The Impact of Differentiated English Homework Design on Primary School Students’ Academic Achievement: A Two-Cycle Action Research in the Context of the “Double Reduction” Policy

Abstract

The “Double Reduction” policy mandates that compulsory education homework design achieve “burden reduction and quality improvement.” However, the “one-size-fits-all” approach remains prevalent in primary school English homework, failing to accommodate individual student differences. This study adopted a two-cycle action research paradigm, involving two fourth-grade classes from Primary School C in City P (50 students in the experimental class, 52 in the control class). Employing a quasi-experimental design with longitudinal tracking (pre-test, mid-test, post-test) within the experimental class and cross-sectional comparisons between the experimental and control classes, the study quantitatively examined the effects of differentiated homework design on student academic achievement. The results showed that the experimental class’s post-test average score significantly improved by 5.86 points compared to the pre-test (t = 23.53, p < 0.001), and the difference with the control class’s post-test score was also statistically significant (t = 2.58, p < 0.05). This effect accumulated progressively over the practice period. Furthermore, students in the experimental class reported a 14% increase in homework enjoyment and a 12% decrease in perceived burden, while the control class experienced a 13.5% increase in perceived burden. The study concludes that the differentiated homework design, through its “implicit differentiation + independent choice” implementation strategy and “1+X” flexible framework, can effectively enhance students’ academic performance and improve their attitudes towards homework, providing a reference for optimizing and empirically evaluating primary school English homework design under the “Double Reduction” policy.