Syftet med denna studie är att belysa om, varför och hur några lärare i årskurserna 1-3 anser sig arbeta med matematikläxor. Syftet är även att undersöka dessa lärares definition av läxa samt att utifrån det samlade resultatet identifiera möjligheter och hinder med matematikläxa. För att samla in data till studien användes semistrukturerade intervjuer med åtta lärare.  Studiens resultat visar att även om matematikläxan är inkluderad i undervisningen hos alla respondenter, skiljer sig syfte och definition åt. Vissa såg till exempel möjligheten till kommunikation med hemmen medan andra såg ett tillfälle för repetition. Resultatet visar även variation i hur matematikläxan används samt att den i sig själv kan utgöra möjligheter såväl som hinder för lärande. Vår slutsats är att matematikläxa som pedagogiskt verktyg används men är ett oreglerat område samt att en officiell riktlinje inom verksamheterna saknas. / The aim of this study is to identify if, why and how certain teachers of grade 1-3 consider to work with mathematics homework. Further the aim is to investigate the definition of homework and to identify opportunities and obstacles with including it as part of the teaching practised. To collect data for the study, semi-structured interviews have been performed with eight teachers. A presented results show that all respondents includes mathematics homework in their teaching but its purpose and definition varies. For example, some teachers sees it as a possibility of communication with the home while others sees it as an opportunity for repetition. The result also shows variations of how mathematics homework is used and that it can in itself constitute opportunities as well as obstacles to learning. The main conclusion of the study is that mathematics homework as an educational tool is an unregulated area with no official guideline in place.

Out of the debate in Swedish media about homework, the idea for this study was born. The idea was to investigate the popular belief of many foreign language teachers which suggest that homework glossing is a necessity in the English classroom for pupils vocabulary acquisition, while other assumes this method doesn’t lead to knowledge that last. Therefore, the purpose for this study was to examine how learners of English as a foreign language (EFL) manage to learn new words when they received glossing as homework and when they studied the words in a context during class. Furthermore, out of the argument that homework stress pupils and lowers their interest and motivation for the subject, a secondary purpose was to find out pupils’ opinions about learning new words through glossing as English homework. The study was focused on two teaching methods for vocabulary acquisition: the traditional teaching method designed to teach vocabulary by giving glossing as homework, and teaching new words during class with a focus on teaching the new words in context. Through the survey of these two different methods for vocabulary learning and an empirical study with two primary school classes in which these two methods were put on test, contrary to the expectation that learning words through homework glossing wouldn’t lead to vocabulary knowledge that last, the results of the empirical study showed that the group which received glossing as homework, did better on both test than the group which studied the word in context. Similarly, the data results showed the average pupil had a positive attitude to vocabulary homework as for the most part they felt it benefited them to study this method because of the effects of learning.

This study aims to investigate the attitudes to English homework held by teachers of primary school (Grades 4-6) in Mainland China, through an online survey. After obtaining 112 responses and analysing them by utilising both qualitative and quantitative methods, the results found that English teachers in China have a unified positive attitude towards homework and its effect. English homework is most commonly assigned once a day. Repetition or Exercise is the most popular type of assigned homework, and it is overwhelmingly preferred by the teachers, followed by Preparation and Reading. The respondents stress that homework has an indispensable connection with the scheduled school teaching. Through assigning the correct volume of homework, students can develop positive habits with regards to self-study, and therefore students can improve their academic performance in examinations. A combination of both oral and written feedback is utixlised the most. Follow-up of homework usually appears to be two-dimensional; material stimuli such as penalty copy and self-correction, and immaterial stimuli such as encouragement and criticism. All of the evidence shows that China’s particular education system reflects Skinner’s behaviourist theories of learning, meaning that students’ behaviour with regards to acquiring knowledge can be shaped by frequent and random reinforcement, and this behaviour will eventually persist in the long-term even in the absence of reinforcements.