Should we Help our Children with Homework? A Meta-Analysis Using PISA Data.

BACKGROUND: The role of homework in students' academic performance is a widely debated topic about which there is no definitive answer. The objective of this study was to analyse the importance of parental help with homework in academic achievement, testing its cultural invariance (by country), academic invariance (by subject), and the stability of its effects over time. METHOD: A meta-analysis was performed using the results of PISA evaluations from 2009, 2012, 2015, and 2018 from countries which applied the family PISA questionnaire. We analysed 180 effects and confirmed the fit of the model and the heterogeneity of the effects, performing an analysis of moderators and multimodal inference. RESULTS: Students who had more help with homework had lower academic achievement, with an overall effect (d) = 0.23, 95% CI [0.21, 0.25]. The effects were greater in Europe than in Asia. We did not find differences by subject type, and the results were stable over time. CONCLUSIONS: Family help with homework does not ensure students' academic success, and it is more important how that help is given than how much. This conclusion is valid for different types of subjects and is stable over time, with some variation between cultures.

Should we Help our Children with Homework? A Meta-Analysis Using PISA Data / ¿Debemos Ayudar a Nuestros Hijos con los Deberes? un Meta-Análisis con Datos PISA

Background: The role of homework in students’ academic performance is a widely debated topic about which there is no definitive answer. The objective of this study was to analyse the importance of parental help with homework in academic achievement, testing its cultural invariance (by country), academic invariance (by subject), and the stability of its effects over time. Method: A meta-analysis was performed using the results of PISA evaluations from 2009, 2012, 2015, and 2018 from countries which applied the family PISA questionnaire. We analysed 180 effects and confirmed the fit of the model and the heterogeneity of the effects, performing an analysis of moderators and multimodal inference. Results: Students who had more help with homework had lower academic achievement, with an overall effect (d) = 0.23, 95% CI [0.21, 0.25]. The effects were greater in Europe than in Asia. We did not find differences by subject type, and the results were stable over time. Conclusions: Family help with homework does not ensure students’ academic success, and it is more important how that help is given than how much. This conclusion is valid for different types of subjects and is stable over time, with some variation between cultures.

Antecedentes: el papel de los deberes escolares en el rendimiento académico es un tema ampliamente debatido, no existiendo una respuesta definitiva. El presente trabajo analiza el efecto de la ayuda parental con los deberes sobre los resultados educativos, comprobando la invarianza cultural (por países) y académica (por asignaturas), así como la estabilidad temporal de los efectos. Método: se realizó un meta-análisis con los resultados PISA de los años 2009, 2012, 2015 y 2018, incluyendo los países que aplicaron el cuestionario PISA para las familias. Se analizaron 180 efectos, comprobando el ajuste del modelo y la heterogeneidad de los efectos, y realizando análisis de moderadores y análisis de inferencia con modelos múltiples. Resultados: los estudiantes que reciben más ayuda con los deberes obtienen resultados más bajos: d = 0.23, IC 95% [0.21, 0.25]. Los efectos son mayores en Europa que en Asia. No se encontraron diferencias en función de la asignatura, y los resultados son estables a lo largo del tiempo. Conclusiones: la ayuda familiar con los deberes no garantiza el éxito académico, siendo más importante cómo se hace que el cuánto. Esta conclusión es válida en todas las asignaturas y se muestra estable en el tiempo, observándose variaciones interculturales.

An ecological view of measurement: focus on multilevel model explanation of differential item functioning / Un enfoque ecológico de la medición: explicación con modelos multinivel del funcionamiento diferencial de los ítems

Background: The 3rd Regional Comparative and Explanatory Study reports, analyses and compares academic results in mathematics, sciences, and reading for 15 Latin American countries. Validity is the foundation of a testing procedure, and the process of validation is important to the overall success of educational assessment as a whole. This methodological study deals specifically with an ecological point of view which includes and situates the person, process, context, and time of the testing situation. These descriptions indicate specific events showing how and what variables at the individual, school, or country level can give a deep understanding of the response process. The aims were to investigate ecological explanations of differential item functioning. Method: The study analysed the science test given in 2013 to 6th grade students and the data pool consisted of 12,657 students from 2,609 schools and 15 countries. A progressive inclusion of the variance distribution in different Bernoulli logistic regression models was carried out. Results: The analyses showed the presence of differential item functioning in 32% of the science items. Conclusions: The main source of differential item functioning was related to the human development level of the participating countries

Antecedentes: el tercer Estudio Regional Comparativo y Explicativo informa, analiza y compara los resultados académicos en matemáticas, ciencias y lectura de 15 países latinoamericanos. La validez es el fundamento del procedimiento de prueba y el proceso de validación es clave para el éxito de la evaluación educativa en general. Este estudio metodológico se enfoca desde un punto de vista ecológico que sitúa a la persona, el proceso, el contexto y el tiempo donde se desarrolla la prueba. Estas descripciones señalan eventos específicos cómo y qué variables a nivel individual, escuela o país pueden dar un entendimiento profundo del proceso de respuesta. El objetivo fue investigar el funcionamiento diferencial del ítem desde un marco ecológico. Método: se analizó la prueba de ciencias aplicada en 2013 a los alumnos de 6º grado, los datos abarcan a 12.657 alumnos, 2.609 escuelas y 15 países. Se realizó una inclusión progresiva de niveles de distribución de la varianza en diferentes modelos de regresión logística Bernoulli. Resultados: los análisis mostraron la presencia de funcionamiento diferencial del ítem en el 32% de la prueba de ciencias. Conclusión: la principal fuente de funcionamiento diferencial del ítem se ve asociado al nivel de desarrollo humano de los países participantes

An ecological view of measurement: focus on multilevel model explanation of differential item functioning.

BACKGROUND: The 3rd Regional Comparative and Explanatory Study reports, analyses and compares academic results in mathematics, sciences, and reading for 15 Latin American countries. Validity is the foundation of a testing procedure, and the process of validation is important to the overall success of educational assessment as a whole. This methodological study deals specifically with an ecological point of view which includes and situates the person, process, context, and time of the testing situation. These descriptions indicate specific events showing how and what variables at the individual, school, or country level can give a deep understanding of the response process. The aims were to investigate ecological explanations of differential item functioning. METHOD: The study analysed the science test given in 2013 to 6th grade students and the data pool consisted of 12,657 students from 2,609 schools and 15 countries. A progressive inclusion of the variance distribution in different Bernoulli logistic regression models was carried out. RESULTS: The analyses showed the presence of differential item functioning in 32% of the science items. CONCLUSIONS: The main source of differential item functioning was related to the human development level of the participating countries.

Homework and Academic Achievement in Latin America: A Multilevel Approach.

The relationship between homework and academic results has been widely researched. Most of that research has used English-speaking, European or Asian samples, and to date there have been no detailed studies into that relationship in Latin America and the Caribbean. The aim of this study is to examine the effect of quantitative homework characteristics on achievement in science. The sample comprised 61,938 students at 2,955 schools in the 15 Latin American countries (plus the Mexican state of New Leon) which participated in the Third Regional Comparative and Explanatory Study (TERCE), carried out by the Latin American Laboratory for Educational Quality (LLECE) in 2013. The mean age was 12.42 years old (±0.94). Within each country, three hierarchical-linear models were applied at two levels: student and school. The individual level considered time spent doing homework and the school level considered the amount and frequency of homework assignment. In addition, ten control variables were included in order to control the net effect of the characteristics of the homework on the result. The results confirmed that homework is widely assigned in the Latin American region. At the individual level, time spent on homework had little effect on academic performance, while in the quantitative homework characteristics it was the frequency of homework assignment which demonstrated a clearer effect rather than the amount of homework assigned.

Parental involvement and academic performance: Less control and more communication / Implicación familiar y rendimiento académico: menos control y más comunicación

Background: Parental involvement in the educational process is desirable, although more involvement does not guarantee better results. The aim of this research is to explore the relationship between styles of parental involvement at home and academic performance. Method: A random sample of 26,543 Spanish students was used, with a mean age of 14.4 (SD = 0.75). Two thirds (66.2%) attended a publicly funded school; 49.7% were girls; 87.8% had Spanish nationality; and 73.5% were in the school year corresponding to their age. Different three-level hierarchical-linear models were fitted: student, school, and region (autonomous community). Results: Students whose parents exhibited a more distal or indirect profile of family involvement tended to demonstrate better results than those from homes with a more controlling style. Parental involvement styles have an effect on achievement at an individual and school level, even after accounting for the effect of context or background variables. Conclusions: Given the importance of parental involvement in academic performance, schools should consider it in their family information and training policies. Schools which have more communicative family profiles tend to demonstrate lower levels of intra-school differences in students’ academic performance (AU)

Antecedentes: la implicación familiar en el proceso educativo es un hecho deseable, aunque una mayor implicación no garantiza mejores resultados. El objetivo de esta investigación es explorar la relación entre los estilos de implicación familiar en el hogar y los resultados escolares. Método: se utilizó una muestra de 26.543 estudiantes españoles con una medida de edad de 14,4 años (DT = 0,75). El 66,2% asiste a un centro público; el 49,7% son mujeres; el 87,8% es español; y el 73,5% está escolarizado en el curso correspondiente a su edad. Se ajustaron diferentes modelos jerárquico-lineales de tres niveles: alumnado, centro y región. Resultados: los estudiantes cuyos progenitores presentan un perfil de implicación familiar más distal o indirecto tienden a presentar mejores resultados que los que provienen de hogares con un estilo más controlador. Los estilos familiares tienen efecto sobre los resultados individuales y de centro, incluso después de descontar el impacto de las variables de contexto. Conclusiones: dada la importancia de la implicación familiar en el rendimiento, los centros deben de tenerla muy en cuenta en su política de información y formación familiar. Los centros que tienen perfiles familiares más comunicativos tienden a presentar menores diferencias intra-centro en los resultados individuales (AU)

Parental involvement and academic performance: Less control and more communication.

BACKGROUND: Parental involvement in the educational process is desirable, although more involvement does not guarantee better results. The aim of this research is to explore the relationship between styles of parental involvement at home and academic performance. METHOD: A random sample of 26,543 Spanish students was used, with a mean age of 14.4 (SD = 0.75). Two thirds (66.2%) attended a publicly funded school; 49.7% were girls; 87.8% had Spanish nationality; and 73.5% were in the school year corresponding to their age. Different three-level hierarchical-linear models were fitted: student, school, and region (autonomous community). RESULTS: Students whose parents exhibited a more distal or indirect profile of family involvement tended to demonstrate better results than those from homes with a more controlling style. Parental involvement styles have an effect on achievement at an individual and school level, even after accounting for the effect of context or background variables. CONCLUSIONS: Given the importance of parental involvement in academic performance, schools should consider it in their family information and training policies. Schools which have more communicative family profiles tend to demonstrate lower levels of intra-school differences in students’ academic performance.