Homework has a long tradition in Switzerland (as well as in many other countries worldwide) and is (still) a relevant practice in many schools. However, discussions regarding homework are controversial. These discussions pertain, for instance, to the additional learning time that is gained by homework and whether this has an impact on students’ achievement. Moreover, it is discussed whether homework supports independent learning through the acquisition of learning strategies. In addition, the possibility of equalising opportunities or reinforcement due to different levels of support at home between pupils with different abilities is discussed, as well as the impact of homework on the development of students’ interest (Hascher & Hofmann, 2008, p. 146; Trautwein, 2008; Trautwein et al., 2001, p. 703f.).

           Previous research on homework has mostly focused on its didactic-methodical function, i.e. the effectiveness (Trautwein et al., 2009). The quality of homework is a crucial aspect that positively influences learners' homework behaviour and can thus help them to improve their achievement (Dettmers et al., 2010; Hascher & Hofmann, 2008, 2011; Trautwein et al., 2006; Trautwein & Lüdtke, 2009). A significant method for teachers to design high-quality homework is to differentiate homework. Differentiation is of particular importance for homework, since students cannot rely on teacher’ support while completing their homework. Therefore, the homework needs to align well with students’ skills, which are typically quite heterogeneous resulting in high requirements for high-quality homework: It should challenge students, but at the same time, they should be able to do it without the teacher’s help (Dettmers et al., 2010, p. 468). If all students were given the same homework, even though the individual prerequisites were different (e.g. prior knowledge, interest), an over- or under-challenge would result. It is likely that students who are over-challenged by the homework, experience more negative emotions, such as anxiety or frustration (Kohler, 2017; Trautwein, 2008). On the contrary, students who are under-challenged, may become bored, which could result in a decrease in homework motivation or learning motivation more generally (Dettmers et al., 2010).

            Consequently, it seems to be important that teachers use differentiation in their homework practices in order to prevent such negative effects on the students’ side. However, in a study relying on a sample of about 300 Austrian and Swiss teachers, Hascher and Hofmann (2011, p. 227) found that only 15% of the teachers use differentiation criteria when assigning homework. According to Kohler (2017, p. 58), teachers know about the necessity of differentiation, but are reluctant to assign differentiated homework to students due to an increase in expected effort and possible uncomfortable discussions with students. Thus, one may conclude, that negative emotions experienced by teachers that are associated with differentiation might contribute to the relative absence of differentiation when assigning homework to students.

           Teacher emotions have been identified as significant factor influencing teaching behaviour, and consequently, teaching quality (Frenzel et al., 2009). More concretely, emotions can be the source of the effectiveness of the teacher's teaching behaviour (Hascher & Krapp, 2014, p. 690). Interestingly, research has neglected the link between teachers’ emotions and homework practice (as an important facet of teachers’ behaviour in the classroom) so far. This is where our research fulfils a function: We aim to explore teachers’ emotions triggered by and linked to their homework practice with a particular focus on differentiation. In doing so, the theory on teachers’ emotions and the link to teaching practice will be extended by bringing in homework as a quality criterion of teaching behaviour (Frenzel, 2014).

As the research field on teacher emotions related to their homework practice is relatively unexplored, a qualitative-explorative approach was chosen to answer the proposed research question. More concretely, a total of 20-25 purposively selected teachers from the canton of Bern participate in the study. The focus is placed on German secondary teachers as homework is assigned in this school subject frequently. Data is collected via semi-structured interviews based on an interview guideline. This research design with an open interview situation allows us to collect the subjective and in-depths views of the teachers on their realized homework practice. The interviewees are encouraged to speak openly and frankly about their experiences; to this end a collegial and conversational style is employed as technique of interviewing. The interviews are recorded and transcribed verbatim based on standardized transcription rules. Personal information that could identify the person is deleted and anonymity is guaranteed. Informed consent is obtained prior to the interview. The interviews are analysed by structuring qualitative content analysis according to Mayring (2015) relying on a deductive-inductive coding scheme. The manuscripts are read several times to get an overview on the mentioned themes, looking for sections that refer to positive and negative emotions and their antecedents during homework practice differentiating between planning homework, assigning homework, correcting homework and giving feedback to students on their homework - in general and with regard to differentiation. Interrater reliability in order to check for coding accuracy will be calculated.

At the time of submitting this proposal, data collection is still in progress and only expected results can be proposed. Based on the findings of Hascher and Hofmann (2011) that only few teachers differentiate homework, although they are aware of the importance of doing so, more negative emotions are expected than positive ones. The homework process consists of different aspects, which are likely to trigger different emotions in teachers. Anger might be particularly relevant for the quality of the teacher`s homework practice. For example, as teachers usually give homework just before the end of a lesson or even after the lesson has ended, anger might be evoked as students might not be as focused towards the end of the lesson and may talk during homework assignments. Disciplinary problems could therefore arise (Frenzel et al., 2008). Thus, the quality of how the homework is assigned to students might be limited. The same can be said for teachers’ feedback on students’ homework: It is expected to gain in quality, if teachers experience positive emotions (e.g. by seeing an increase in achievement), while a decrease in quality might be expected when negative emotions occur (e.g. due to students copying homework). Furthermore, with regard to differentiation it is expected that teachers who frequently experience anger (or other negative emotions) when assigning homework are more likely to set uniform homework because they are not willing to spend a lot of time and effort in giving homework. On the contrary, it is expected that teachers will probably put more effort into planning and assigning homework and will probably be more willing to differentiate when they experience (predominantly) positive emotions. Concluding, if teachers enhanced their emotional awareness with regard to homework and differentiation, an increased quality of homework practice and higher levels of differentiation might be achieved.

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