This research was conducted during the 2024–2025 and the first half of the 2025–2026 academic year and examined the impact of mathematics homework and the provision of systematic feedback on students’ academic achievement. It was assumed that homework also implements the hidden curriculum and may lead to changes in learners’ behavior, personal qualities, and habits; therefore, the analysis of results also considered students’ non-academic achievements.

Homework is defined as any task that school teachers expect students to complete out of classroom (Cooper, 1989). According to De Jong, Westerhof, and Creemers (2000), homework refers to the completion of school curriculum tasks outside regular classroom lessons.

A number of literature reviews indicate that homework has a positive effect on students’ academic achievement. Homework is one of the most widespread practices that teaches children that effort leads to results (Cooper et al., 2006; Epstein & Van Voorhis, 2001; Trautwein et al., 2009). Homework influences not only academic achievement but also personal development. Teachers assign homework to help students develop time management, planning, study skills, and the ability to cope with distractions (Epstein & Van Voorhis, 2001). Similar findings were reported in studies by Fan et al. (2017) and Falch and Rønning (2012), which covered 16 OECD countries. Although differences between countries were observed, the overall trend was similar (Dettmers et al., 2009).

Some researchers oppose the practice of assigning homework. According to Galloway et al., homework limits the time students have to develop socially, physically, civically, or spiritually, causes academic stress, and disrupts life balance (Galloway, 2013). Studies by Gökhan Baş, Cihad Şentürk, and Fatih Mehmet Ciğerci show that homework has only a minimal effect on students’ academic achievement (Issues in Educational Research, 27(1), 2017).

The main aim of the study is to determine the impact of homework on students’ achievement and to identify how the digitalization of feedback formats affects its efficiency.

Research question:
“How does using homework as a formative assessment tool affect students’ achievement?”

Objectives:

• to analyze the opinions of stakeholders interested in student achievement;
• to examine the methods and quality of homework assignment;
• to analyze the outcomes of digitalizing homework feedback and tracking.

The study involved 120 students aged 14–17.

During the study, a digital platform was developed to identify the relationship between students’ mathematics achievement and the systematic completion of homework. The platform was designed to regularly record students’ homework completion levels, classroom engagement, and formative assessment results in daily instructional practice. The key feature of the digital tool is its focus on increasing learning motivation by integrating continuous monitoring of students’ learning activities with prompt feedback.

On the platform, each lesson’s homework completion is marked using specific visual symbols: a “full heart” indicates that homework was completed fully and correctly, a “half heart” indicates partial completion, and an “empty heart” indicates that the homework was not completed at all. Formative assessment on the platform is provided through textual and visual support. This marking system aims to help students clearly perceive their responsibility and develop consistent daily learning habits.

For students who achieve the highest result (10 points), an automatic reward mechanism is activated on the platform. This assessment system is not intended for comparison or punishment, but rather to support students’ progress and enhance their confidence.

The results of summative assessment by units showed an increase in task completion levels from 76% to 80%. However, the growth was uneven: initially, results increased to 90%, then declined to 68%. The final indicator reached 80%, which is only a 4% increase compared to the pre-study results.

Data are based on document analysis and surveys. In addition to structured closed-ended questions, the survey included open-ended questions that allowed respondents to freely express their opinions and perspectives. As this was a qualitative study, individual and group interviews were conducted. These helped to identify key trends and guided the exploration of ways to improve homework effectiveness. The study analyzed the opinions of 75 teachers and 100 parents from three selective schools and three general education schools. Among the teachers surveyed, 76% assign homework daily. While 48.8% of teachers assign 3–5 tasks, 36.6% reported providing homework feedback in a general manner during lessons. These results prompted the search for more effective feedback strategies. Among the students who participated in the study, 67.5% believed that homework positively affects academic performance, 7.5% believed it has no effect, and 25% expressed a neutral position. The majority of respondents (60%) noted that homework supports independent learning. Another notable finding is that only 20% of students stated that homework contributes to conducting research and solving problems independently. This indicates the need to focus on homework quality to enhance its impact on student achievement. Additionally, 30% of respondents reported that homework causes anxiety, and 55% indicated that it interferes with sports or personal interests. This highlights the importance of considering approaches to homework that do not hinder students’ personal development. For 80% of students, homework is important for reviewing and reinforcing classroom learning, while 15% believe that homework is unnecessary because classroom instruction is sufficient. According to the survey results, 44% of students spend approximately of an hour on mathematics homework, and 16.7% spend less than one hour. According to 79.2% of parents, homework is assigned in appropriate amounts. The majority of parents (58.3%) stated that homework does not negatively affect their child’s personal development or health. Correspondingly, 87.5% and 62.5% of parents reported that homework contributes to knowledge consolidation and increased responsibility. In addition, the performance data of students registered on the specially developed digital platform and were analyzed as a research instrument. Comparisons were made between students’ homework completion levels and their classroom achievement. Observations conducted during lessons and extracurricular activities examined changes in students’ personal qualities, competencies, and skills. Of the 37 students who participated in individual interviews, 22 students (59.4%) stated that tracking achievements through the digital platform increased their responsibility toward homework completion and their accountability for actions, decisions, and outcomes.

The majority of mathematics teachers assign homework every lesson and believe that homework influences students’ achievement. Teachers pay attention to assigning homework in moderation. For students, homework is a natural part of the learning process and is necessary for reinforcing classroom knowledge. Moreover, students’ academic achievement is closely linked to the timeliness, consistency, and constructiveness of feedback on homework. Systematic homework assignment also supports the implementation of the hidden curriculum, such as effective time use, responsibility, and self-regulation. Students who invested more effort in homework demonstrated more positive development of qualities such as neatness and sustained attention. The study showed that assigning a smaller number of tasks that encourage research and inquiry is more effective than giving multiple repetitive tasks. Compared to traditional homework practices, diversifying the formats of homework checking and feedback has a strong impact on increasing productivity and responsibility. Viewing homework completion not as a one-time result but as a cumulative indicator over time that reflects students’ consistency and continuous development yielded positive outcomes. Animated congratulatory messages and peer support elements fostered a positive emotional climate among students and socially reinforced academic achievement. Such visual elements allow students to immediately see the results of their efforts and motivate them to complete tasks fully. Creating a digital environment can enhance the effectiveness of homework by clearly demonstrating the relationship between homework completion and classroom engagement, thereby supporting students in achieving stable and high academic performance in mathematics.

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