vii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER
1
TITLE
PAGE
DECLARATION
ii
DEDICATION
iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
iv
ABSTRACT
v
ABSTRAK
vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS
vii
LIST OF TABLES
x
LIST OF FIGURES
xii
LIST OF APPENDICES
xiii
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Introduction
1
1.2
Problem background
2
1.3
Problem statement
5
1.4
Research objectives
6
1.5
Research questions
6
1.6
Research hypothesis
7
1.7
Research scope
7
1.8
Importance of the study
8
1.9
Definition of terms
8
1.10
Summary of the chapter
9
viii
2
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1
Introduction
10
2.2
Homework
11
2.3
The importance of homework
11
2.4
Different views about homework
13
2.5
2.4.1
Teachers’ view
13
2.4.2
Students’ view
14
2.4.3
Parents’ view
16
How will students be interested in doing homework?
17
2.5.1
The use of motivational factors
17
2.5.2
Supporting the students when they are doing
homework
2.6
Homework and science performance
2.7
Internet and web-based systems as supportive and
motivational tools in doing homework
2.7.1
2.8
2.9
3
Web-based homework system in physics’ course
22
23
25
26
Facebook
28
2.8.1
29
Facebook as an academic tool
Summary of the chapter
30
METHODOLOGY
3.1
Introduction
32
3.2
Research design
32
3.3
Sample of the study
35
3.4
Data collecting instruments and procedures
36
3.4.1
Capacitor Concept Test
37
3.4.2
Basic Information-Q
39
3.4.3
Perception-Q
41
3.4.4
Interview Questions
44
3.5
Piloting the instruments
45
3.6
Development of the Facebook page
48
3.7
Treatment
52
3.8
The procedure of the study
54
ix
4
3.9
Research ethics
56
3.10
Data analyses
57
3.11
Summary of the chapter
59
DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS
4.1
Introduction
60
4.2
Analysis of the questionnaires
60
4.2.1
Analysis of the Basic Information-Q
61
4.2.2
Analysis of the Perception-Q
63
4.3
5
Analysis of the Capacitor Concept Test
72
4.3.1
Analysis of the pre-test
72
4.3.2
Analysis of the post-test
73
4.3.3
Difference between pre-test and post-test
74
4.4
Analysis of the interviews
75
4.5
Summary of the chapter
81
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1
Introduction
82
5.2
Conclusion
82
5.2.1
First research objective
82
5.2.2
Second research objective
83
5.2.3
Third research objective
86
5.3
Recommendations for further study
87
5.4
Pedagogical implications
88
5.5
Summary
89
REFERENCES
90
Appendixes A- J
97-114
x
LIST OF TABLES
TABLE NO.
TITLE
PAGE
3.1
Table of specification of the Capacitor Concept Test
38
3.2
Categories of questions in Basic Information-Q
40
3.3
Categories of questions in Perception-Q
43
3.4
The purpose of designing each interview question
45
3.5
Reliability Statistics for Basic Information-Q (n=13)
47
3.6
Reliability Statistics for Perception-Q (n=13)
47
3.7
Timeline of conducting the treatment and data collection
55
3.8
Data analysis methods
58
4.1
Data obtained from Basic Information-Q (n=41)
61
4.2
Time devoted by students on working with Facebook (n=41)
obtained from Basic Information-Q
4.3
62
Descriptive analyses of questions 1-3 of Perception-Q
(n=39)
64
4.4
Descriptive analysis of questions 4-7 of Perception-Q (n=39)
65
4.5
Descriptive analysis of questions 8-18 and 22 of PerceptionQ (n=39)
4.6
Descriptive analysis of questions 19-21 of Perception-Q
(n=39)
4.7
69
Descriptive analyses of questions 23-26 of Perception-Q
(n=39)
4.8
67
71
Descriptive analysis of the marks obtained from the pre-test
(n=39)
73
xi
4.9
Descriptive analysis of the marks obtained from the post-test
(n=39)
73
4.10
Paired-sample t-test between the pre- and post-tests
74
4.11
The students’ responses to the first interview question
(n=10)
4.12
The students’ responses to the second interview question
(n=10)
4.13
78
The students’ responses to the fourth interview question
(n=10)
4.15
77
The students’ responses to the third interview question
(n=10)
4.14
76
79
The students’ responses to the fifth interview question
(n=10)
80
xii
LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURES NO.
TITLE
PAGE
3.1
The steps of research design
34
3.2
Homework, in Persian language page
50
3.3
A picture, a video and some physics’ tips, uploaded in
“Homework, in Persian language” page
3.4
51
An example response of a student, to the 4th set of
exercises and its feedback from the researcher.
51
xiii
LIST OF APPENDICES
APPENDIX
TITLE
PAGE
A
Capacitor Concept Test
97
B
Marking scheme
101
C
Basic Information-Q
103
D
A flow chart technique for question planning (Cohen et al.,
2000)
105
E
Perception-Q
106
F
Interview questions
109
G
Basic Information-Q, before final piloting
110
H
Pictures of “Homework in Persian language” page
111
I
Paper of procedure
112
J
Examples of online chat conversations between the teacher
and the students
113