Daily mathematics homework raises eighth-grade mathematics achievement by about 7.36 TIMSS units relative to homework up to one or two times per week¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · associational r3 · q2
Currency · newest study 2023 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Increasing homework frequency from up to one or two times per week to every day increases Irish eighth-grade mathematics achievement by 7.36 TIMSS scale units (95% credible interval 1.81 to 15.60), approximately a 0.1 standard deviation increase. → Nathan McJames 2023

Evidence¶

Nathan McJames 2023¶

Nathan McJames, Andrew Parnell, and Ann O'Shea. (2023). Little and Often: Causal Inference Machine Learning Demonstrates the Benefits of Homework for Improving Achievement in Mathematics and Science. https://timssandpirls.bc.edu/timss2019/international-results

q2 · i? · associational · r3

Causal analysis of the nationally representative TIMSS 2019 Irish eighth-grade sample using a multivariate Bayesian Causal Forests model with sampling weights and five plausible values. The article reports the average treatment effect of daily mathematics homework versus the baseline of up to one or two times per week, calling it "an approximately0.1 standard deviation increase in mathematics achievement".

"Looking at the “Every Day” section for mathematics in Table 2, the ATE and 95% credible interval is 7.36 and (1.81, 15.60)."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• The optimal homework frequency in science is three or four times per week, with daily science homework showing no significant benefit over the baseline — related
• Increasing homework duration beyond fifteen minutes shows no clear benefit for mathematics or science achievement — related
• Homework frequency is more important than homework duration for improving eighth-grade mathematics and science achievement — a broader claim this one bears on
• Students from advantaged socioeconomic backgrounds do not benefit significantly more from homework than their peers in eighth grade — related