The Influence of Homework Help Applications in Compulsory Education in China: A Systematic Literature Review by Yifan Lyu A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF EDUCATION with an emphasis in EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY Ogden, Utah July 4, 2024 Approved by Katarina Pantic, Ph.D. Jadelyn Abbott, Ph.D. Megan Hamilton, Ph.D. 2 THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS Table of Contents Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... 2 Table of Tables ............................................................................................................................... 4 Table of Figures ............................................................................................................................. 5 Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 6 Acknowledgments........................................................................................................................... 7 Introduction.................................................................................................................................... 8 Background Information and Research Importance............................................................. 8 Research Question ..................................................................................................................... 8 Literature Review ........................................................................................................................... 9 Chinese Education System and Gaokao .................................................................................. 9 Impact of Examination-Oriented Education .......................................................................... 9 Double Reduction Policy and Its Impact .............................................................................. 10 Development of Homework Help Technologies.................................................................... 11 Methodology ................................................................................................................................. 14 Literature Search .................................................................................................................... 14 Inclusion Criteria .................................................................................................................... 17 Final Sample ............................................................................................................................ 17 Classification Criteria ............................................................................................................. 18 THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS 3 Results........................................................................................................................................... 21 Negative Effects ....................................................................................................................... 23 Decline in Use of Cognitive Skills ....................................................................................... 23 Decline in Psychological Functions .................................................................................... 24 Other ..................................................................................................................................... 25 Positive Effects ......................................................................................................................... 26 Improvement of Motivation ................................................................................................ 27 Improvement of Performance ............................................................................................ 28 Enhancement of Teacher-Student Interactions ................................................................ 29 Improvement of Learning ................................................................................................... 29 Increase in Cognitive Skills ................................................................................................. 30 Differentiation ...................................................................................................................... 31 Discussion..................................................................................................................................... 33 Main Contribution of the Paper ............................................................................................ 33 Areas Needing More Research ............................................................................................... 33 Difficulties Encountered ......................................................................................................... 34 Recommendations for Improvement ..................................................................................... 34 Conclusion.................................................................................................................................... 35 References .................................................................................................................................... 36 THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS 4 Table of Tables Table 1 .......................................................................................................................................... 13 Table 2 .......................................................................................................................................... 17 Table 3 .......................................................................................................................................... 18 Table 4 .......................................................................................................................................... 23 Table 5 .......................................................................................................................................... 26 THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS 5 Table of Figures Figure 1 ......................................................................................................................................... 21 Figure 2 ......................................................................................................................................... 22 THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS 6 Abstract This systematic literature review investigates the influence of homework help applications on compulsory education students in China. By analyzing 70 relevant studies published over the last decade, the review identifies both positive and negative impacts of these digital tools. Positive effects include improved student motivation, academic performance, teacher-student interactions, learning, cognitive skills, and personalized learning experiences. However, negative effects such as cognitive skill decline, psychological issues, and other adverse outcomes are also highlighted. The review emphasizes the need for long-term studies and the development of applications that balance benefits while minimizing drawbacks. This research contributes to understanding the dual impact of homework help technologies and offers recommendations for optimizing their integration into educational practices. 7 THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS Acknowledgments I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Dr. Katarina Pantic, Chair of my thesis committee, for her invaluable guidance and support throughout the research process. Her insights and encouragement have been instrumental in the completion of this thesis. I also extend my sincere thanks to Dr. Jadelyn Abbott and Dr. Megan Hamilton for their critical feedback and constant support. Their expertise and advice have greatly enriched my research. Additionally, I am grateful to the faculty and staff of the Educational Technology program at Weber State University for providing a stimulating academic environment. Lastly, I thank my family and friends for their unwavering support and patience during this journey. THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS 8 Introduction Background Information and Research Importance In China, basic education currently includes early childhood education (usually 3-5 years old), compulsory education (usually 6-15 years old), and senior secondary education (usually 1619 years old) (Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China, 2007). Compulsory education incorporates first to ninth grade, while secondary education includes senior secondary education and junior secondary education. Senior secondary education includes general high schools, vocational high schools, secondary vocational schools, technical schools and similar (Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China, 2019), while junior secondary education includes junior high school, nine-year consistent school, 12-year consistent school, complete middle school, vocational junior high school, and adult junior high school (Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China, 2019). Chinese students take the college entrance examination after three years of general high school, which means they have three years to prepare for the college entrance examination (Yang, 2018). Strict entrance exams create an educational culture that is highly examination-oriented (Chao, 2022). Examination-oriented education focuses on preparing for exams, prioritizing scores and admission rates over holistic development, including personality, social skills, and the arts (Yang, 2016; Jiang, 2019; Zhu, 2011). This educational approach has led to significant stress and anxiety among students (Ma et al., 2021). Research Question Little is known about the positive and negative effects of homework that help technologies on students. For that reason, my goal is to conduct a systematic literature review in connection to the top ten applications and answer the following research question: THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS 9 RQ: What does literature say about positive and negative effects of homework help technologies on compulsory education students in China? Literature Review Chinese Education System and Gaokao Current college entrance examination in China uses a centralized and unified examination management model (Examination Center of the Ministry of Education, 1999). What this means is that the control of the college entrance examination lies with the country, which strictly regulates the distribution of enrollment plans (Yang, 2016). The same goes for subjects and admission scores (Tang, 2014). The unified college entrance examination in China has two types: general college entrance examination (also known as “Gaokao”) and adult college entrance examination (Zhu, 2011). Since the social influence of the general college entrance examination and its status in the higher education system are far greater than that of the adult college entrance examination (Zhu, 2011), when I talk about the college entrance examination, I refer to the general college entrance examination. The admissions standards for colleges and universities in China tend to be standardized. With the exception of some colleges and universities in the early admission batch that enjoy the privilege of interview and comprehensive evaluation, all provinces (municipalities and autonomous regions) use unified score standards as the only selection criteria (Gu, 2010; Li, 2008; Tang, 2014), often ignoring the overall quality of students (Zhan, 2012). Impact of Examination-Oriented Education Part of the reason why the elimination process is inevitable is the fact that China is a country with a large population, many of which are interested in college education. This consequently requires screening and elimination in enrollment (Zhan, 2012). To illustrate this THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS 10 point, the average annual enrollment in colleges and universities in 1979 and 1980 was only 270,000 to 310,000 (Zhu, 2011). The number of applicants for the national college entrance examination in 2023 was 12.91 million (Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China, 2023), which is significantly higher in comparison to the past. In addition to having an elimination function in society, such a rigid examination offers the students from low socioeconomic status an opportunity to achieve upward mobility and believe that “knowledge can change their destiny” (Yang, 2018, p. 147). For that and many other reasons, people attach so much importance to scores and compete to get into prestigious schools at once. Strict entrance exams are problematic, because they create an educational culture that is examination-oriented (Chao, 2022). As Yang (2016) noted, examination-oriented education is the kind of education that is focusing on exam preparation. What will be tested is taught, and what will not be tested is not taught. Scores and admission rates are prioritized, while personality cultivation, personality development, social care and even music, physical education and art are somewhat secondary. It is widely believed that Chinese, Math and English are the most important subjects (Jiang, 2019; Yang, 2018; Zhu, 2011), which is why students need to spend a lot of time learning those subjects. Schools emphasize knowledge over abilities, which violates the laws of education and is not conducive to stimulating students’ thirst for knowledge and intellectual development. For a long time, the double pressure of students’ homework and offcampus training burden have deprived students of normal childhood, causing severe academic anxiety, score anxiety, ranking anxiety and test anxiety (Ma et al., 2021). Double Reduction Policy and Its Impact On July 24, 2021, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council issued the “Opinions on Further Reducing THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS 11 the Homework Burden and Off-campus Training Burden of Students in Compulsory Education” (General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council, 2021) (hereinafter referred to as the double reduction policy). With the implementation of the double reduction policy, off-campus training quickly cooled down, but the demand for student training, especially subject-based training, is still very prominent (Zhou & Qi, 2022). The emergence of new technologies has promoted the development of new tutoring models, the most obvious of which is tutoring through the Internet (Bray, 2020). Development of Homework Help Technologies One frequent phenomenon is the usage of homework help technologies. For the purposes of this thesis, I define homework help technologies as a broad range of digital tools and applications used in educational contexts to assist with homework and learning. Among the many K-12 education applications, photo search applications are used the most frequently (Peng, 2021). Photo-searching allows the user to take a photo, while the application software uses OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology to transfer the picture into editable text information, and then search for test questions, answers and analysis (Liu, 2016; Zhuang, 2019). Among the top ten applications by active users in the basic education, the top three are all photo search applications (Li et al., 2021), such as Homework Help (Zuoyebang), Little Ape Answers Questions (Xiaoyuansouti) and Excellent students (Xuebajun) (Feng, 2016; Liu, 2016; Liu, 2018; Mao et al., 2019; Peng, 2021; Tan, 2019; Zhuang, 2019), among which Homework Help is used by the largest number of users (Feng, 2016; Mao et al., 2019; Song & Zhao, 2019; Tan, 2019). According to the different main application directions of education applications, homework help applications can be divided into photo search, intelligent correction and smart homework applications (Zhang, 2022). Simply put, the process of photo search is the following: first, the THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS 12 user takes a picture of the question through the mobile phone to generate images. Next, the software identifies the text and other information in the captured image, searches and matches the captured content with the closest result in the question bank, and finally, it gives feedback on the answer and solution steps. Optical technology and computer technology are used to identify the captured test question pictures into editable text information, and a series of auxiliary information is used to further process the text information to improve the accuracy of text information recognition (Zhuang, 2019). After the text information is successfully extracted, it is compared with the questions in the question bank, so that the retrieved information is fed back to the user, or similar information is provided for reference. OCR is often part of other artificial intelligence solutions that businesses might implement. Intelligent correction refers to the technology or application of automatic correction of student homework using artificial intelligence technology, that is, the process of automatically judging whether the answers are right or wrong and automatically scored (Du, 2019). Smart homework utilizes educational resources public service platforms and various infrastructures and uses a series of technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and cloud question banks to turn paper homework into online homework (Li, 2022). Table 1 provides relevant information on the top ten most downloaded homework help applications among compulsory education applications in China in 2020. 13 THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS Table 1 Description of the top ten applications in the basic education Name of the app Zuoyebang Age (years old) 10 Main function Photo search Downloads by 2020 (in billion times) 59.92 Xiaoyuansouti 4 Photo search 13.18 Kuaidui 4 Photo search 9.52 Yiqizuoye 13 Smart homework 7.95 Yiqixue 4 Smart homework 5.25 Xiaohejiazhang 4 Smart homework 4.13 Zuoyebangkousuan 4 Intelligent correction 3.03 Xiaoyuankousuan 6 Intelligent correction 3.03 Zuoyebangzhiboke 4 Smart homework 2.2 Yuantiku 4 Smart homework 2.04 Logo 14 THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS The main reasons for using these photo search applications are generally the need to study mathematics (Chen, 2017; Peng, 2021), cope with homework (Feng, 2016), the inability to get tutoring after class (Cheng, 2017; Li, 2021), and to support students in homework that is too particular about standard answers (Zeng, 2015). The widespread use of photo search applications is caused by the domestic special education environment and those applications are educational products of the popularity of excessive assignments tactic (Liu, 2018; Luo, 2015), which means to immerse students in massive test exercises, make them be familiar with the question types and solutions, aiming at training their ability of imitation and replication (Liu, 2001). These products are an extension of exam-oriented education. Methodology Literature Search To locate studies published specifically on the topic of homework help application, a comprehensive and systematic literature review (Cooper, 1988; Pantic & Hamilton, 2024) was conducted using the Weber State University One Search database with the help of a librarian. In addition, I also used Google Scholar and CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure; Chinese: 中国知网), which is a private-owned publishing company in China since 2014. CNKI maintains high annual database subscription fees due to its de facto monopoly status on journal search and collection in China (CNKI, 2023). Search terms included in all the searches were: “online homework help”, “online homework assistant*” and “homework help technolog*”, “online homework application”, “homework application”, “homework help application” and “smart homework” (used with quotation marks while searching). This search resulted in 1,234 studies in total. In One Search, 263 studies were identified. Of those identified, 27 were selected for further analysis. The THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS 15 selection process included not only the presence of key search terms in the title, but also avoiding redundancy by eliminating duplication. The studies selected were those with at least two search words included. This standard was established to ensure that research is closely related to the central theme of homework help technologies. Google Scholar database provided a larger set of 669 papers, from which 34 were chosen using the same process described above. From 302 studies identified in CNKI, 28 were selected by carefully examining the relevance and specificity of the title to homework help. After this thorough title reading and selection process, a total of 89 studies were identified as the most relevant studies to be included in this review. The studies included are considered to provide substantial insights into the field of homework help technology, in line with the criteria established at the beginning of the research process. Next, articles located in the search of digital libraries mentioned above were evaluated for appropriateness by reading their abstracts and searching for sample descriptions to make sure each article met the inclusion criteria described in the following section. While reviewing the selected studies, abstracts of research were scrutinized to determine if they address the topic of homework application. The evaluation of the abstract served as an initial screening to quickly determine the applicability of the study to the research objectives. If a study did not include an abstract, a more in-depth examination was performed. The full content of these studies was thoroughly read and analyzed, using the same criteria as the abstract assessment. This step ensured that no potentially important research is overlooked for lack of an abstract. Through this comprehensive and systematic review process, studies were reviewed to understand their contribution to the application of homework, thus ensuring that relevant studies were selected for inclusion in the analysis. Articles that did not meet the inclusion criteria were deleted. The THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS 16 process of examining abstracts ended with a total of 22 titles that were identified and selected for further in-depth analysis. After completing this phase, I realized that the search was not exhaustive, as some important studies did not emerge. When I translated the search terms and searched for them in One Search, Google Scholar and even CNKI, there were not as many results as when I searched for them in Chinese in CNKI, as direct translation could not really convey the meaning in English. Normally people would use the abbreviation “APP” or “app” instead of “Application” which caused some articles not to show up. What is more, people tend to use several top photo search applications to represent the terminology I worked with, instead of using “homework help application” directly. To expand the search, I used Chinese in addition to English to search in the CNKI database alone. This gave me additional 85 articles. Search terms included “作业 APP” （direct translation: homework application), “作业帮”（direct translation: homework help), “作 业应用”（direct translation: homework application), “作业软件”（direct translation: homework software), “搜题软件”（direct translation: search questions software) and “拍照搜题”（direct translation: take photos and search questions). Most of them were featured journals and masters’ theses. Next, new articles located in the CNKI using Chinese language and the process mentioned above were evaluated for appropriateness by reading their abstracts. I used the same approach as described above to make sure each article met the inclusion criteria described in the following section. Articles that did not meet the inclusion criteria or were duplicates were deleted. In total, 48 studies were determined to fit the search criteria. After this phase of thorough search, the total number of articles included in this analysis was 70 (see Table 2 for a summary of the search process). THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS 17 Table 2 Description of the numbers of articles included at each stage Database Initial Find Title Screening Abstract Reading One Search 263 27 0 Google Scholar 669 34 2 CNKI English Search 302 28 20 CNKI Chinese Search 85 85 48 Total 1319 174 70 Inclusion Criteria - Language: The studies included in this systematic literature review were written in English or Chinese. - Population: Age of the population for this systematic literature review that I focused on was elementary to high school students. - Location: The studies included in this systematic literature review were based in China. - Topic: The influence of homework help technologies on compulsory education students in China. The influence of homework help applications in compulsory education in China. - Availability: The studies were published as masters’ theses, dissertation, academic or journal articles and were available for download for free or for a fee through the databases. Final Sample All the papers included in this review were written in the last 10 years and were all conducted in China. Out of the 70 papers included in this SLR, 34 are empirical studies and the rest are either reports or conceptual studies (n=36). The majority of the empirical research THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS 18 adopted mixed methods (n=24) approach to research. In contrast, the remaining studies (n=10) used quantitative research methods. Classification Criteria To classify the results from the 70 studies included in this study, I analyzed the data in two cycles: open and axial coding (Patton, 2002). In the first cycle of coding (open coding), I highlighted all the utterances that answered the RQ. As a reminder, the RQ asked about positive and negative effects of homework help technologies on compulsory education students in China. This resulted in 172 codes. After that cycle, codes were divided into positive and negative effects and then categorized thematically. This resulted in seven categories for positive effects: Improvement of Motivation, Improvement of Performance, Enhancement of Teacher-Student Interactions, Improvement of Learning, Increase in Cognitive Skills, Differentiation and Other, and three categories for negative effects: Decline in Use of Cognitive Skills, Decline in Psychological Functions and Other. For details on definitions and examples, see codebook in Table 3. Table 3 Codebook of Categories Category Negative Effects Definition Example Decline in Cognitive Skills Research showing that over-reliance on homework help applications can impair students’ cognitive skills, fostering a dependency that diminishes their ability to engage deeply and independently with learning materials, thereby affecting their overall By directly copying the answers through the photo-search question APP, over time the children will lose the ability to complete homework independently and lack corresponding thinking exercises. Not only will there be problems in subject examinations, this kind of inertia can also be easily transferred to life, and when things happen, if students don’t think and avoid difficulties when encountering them, this will ruin them (Zhang, 2022). THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS 19 academic development. Decline in Research showing that Psychological Skills excessive use of mobile devices and online platforms for games and social activities can lead to a significant decline in students’ psychological skills, such as motivation, concentration, and overall mental health. Fourth, “Smart Homework” has a certain degree of negative impact on students, which can cause a small number of students’ psychological anxiety. The longer they use it every day, the easier it is to form anxiety. This is mainly due to the lack of convenience in the operation of the “Smart Homework” platform or the small display screen (Zhang et al., 2023). Other Research showing that digital educational platforms, while useful, face issues such as the necessity of paid functions, exposure to harmful information due to inadequate supervision and filtering, and lack of differentiation that fails to meet the diverse needs of all students. At present, the competition in the online education industry is fierce, and the homogeneity of APPs is highlighted. Many platforms develop more entertainment and interactive functions for the purpose of competing for users. However, the key is that some platforms have not taken on the responsibility well. The responsibility for supervising harmful information, such as the responsibility for effective shielding and filtering through technical means (He, 2018). Improvement of Motivation Research showing that homework help applications enhance students’ enthusiasm for learning and their overall academic motivation Secondly, students held positive attitudes towards the English oral homework based on the homework together platform. Nearly all of them liked doing oral homework via the homework together platform and believed that they can benefit a lot from it, such as [they believed that] their English learning interest could be enhanced, their oral production ability could be improved, their confidence in speaking English could be built up, and their classroom participation could be promoted and so on (Wang, 2021). Improvement of Performance Research showing that homework help technologies and methods not only enhanced students’ English learning Students can imitate standard pronunciation at home and practice conversation on the homework app. This can help many students improve their English speaking and listening. This is something that traditional Positive Effects THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS 20 outcomes in areas like English grammar, pronunciation, and fluency, but also fostered more efficient study habits, leading to higher overall academic achievement. written homework and limited classroom teaching cannot do. Therefore, most students’ English speaking and pronunciation have been greatly improved after using the online homework platform (Xu, 2021). Improvement of Learning Research showing that homework help applications provide comprehensive and personalized feedback, enriching students’ learning resources and methods, which in turn enhances their understanding, and selfdirected learning capabilities across various subjects. Excellent Chinese and English writing materials, massive question banks, detailed explanations of knowledge points and other services cannot only solve students’ learning needs and help students review effectively, but also provide personalized services and recommend learning materials that best suit students’ learning levels (Pang et al., 2022). Increase in Cognitive Skills Research showing that homework help applications focus on enhancing problem-solving methods, foster deeper understanding and expand cognitive capabilities across various subjects. Facilitates students’ independent learning at home and improves their ability to solve problems independently; provides new ideas for top students to practice for higher education; can provide students with a variety of problem-solving methods and broaden their horizons of problem-solving ideas (Mao et al., 2019). Enhancement of Teacher-Student Interactions Research showing that homework help applications enhance home-school interaction and teacher-student communication, enabling more and timely feedback on student performance and homework. It is conducive to communication between teachers, students and parents, and is conducive to cooperative practice among learners. Through the Internet, parents can pay attention to students’ learning status in real time, receive timely evaluations of students from teachers, and even provide extracurricular tutoring (Zou, 2017). Differentiation Research showing that homework help applications are designed to foster personalized learning experiences by It uses information technology as a carrier to provide students with personalized homework through hierarchical homework, which is in line with the spirit of “double reduction” (Zhou, 2022). THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS 21 offering diverse and targeted resources, assignments, and feedback methods. Other Research showing that homework help applications also offer flexibility and convenience by allowing learning to happen anytime and anywhere. “Smart Homework” utilizes adaptive technology to achieve precise services for students’ learning, reducing the workload compared with “question sea tactics” and avoiding mechanical, ineffective, and simple repetitive homework. Allowing students to complete homework in a timely manner within the school reduces homework time, indicating that “Smart Homework” can help solve the problem of excessive time on the surface of homework burden (Zhang et al, 2023). Results The analysis of the literature on homework help applications and their impact on student learning yielded many positive and negative outcomes. On the negative side, I found that research recognizes three areas of impact: Decline in Use of Cognitive Skills, Decline in Psychological Functions and Other (see Table 4 for frequencies of codes). Figure 1 Frequencies of codes in each category on the negative side THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS 22 On the positive side, I found seven different categories: Improvement of Motivation, Improvement of Performance, Enhancement of Teacher-Student Interactions, Improvement of Learning, Increase in Cognitive Skills, Differentiation and Other (see Table 5 for frequencies of codes). In the following section, I will describe each of these categories in detail. Figure 2 Frequencies of codes in each category on the positive side THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS 23 Negative Effects As it can be seen from Table 4 above, my analysis identified a total of 42 codes across 29 studies which mentioned some type of negative effect homework help apps had on students. Table 6 shows which articles speak about negative effects of homework help apps on students. In the text that follows, I will explain each category in detail. Table 4 List of articles identified in my SLR which illustrate different types of negative effects Category Negative effects Subcategories Types of Studies Decline in psychological skills Studies exploring the negative psychological impacts of app usage on students Decline in cognitive skills Studies examining the detrimental effects of app usage on students' cognitive abilities Studies into various other adverse outcomes related to app usage *Studies which appear in 2+ categories Other Sources Zhou, 2020*; Liu, 2018; Chen, 2018*; Zhang, 2018; Bi, 2017*; Fu, 2016*; Long, 2021*; Peng, 2021*; Li, 2019*; Guo, 2015*; Zhang et al., 2023; Lin, 2018 Luo, 2015; Tan, 2019; Guo, 2015*; Fu, 2016*; Xu and Gong, 2022; Li, 2019*; Peng, 2021*; Yu, 2017; Editorial Department of Junior High School Student World, 2017; Mao et al., 2019; Shen, 2017; Chen, 2018*; Bi, 2017*; Xu, 2022; Chen and Han, 2021; Zhang, 2022; Jin and Qu, 2021; Editorial Department of In and Out of the Classroom (High School Edition), 2022; Long, 2021*; Zhang, 2022; Huang, 2022; Lian, 2014 Zhou, 2020*; He, 2018; An, 2016 Decline in Use of Cognitive Skills According to results from this SLR, the use of homework apps can lead to a decline in students’ cognitive skills. One significant issue is that students tend to rely too much on these apps for answers. The use of question-searching apps, for example, can make students lose the capacity to develop skills necessary for doing homework (Luo, 2015). This dependence can also THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS 24 lead to lack of critical thinking and problem-solving skills, while depending too much on the software when doing homework can be bad for getting good study habits (Guo, 2015) as students may not engage deeply with the material and instead look for quick solutions. Another problem identified in literature is that these apps can reduce students’ ability to think independently. According to Fu (2016), if students rely too much on tutoring software, and they do not seek deep knowledge, they only focus on the right or wrong answers, behavior that discourages the development of deep thinking and analysis. For example, the phenomenon of “lower deep thinking” (Peng, 2021) is a direct result of this over-reliance on homework apps. Students may also develop a habit of “copying answers” without understanding the underlying concepts (Peng, 2021). In the long run, research shows that reliance on homework apps can affect students’ overall cognitive development. As posted by Liu (2018), homework applications are easy to be wrongly used by children, causing students to form a bad habit of seeking answers they encounter and directly using search software to copy answers. Such bad habits prevent students from fully engaging in the learning process and developing their problem-solving abilities, as they encourage students to be lazy and form learning dependence without being truly able to master problem-solving ideas (Mao et al., 2019). Decline in Psychological Functions According to the studies identified in this SLR, the impact of homework apps on psychological functions is also significant. For example, students often become distracted by other applications on their devices, such as social app platforms or games (Zhou, 2020). This distraction can lead to a waste of time and energy (Chen, 2018) making it harder for students to stay focused. THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS 25 Furthermore, the use of these apps was found to affect students’ motivation and interest in learning. Bi (2017) found that students downloaded games on their mobile phones or computers, which seriously affected their learning. This consequently was found to result in a decline in enthusiasm for study (Fu, 2016). Continuous exposure to entertaining but noneducational content was also found to lower students’ satisfaction and concentration (Peng, 2021) which was further found to have a negative effect on their ability to stay engaged with their studies. Additionally, there are concerns about the mental health of students using these apps. Simply indulging in Internet content and other potential drawbacks was found to lead to psychological issues, such as anxiety (Li, 2019). Psychological anxiety was found to be a direct consequence of excessive use of screen time (Zhang et al., 2023). Staring at screens for long periods can also harm students’ eyes and overall well-being (Wang, 2021). In other words, both physical and mental strain can be caused by prolonged usage of homework applications. Other In addition to cognitive and psychological impacts, homework apps were found to have a few other negative effects. One notable issue was the financial aspect. Some Homework Help apps require payment for full access to their features (An, 2016), which can create inequality among students, as not all families can afford these services. Another concern is exposure to harmful information. According to He (2018), some apps did not effectively filter inappropriate content, putting students at risk. In other words, some platforms had not taken on the responsibility for supervising harmful information, such as the responsibility for effective shielding and filtering through technical means (He, 2018). This THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS 26 could expose students to inappropriate or harmful content that could negatively impact their learning and well-being. Lastly, lack of differentiation in the app’s approach can also be problematic, as the apps cannot satisfy all the students with different learning needs (Zhou, 2020). This one-size-fits-all approach fails to address the diverse needs of students, leading to an ineffective learning experience for many. Positive Effects As it can be seen from Table 5 above, my analysis identified a total of 125 codes across 54 studies which mentioned some type of positive effect homework help apps had on students. Table 7 shows the distribution of those articles across the seven categories of positive effects Homework Help Apps have on students. In the text that follows, I will explain each category in detail. Table 5 List of articles identified in my literature search which illustrate different types of positive effects Category Subcategories Improvement of motivation Positive effects Improvement of performance Enhancement Types of Studies Sources Ni, 2016*; Huang, 2023*; Zou, 2017*; Gao, 2021; Liu, 2019*; Zhang, 2019*; Hou, 2019; Studies on Song, 2018*; Chen, 2023; Chen, 2020*; Shen, enhancing student 2018; Lv, 2020*; Li, 2021*; Li, 2018*; Ba, motivation through 2020*; Xu, 2019*; Shang, 2019*; Shen and app usage Xu, 2018*; Lin, 2018*; Wang, 2021*; Xu, 2021*; Zhao, 2022*; Lin, 2019*; Tang, 2018; Zhang, 2021* Ni, 2016*; Huang, 2023*; Zou, 2017*; Liu, 2018*; Liu, 2019*; Zhang, 2019*; Song, Studies on the 2018*; Zhuang, 2019; Li, 2019; Zhang et al., positive impact of 2023*; Lv, 2020*; Li, 2021*; Li, 2018*; Xu, app usage on 2019*; Shang, 2019*; Wang, 2021*; Wu et students’ academic al., 2023*; Xu, 2021*; Jiang, 2020; Huang, performance 2019*; Zhao, 2022*; Pang et al., 2022*; Pan, 2023* Studies on how Zou, 2017*; Lin, 2019*; Zhang, 2019*; THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS teacherstudent interactions app usage improves teacherstudent interactions 27 Zhang, 2023*; Li, 2020*; Chen, 2020*; Lv, 2020*; Zhao, 2017*; Zhang, 2021* Luo, 2015*; Liu, 2018*; Zhang, 2023*; Xu and Gong, 2022*; Zhang, 2018*; Li and Wu, Studies on the 2022*; Li, 2020*; Chen, 2020*; Xia et al., overall 2023*; Li, 2021*; Li, 2018*; Ba, 2020*; Xu, Improvement improvement of 2019*; Zhou, 2022*; Shen and Xu, 2018*; of Learning student learning Lin, 2018*; Ma, 2022*; Wu et al., 2023*; Xu, through app usage 2021*; Yu, 2017*; Mao et al., 2019*; Chen, 2018*; Zhao, 2022*; Pang et al., 2022*; An, 2016; Huang, 2022; Pan, 2023* Luo, 2015*; Zhang, 2019*; Song, 2018*; Zhang et al., 2023*; Lv, 2020*; Zhao, 2017*; Zhou, 2022*; Lin, 2018*; Wang, 2021*; Ma, Studies on how Increase in 2022*; Yi, 2022*; Editorial Department of app usage cognitive Junior High School Student World, 2017; enhances students’ skills Mao et al., 2019*; Chen, 2018*; Pang et al., cognitive abilities 2022*; Editorial Department of Innovative Composition in and Out of the Classroom (High School Edition) (09), 2014 Luo, 2015*; Zou, 2017*; Zhang, 2023*; Xu Studies on the and Gong, 2022*; Chen, 2020*; Peng, 2021; personalized Xia et al., 2023*; Li, 2021*; Zhao, 2017*; Xu, learning Differentiation 2019*; Shang, 2019*; Zhou, 2022*; Lin, experiences 2018*; Ma, 2022*; Xu, 2021*; Yi, 2022*; facilitated by app Lin, 2019*; Pang et al., 2022*; Zhang, 2022; usage Pan, 2023* Studies on various Luo, 2015*; Zhang, 2018*; Li and Wu, other positive 2022*; Hong, 2023; Zhang et al., 2023*; Xu, Other outcomes related 2019*; Shang, 2019*; Yu, 2017*; Huang, to app usage 2019* *Studies which appear in 2+ categories Improvement of Motivation According to this SLR, positive outcomes from homework applications include increased student motivation. For instance, Ni (2016) discovered an improvement in interest in English learning and learning initiatives, demonstrating how mobile apps can enhance the learning experience. The interactive and gamified components of apps were frequently found by students to be motivating, which keeps them interested in the material. THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS 28 These apps were also found to improve pupils’ attitudes toward learning. Gao (2021), for example, found that students’ enthusiasm and attitudes toward learning English improved when they used homework help apps. This further supports the idea that apps might have a good impact on students’ study habits. Students remain interested and involved in their studies when they have access to a wide range of learning resources and techniques. Additionally, students who use homework applications were found to grow a more optimistic emotional attitude regarding learning (Chen, 2020). This change in attitude can lead to better academic outcomes, as students are more likely to put in the effort required to succeed when they have a positive view of their studies. Improvement of Performance Homework apps were also found to improve students’ academic performance in several ways. For instance, they can help students better understand and retain information. As posted by Ni (2016), homework help apps enhanced the quality of students’ homework and the timeliness of the completion of homework, indicating that students can complete their assignments more effectively and efficiently using these tools. These apps can also help with the development of important abilities. According to Song (2018), improvement of students’ English knowledge, skills and English scores highlights how students’ skills can be improved through focused exercises and feedback. These apps’ consistent practice aids in students’ learning reinforcement and helps them meet more challenging academic requirements. Additionally, homework apps can boost productivity and save time. Zhuang (2019) found that it enhanced students’ efficiency, maximized their limited time, and cut down on the amount of time needed for inquiries and searches. Due to their increased efficiency, students are better THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS 29 able to manage their personal and academic life by spending more time on other essential activities. Enhancement of Teacher-Student Interactions Homework applications were also found to enhance communication between educators and students. Facilitating real-time feedback is one advantage. As indicated by Zou (2017), home-school interaction significantly enhanced efficiency, doubling results with half the effort. This interaction facilitated communication among teachers, students, and parents, allowing for timely feedback from teachers about student performance and even offering opportunities for extracurricular tutoring. The immediate feedback allowed students to realize their mistakes and improve quickly. Furthermore, these applications were found to enhance communication and strengthen emotional bonds between teachers and students. Liu (2019) noted that they facilitated increased interaction and emotional engagement with teachers. By offering a platform for continuous interaction, students felt more supported and connected to their teachers, which positively impacted their learning experience. In addition, homework apps enable teachers to track students’ progress more effectively. Li (2020) explained that apps could use corrected homework to provide timely feedback to teachers on students’ learning status. This monitoring enabled teachers to pinpoint areas where students required additional assistance and provided focused support to boost their academic performance. Improvement of Learning The forth positive category identified in this SLR is improvement in learning. Homework apps were found to be essential in enhancing the overall learning experience for students by THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS 30 offering comprehensive and systematic guidance. Luo (2015) highlighted that these apps provide scientific and structured support, reinforcing basic classroom knowledge and clarifying key and challenging points. They served as references and helped students learn and master extracurricular content, ensuring a solid foundation in their subjects. Additionally, these apps presented various problem-solving methods and resources. Mao et al. (2019) emphasized that they assisted students in understanding topics not covered by teachers, offered new ideas for advanced students, and provided multiple problem-solving approaches. This diversity enabled students to tackle problems from different perspectives, improving their understanding and analytical abilities. Moreover, homework apps allowed students to receive prompt feedback and corrections. Xu (2021) pointed out that they delivered timely feedback on incorrect answers. This immediate feedback helps students learn from their mistakes and continuously improve, leading to the optimization of their learning. Increase in Cognitive Skills Fifth category identified in this literature review was an increase in cognitive skills. Homework apps were found to significantly enhance students’ cognitive skills by fostering independent learning and critical thinking. Luo (2015) noted that these apps supported students’ self-directed learning and played a vital role in the digitalization and informatization of educational activities. By encouraging independent study, students were able to develop their cognitive abilities more effectively. Additionally, these apps enhanced students’ problem-solving skills. Yi (2022) suggested that the structured exercises provided by homework apps cultivated students’ core abilities, THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS 31 boosting their critical thinking and ability to solve complex problems. These skills were essential for academic success and future career opportunities. Moreover, homework apps expanded students' horizons and introduced them to new ideas. Mao et al. (2019) highlighted that these apps broadened students’ problem-solving perspectives, helping them gain a more comprehensive understanding of their subjects and applied their knowledge in various contexts. The findings of both a decrease and increase in cognitive skills when using homework help applications can be attributed to several factors. On the one hand, these applications can enhance cognitive skills by providing personalized learning experiences, offering diverse problem-solving methods, and facilitating independent study, which can lead to improved problem-solving abilities and deeper understanding of subjects. However, the same applications can also lead to a decline in cognitive skills if students become overly reliant on them, using the technology to find quick answers without engaging in critical thinking or problem-solving on their own. This dependency can impair their ability to tackle complex problems independently, ultimately hindering cognitive development. Differentiation Homework apps were also found to provide opportunities for differentiated learning by offering personalized and hierarchical assignments to meet the needs of various students. Zhang (2023) emphasized the importance of hierarchical and individualized tasks, which allowed each student to work at their own pace and level, thereby enhancing their learning experience. Furthermore, these apps delivered targeted feedback and diverse assessment methods. Xu (2019) pointed out that the apps diversified feedback techniques and evaluation standards, THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS 32 especially for English listening and speaking assignments. This targeted feedback helped students improve specific skills and focus on areas where they needed more practice. Additionally, personalized learning plans are a crucial feature of these apps. Shang (2019) highlighted the use of customized homework design plans. By adapting assignments to individual students’ needs, these apps supported students in reaching their full potential and overcoming any learning challenges they may encounter. The findings that homework help applications can both meet and fail to meet students’ needs through differentiation can be attributed to several factors. On one side, homework help applications can tailor learning experiences to individual needs, providing resources and feedback that enhance understanding and engagement. Features like video tutoring and other premium services can offer significant educational advantages, allowing for more interactive and in-depth learning experiences. However, many of these advanced features are often behind paywalls, making them inaccessible to students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. This financial barrier can widen the achievement gap, as not all students can afford these beneficial tools, leading to inconsistencies in learning quality and further exacerbating educational disparities. Other Finally, several studies mentioned some additional positive effects. Homework apps, for example, were found to alleviate the workload and stress associated with traditional homework. Li and Wu (2022) noted that these apps reduce the homework burden on students, allowing them to focus better and perform more effectively. Additionally, these apps offered flexibility regarding time and location. Luo (2015) mentioned that they freed students from time and place constraints, enabling them to complete THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS 33 assignments at their convenience. This flexibility helped students balance their schoolwork with other activities. Moreover, homework apps enhanced efficiency and convenience. Yu (2017) highlighted that these apps streamlined the homework process, saving time and effort for both students and teachers, leading to a more efficient and productive learning environment. Discussion Main Contribution of the Paper The main contribution of this paper is a systematic review of the literature on how homework help applications affect compulsory education in China. This study identifies both positive and negative impacts on students’ learning experiences and academic outcomes. In terms of positive effects, these apps boost motivation (e.g., Shang, 2019; Xu, 2021; Zhao, 2022), performance (e.g., Huang, 2023; Lv, 2020; Pang et al., 2022), teacher-student interactions (e.g., Chen, 2020; Liu, 2019; Zhang, 2019; Zou, 2017), learning (e.g., Ba, 2020; Li, 2021; Xu, 2019), cognitive skills (e.g., Luo, 2015; Yi, 2022; Zhang, 2019; Zhang et al., 2023; Zhou, 2022), and offer personalized learning experiences (e.g., Li, 2021; Shang, 2019; Xia et al., 2023; Xu, 2021; Zhang, 2023). On the downside, they can lead to reduced cognitive skills (e.g., Bi, 2017; Chen, 2018; Fu, 2016; Liu, 2018; Zhang et al., 2023), psychological issues (e.g., Chen & Han, 2021; Peng, 2021; Xu, 2022; Zhang, 2022), and other negative effects (e.g., An, 2016; He, 2018; Zhou, 2020). Areas Needing More Research Despite the significant findings of this study, several areas require further research to fully understand the impact of homework help applications. Firstly, there is a need for more empirical studies to examine the long-term effects of these applications on students’ cognitive THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS 34 and psychological development. While short-term benefits are well-documented (e.g., Li, 2018; Li, 2021; Lin, 2018; Liu, 2019; Wang, 2021; Xu, 2021; Zhang, 2019), understanding how these tools impact students over several years is crucial in evaluating their overall effectiveness. Additionally, research should investigate the effectiveness of homework help applications across different socio-economic backgrounds. Ensuring that these tools are accessible and beneficial to all students, regardless of their economic status, is essential for promoting educational fairness. Studies should explore whether these applications can help bridge the achievement gap between students from different backgrounds or if they inadvertently exacerbate existing inequalities. Another critical area for research is the design of homework help applications. Investigating how these applications can be optimized to minimize negative impacts while maximizing educational benefits is essential. This includes exploring features that promote independent thinking, critical analysis, and active engagement with the material. Research should also consider how these tools can be integrated with traditional teaching methods to provide a balanced and comprehensive learning experience. Difficulties Encountered Several challenges were encountered during the research process. One major difficulty was the limited availability of English studies on the Chinese context of homework help apps. Also, translating search terms didn’t always work well because different languages use different terminology. For example, in Chinese, terms like “APP” or specific app names are more common and didn’t show up in the English searches. Recommendations for Improvement To overcome these challenges, several recommendations can be made. First, making Chinese studies more accessible by translating them and publishing in international journals can THE INFLUENCE OF HOMEWORK HELP APPLICATIONS 35 help bridge the gap. Additionally, using standardized search terms across studies can ensure more consistent and thorough literature search. For app developers, it’s important to include features that promote independent thinking (Gao, 2019; Yu, 2017) and reduce cognitive (Mao et al., 2019; Huang, 2022) and psychological risks (Lin, 2018; Long. 2021). Adding youth modes or parental controls can help filter inappropriate content (He, 2018) and limit screen time (Wang, 2021). Conclusion This study provides a systematic literature review of the effects of homework help applications on compulsory education in China. The findings highlight a dual impact: while these applications significantly enhance students’ motivation, performance, and cognitive skills, they also pose risks, such as fostering dependency and potential cognitive decline. Future research should focus on long-term impacts and ways to optimize these tools to support educational equity and holistic development. 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