maths.org/6458 (last accessed 10/07/2015).

  • Hibbard, L., Sung, S., & Wells, B. (2016). Examining the effectiveness of a semi-self-paced flipped learning format in a college general chemistry sequence. Journal of Chemical Education, 93(1), 24–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoover-Dempsey, K. V., Bassler, O. C., & Burow, R. (1995). Parents’ reported involvement in students’ homework: Strategies and practices. The elementary school journal, 95(5), 435–450.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ismail, M., Mokhtar, W., Nasir, N., Rashid, N., & Ariffin, A. (2014). The development of a web-based homework system (WBH) via TCExam. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 5(15), 249.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kouzma, N. M., & Kennedy, G. A. (2002). Homework, stress, and mood disturbance in senior high school students. Psychological Reports, 91(1), 193–198.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LEARNING, M. (2019). Sapling Learning. Retrieved 28 July from https://www.macmillanlearning.com/college/us/digital/sapling.

  • Lindsay, P. H., & Norman, D. A. (2013). Human information processing: An introduction to psychology. Academic press.

  • Mathai, E., & Olsen, D. (2013). Studying the effectiveness of online homework for different skill levels in a college algebra course. Primus, 23(8), 671–682.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MCGRAW-HILL (2019). Overview of ALEKS. Retrieved 28 July from https://www.aleks.com/aboutaleks/overview.

  • Moe, A., Katz, I., Cohen, R., & Alesi, M. (2020). Reducing homework stress by increasing adoption of need-supportive practices: Effects of an intervention with parents. Learning and Individual Differences, 82, 101921.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nabulsi, L., Nguyen, A., & Odeleye, O. (2021). A comparison of the effects of two different online homework systems on levels of knowledge retention in general chemistry students. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 30(1), 31–39.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Núñez, J. C., Suárez, N., Rosário, P., Vallejo, G., Cerezo, R., & Valle, A. (2015). Teachers’ feedback on homework, homework-related behaviors, and academic achievement. the Journal of Educational research, 108(3), 204–216.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olson, S., & Riordan, D. G. (2012). Engage to excel: Producing one million additional college graduates with degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Report to the president. Executive Office of the President.

  • Raccanello, D., Brondino, M., Moè, A., Stupnisky, R., & Lichtenfeld, S. (2019). Enjoyment, boredom, anxiety in elementary schools in two domains: Relations with achievement. The Journal of Experimental Education, 87(3), 449–469.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richards-Babb, M., Drelick, J., Henry, Z., & Robertson-Honecker, J. (2011). Online homework, help or hindrance? What students think and how they perform. Journal of College Science Teaching, 40(4).

  • Richards-Babb, M., Curtis, R., Georgieva, Z., & Penn, J. H. (2015). Student perceptions of online homework use for formative assessment of learning in organic chemistry. Journal of Chemical Education, 92(11), 1813–1819.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richards-Babb, M., Curtis, R., Ratcliff, B., Roy, A., & Mikalik, T. (2018). General chemistry student attitudes and success with use of online homework: Traditional-responsive versus adaptive-responsive. Journal of Chemical Education, 95(5), 691–699.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riffell, S. K., & Sibley, D. F. (2004). Can hybrid course formats increase attendance in undergraduate environmental science courses? Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education, 33(1), 16–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, M. D., & Reid, S. A. (2016). Impact of the flipped classroom on student performance and retention: A parallel controlled study in general chemistry. Journal of Chemical Education, 93(1), 13–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sarmiento, C. P. (2017). Student perceptions of online homework in mathematics of accounting and finance. Advanced Science Letters, 23(2), 1122–1125.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shedlosky-Shoemaker, R., & Fautch, J. M. (2015). Who leaves, who stays? Psychological predictors of undergraduate chemistry students’ persistence. Journal of Chemical Education, 92(3), 408–414.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stickles, P. R. (2017). The implementation of online homework in College Algebra and its results. Illinois Mathematics Teacher, 64(1), 6–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trautwein, U. (2007). The homework–achievement relation reconsidered: Differentiating homework time, homework frequency, and homework effort. Learning and instruction, 17(3), 372–388.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walberg, H. J., & Paik, S. J. (2000). Effective Educational Practices. Educational Practices Series–3.

  • Xu, J., & Yuan, R. (2003). Doing homework: Listening to students,‘parents,‘and teachers’ voices in one urban middle school community. School Community Journal, 13(2), 25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yoblinski, B. (2003). Sequencing general chemistry. Journal of College Science Teaching, 32(6), 382.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zare, R. N., Cox, C. T. Jr., Murphy, K., & Bayas, C. (2017). Implementation of peer-reviewed homework assignments. Journal of College Science Teaching, 46(3).

Download references

Funding

The authors did not receive support from any organization for the submitted work.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oklahoma, Norman, USA

    Diya Tang

  2. Department of Chemistry, West Virginia University, Morgantown, USA

    Oluwatobi Odeleye

Authors
  1. Diya Tang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Oluwatobi Odeleye
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Diya Tang.

Ethics declarations

Competing Interests

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Ethics Approval

The procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. This study was approved by the institutional review board (IRB) at University of Oklahoma (OU-NC IRB Number: 11054).

Informed Consent

was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Consent to Publish

The authors affirm that human research participants provided informed consent for publication.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Tang, D., Odeleye, O. Students’ Perceptions on the Impact of Online Homework Systems on Their Performance in a General Chemistry Course. J Sci Educ Technol 32, 710–721 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-023-10061-0

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-023-10061-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation