The Impact of Homework on Student Achievement

35 Pages Posted: 19 Jul 2006

See all articles by Ozkan Eren

Ozkan Eren

Southern Methodist University (SMU) - Department of Economics

Daniel J. Henderson

University of Alabama; Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)

Date Written: May 2006

Abstract

Utilizing parametric and nonparametric techniques, we asses the role of a heretofore relatively unexplored 'input' in the educational process, homework, on academic achievement. Our results indicate that homework is an important determinant of student test scores. Relative to more standard spending related measures, extra homework has a larger and more significant impact on test scores. However, the effects are not uniform across different subpopulations; we find additional homework to be most effective for high and low achievers. Moreover, the parametric estimates of the educational production function overstate the impact of schooling related inputs. In all estimates, the homework coefficient from the parametric model maps to the upper deciles of the nonparametric coefficient distribution and as a by-product the parametric model understates the percentage of students with negative responses to additional homework.

Keywords: Generalized Kernel Estimation, Nonparametric, School Inputs, Stochastic Dominance, Student Achievement

JEL Classification: C14, I21, I28

Suggested Citation

Eren, Ozkan and Henderson, Daniel J., The Impact of Homework on Student Achievement (May 2006). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=917447 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.917447

Ozkan Eren

Southern Methodist University (SMU) - Department of Economics ( email )

Dallas, TX 75275
United States
(214) 768-3957 (Phone)
(214) 768-1821 (Fax)

Daniel J. Henderson (Contact Author)

University of Alabama ( email )

P.O. Box 870244
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
United States
205-348-8991 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://cba.ua.edu/~djhender

Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) ( email )

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

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