The Importance Of Semi-Structured Interviews

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In order to gather data onto the study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with elementary school teachers, parents and students. All participants were asked questions pertaining to homework to get a clear understanding of the benefits and/or impact on student success. Semi-structured interviews allowed for deviation from questions per the interviewer and explore the topic more in-depth (Houser, 2014, p. 235). The questions ask of the participants were both closed and open ended. Open ended questions allowed the participants to respond openly and to allow for elaboration when required. Interviews with participants ranged from 45 to 60 minutes with each session being audio recorded. Teachers were asked the following questions to obtain …show more content…
The survey was used to explore topics that could not be addressed to the group setting with the other participants present. Prior to completion of the survey, students were informed of the purposes and use of the survey. The parent survey consisted of five questions. The questions are as follows: What are the reactions of students when assigned homework? Are you normally satisfied with the assigned homework? Do students normally see the benefits of assignments? Do students normally have choices or option when completing assigned task? Are students with a disability differentiated for when assigned homework? Students were asked to complete a survey consisted of ten questions to obtain a better understanding of their perception and beliefs of homework. Survey responses were measured using a Likert –type gradation. The survey questions were closed-ended which does not allow participants to elaborate. All 30 students participated in the …show more content…
Definitely Sometimes Rarely

Are students encouraged to be creative with their assignments?

Frequently Not so Frequently Never

Upon analyzing the data, the following conclusions can be drawn. The topic of homework as a whole has many benefits and drawbacks. The assigning of science homework ensures students’ curiosity is being fed and students’ are continuously learning about what is going on around them. See below for concrete examples of the data demonstrating specific themes, patterns and keywords. Data is placed into a positive and a negative category.
Positive Categories
The two categories labeled for the positive feedback on homework experiences are: valuable feedback and communication and teacher passion.
• “Teachers gave valuable feedback on science homework”……..
• “Homework is important for reiteration of class work”…..
• “Homework opens the line of communication between parent and teachers”…..
• “A passion for course work”……
• “A passion for teaching”……
• “There was direct link made with the assignment and topic as a

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