Last Updated on March 11, 2021 by Filip Poutintsev
Homework is defined as tasks assigned to students by school teachers that are intended to be carried out during non-school hours. Homework is designed to reinforce what students have already learned. Homework is a word that most students dread hearing.
Table of Contents
- Pros and Cons of Homework
- Purpose of Homework
- Should Students Have Homework?
- Pros of Homework
- 1. Homework Encourages Practice
- 2. Keep Track of the Progress
- 3. Improved Academic Outcome
- 4. Teaches Time Management
- 5. Parents are Involved in the Learning Process
- 6. Creates Communication Bridge
- 7. Provides More Learning Time
- Cons of Homework
- 1. Encourages a Sedentary Lifestyle
- 2. Causes Unnecessary Stress
- 3. Eats up Free Time
- 4. Not Always Effective
- 5. Discourages Creative Endeavours
- Conclusion
Pros and Cons of Homework
The teachers assign homework to the students as they believe that homework will help the students to recollect the topics that were covered in the class. There are some lessons that are perfect for the classroom environment, but there are also some things that children can learn better at home. So homework helps to maintain the balance between them.
Generally, homework includes reading, writing, or completion of a certain problem which will improve the overall performance of the student. This means that kids who do homework are more committed to doing well in school.
Purpose of Homework
The most common purpose of homework is to have students practice material already presented in class so as to reinforce learning and facilitate mastery of specific skills. It is found that appropriate homework in the right amounts can enhance younger students’ learning and prepare them for a routine of studying as they get older.
Homework impacts students’ academic achievement—test scores. Homework is also thought to improve study habits, attitudes toward school, self-discipline, inquisitiveness, and independent problem-solving skills.
Preparation assignments introduce the material that will be presented in future lessons which helps students obtain the maximum benefit when the new material is covered in class.
Should Students Have Homework?
The type and amount of homework given to students have been debated for over a century. For years, teachers and parents thought that homework was a necessary tool when educating children. But studies about the effectiveness of homework have been conflicting and inconclusive.
Proponents of homework say that it improves student achievement and allows for independent learning of classroom and life skills. Also, homework allows parents to monitor their child’s learning. Opponents of homework say that too much may be harmful to students as it can increase stress, reduce leisure and sleep time, lead to cheating, and is not proven to be beneficial for younger.
According to Harris Cooper, a professor at Duke University, there is a positive correlation between homework and student achievement, meaning students who did homework performed better in school.
As a general rule, the maximum amount of time that a student should spend each day on lessons outside of school is 10 minutes per each grade level. This means a first grader should spend 10 minutes daily on his homework while a senior high school kid should spend about 2 hours.
Should students have homework or not? Let’s discuss some of the key pros and cons of the homework.
Pros of Homework
1. Homework Encourages Practice
One of the positive effects of homework is that it helps to encourage the discipline of practice. Repetition is necessary to get better at skills. Practising the same problem over and over helps to reinforce the discipline of practice. Homework helps make concepts more clear and helps to build a career in the future.
2. Keep Track of the Progress
Homework allows teachers to track students’ progress, meaning that homework helps to find out the academic strengths and weaknesses of children. Homework can also help clue teachers into the existence of any learning disabilities their children may have, allowing them to get help and adjust learning strategies as needed.
3. Improved Academic Outcome
Studies show that homework improves student achievement in terms of improved grades, test results, and the likelihood to attend college. Research by the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) concluded that increased homework led to better GPAs.
It has also found that students who regularly do homework have scored better in standardized tests than other students who didn’t do homework at all.
4. Teaches Time Management
When homework is assigned to the students, students are able to manage their time and make effective study plans. Homework is much more than just completing the assigned tasks but also teaches time management skills.
It helps to manage study time by completing all assignments on time. Time management is a necessary skill that a student must have which is very useful not only in school life but also in the future.
5. Parents are Involved in the Learning Process
Parents need to know what their children are learning in school. Homework helps parents to track down what their children are learning at school and their class performance. By sending homework from the school, it allows the entire family to encounter the assignments that their kids are doing when they are in school during the day. A study shows that parental involvement in homework can improve class performance.
6. Creates Communication Bridge
Homework helps to create a communication network between student, teacher, school, and parents. Teachers are unaware of the lives of the students at home and the parents are unaware of their lives at school. Communication helps to understand each other in a better way, as teachers get to know the needs of students and parents about their children’s strengths and weaknesses.
7. Provides More Learning Time
School hours aren’t always enough for students to grasp the core knowledge. Homework allows for more time to complete the learning process. Setting homework allows students to revise content learned during the day and also helps to get things thoroughly because there is sufficient time for research and also there is less disturbance in the home.
Cons of Homework
1. Encourages a Sedentary Lifestyle
As the students get long assignments/homework, hence require much time to complete it. If students are given more homework, then they get less amount of time for extracurricular activities and also affect social development. A sedentary lifestyle can be dangerous and can cause health problems such as obesity.
2. Causes Unnecessary Stress
With a large workload and difficult tasks, homework causes students to feel anxious and stressed. Unnecessary stress causes demotivation. In some cases, homework may even be assigned over term breaks or the summer holidays.
This causes severe stress for some children, leading to issues such as sleep deprivation. This causes behavioural changes in students and also ingraining homework as a negative aspect of school life.
3. Eats up Free Time
Free time allows children to not only relax but also discover the world. Childs spend hours completing the assignment which eats up the valuable time kids have to spend with their family, attend extracurricular activities, and catch up with friends. During that time kids can learn many things like riding a bike, reading novels, attending social activities, attending family functions, etc.
4. Not Always Effective
A study found that homework creates a negative attitude towards schooling and the education system. Research by John Hattie, Professor of Education at the University of Melbourne, has found that homework in primary school has a negligible effect on students’ academic growth, as students are completing separate and unrelated projects rather than reinforcing learned knowledge. Homework doesn’t necessarily help to improve students’ academic performance rather it puts a burden on students.
5. Discourages Creative Endeavours
As we know homework eats up the leisure time because students spend hours completing their assignments. During that time students might like to do creative works that they are interested in such as, painting, singing, playing games, learning an instrument, etc. There might be a case where a student is much interested in doing creative work rather than spending hours on homework.
Conclusion
Concluding the article, both the pros and cons of homework are valid. Teachers and parents find homework as a necessary task for the children’s academic success while students find it as a burden or headache. The main purpose of homework is to bridge the gap between children’s learning at school and at home.
On the one hand, homework is an effective way to reinforce the concepts that were learned at school which helps to improve the academic outcome of the students. On the other hand, homework puts a burden on the student and the time that homework demands would be better spent with meaningful activity.
Thus, a good way to think about homework is the way you think about medications or dietary supplements. If you take too little, they’ll have no effect. If you take too much, they can kill you. If you take the right amount, you’ll get better.
References
- https://www.goodschools.com.au/insights/parental-advice/pros-and-cons-of-homework
- https://www.goodschools.com.au/insights/parental-advice/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-homework
- https://www.uopeople.edu/blog/the-pros-and-cons-of-homework/
- https://www.wgu.edu/heyteach/article/should-students-have-homework1808.html
FAQs
What are some benefits of homework? ›
Homework teaches students how to problem solve. Homework gives student another opportunity to review class material. Homework gives parents a chance to see what is being learned in school. Homework teaches students how to take responsibility for their part in the educational process.
Is homework beneficial Yes or no? ›According to Duke professor Harris Cooper, it's important that students have homework. His meta-analysis of homework studies showed a correlation between completing homework and academic success, at least in older grades.
What are the 10 benefits of homework? ›- Students Learn the Importance of Time Management. ...
- Promotes Self-Learning. ...
- Helps Teachers Assess a Student's Learning. ...
- Teaches Students to Be Responsible. ...
- Boosts Memory Retention. ...
- Enables Parents to Track a Student's Performance. ...
- Allows Students to Revise Content. ...
- Practice Makes Perfect.
Develops Your Memory and Critical Thinking
The practice is an activity that ensures knowledge gets ingrained in the brain. One can develop a better memory and incorporate new skills with repetition. Homework is based on classwork and focuses on integrating the new skill through its practice.
Homework leaves less time for children to be children. Kids need to get outside and play more often so they can grow and develop, but homework is holding them back from this. Homework also takes time away from sleep hours for children, which in turn increases the productivity of their next school day lesson.
How much homework is too much? ›How much is too much? According to the National PTA and the National Education Association, students should only be doing about 10 minutes of homework per night per grade level.
Why should we have less homework? ›By reducing homework, students have proven to get more sleep which can lead to better physical and mental health. By reducing homework it allows for students to create a more balanced life at home. By reducing the homework load, students have proven to be more encouraged to learn.
Do kids benefit from homework? ›Duke University analyzed findings from 60 homework-related research studies and found statistically significant evidence that middle and high school students who complete homework regularly will score higher on tests and earn better grades than those who do not.
What are the benefits of homework essay? ›Benefits Of Homework Essay
For example, Homework teaches students that learning can occur wherever you are. Every day you are expanding your knowledge whether you know it or not. Teachers assign homework to carry out the lesson and broaden knowledge. Also, students have greater self-direction and self-discipline.
Importance Of Homework Essay
Above all, homework allows the students to gain responsibility, time-management, perseverance, and self-esteem. “The act of completing homework has benefits in terms of developing good habits in students.” This shows that, students are gaining many skills from homework.
Is homework good for mental health? ›
Cynthia Catchings, a licensed clinical social worker and therapist at Talkspace, says heavy workloads can also cause serious mental health problems in the long run, like anxiety and depression. And for all the distress homework can cause, it's not as useful as many may think, says Dr.
Does no homework improve grades? ›Across five studies, the average student who did homework had a higher unit test score than the students not doing homework.
Should homework be banned? ›Lack of support
One of the most compelling reasons for banning homework is that most teachers fail to communicate everything needed to complete the task during class. Parents are unable to assist with all functions. Friends of students do not have the necessary experience to assist, and they also have work to complete.
Homework is typically credited to Roberto Nevelis of Venice, Italy, who invented it in 1095—or 1905, depending on your sources.
Is there a value in homework? ›When teachers were asked why they assign homework, they gave the top three reasons: to see how well students understand lessons. to help students develop essential problem-solving skills. to show parents what's being learned in school.
Does Too Much homework affect students? ›The researchers found that excessive homework means students are not able to meet their developmental needs or cultivate other critical life skills at the same time. In other words, students are more likely to give up extracurricular activities, spend less time with friends and family, and stop pursuing their hobbies.
Does homework really improve achievement? ›We do know that beginning in late middle school, and continuing through high school, there is a strong and positive correlation between homework completion and academic success. That's what I think is the greatest value of homework—in cultivating beliefs about learning and skills associated with academic success.
Do you need homework in order? ›Homework helps us to spend more time with the study table and also teaches children how to manage the time as when they get a lot of homework, they manage their time in completing it. Homework is essential for learning.
Why does homework take hours? ›There are a few reasons that kids end up spending hours on homework: a difficulty getting and staying focused, defying mom and dad, or too much homework (for them). The kids that have trouble staying focused are often fidgeters, who need tactile stimulation to tune in and calm down.
How much homework is enough? ›Many districts follow the guideline of 10 minutes per grade level. This is a good rule of thumb and can be modified for specific students or subjects that need more or less time for assignments. This can also be helpful to gauge if you are providing too much (or too little) homework.
How do students feel about homework? ›
Studies have also shown that too much homework can be very unhealthy, making students feel stressed and burnt out. In fact, more than 56% of students say that homework is a major reason they stress about school.
Why was homework invented? ›In 1905, an Italian teacher named Roberto Nevilis invented the concept of “homework.” Originally, its purpose was to be used as a punishment for students who were lazy in class or for those who were disobedient or rude to their teacher. This practice became popular and became more frequently used around the world.
When was homework invented? ›Roberto Nevelis of Venice, Italy, is often credited with having invented homework in 1095—or 1905, depending on your sources.
Is there value in homework 1 minute speech? ›Homework can also help children develop good habits and attitudes. It can teach children to work independently; encourage self-discipline and responsibility and encourage a love of learning.
Should kids have phones? ›Giving your child a smartphone means giving them access to the internet and social media platforms. This could make them more susceptible to internet predators and cyberbullying. Other threats include age-inappropriate content, hate speech, and scams.
Should homework be given essay? ›It encourages learning during leisure time, improves attitude towards school, develops better study habits, greater self-direction, self-discipline, better time organisation, more inquisitiveness and independent problem-solving, promoting the student-parent-teacher partnership.
Does homework promote learning? ›It improves understanding and helps in learning a topic well. It helps in the revision. Homework that does not burden students is good for learning.
Why should homework not be banned debate? ›It sows a sense of responsibility in students.
In any situation, a responsible student will always shine. Homework can be quite beneficial to a student. It will allow you to plan ahead of time and flourish in your work life. It is one of the main reasons why homework should not be banned in schools and universities.
10 Lines Essay on Is Homework Necessary (100 - 120 Words)
2) Homework is important to make students study at home. 3) It helps students to revise what they have learned in school. 4) It is good for increasing the thinking and learning ability of students.
Homework Develops Self-discipline and Study Skills
The truth is that, in life, you can't learn everything in a classroom setting. You have to know how to study fruitfully on your own, and homework forces you to do that. Completing daily homework assignments also teaches students effective time and task management.
How does homework help students in the future? ›
Not only is it important in reinforcing skills learned during the school day, it also teaches time management, study skills, and independent learning, as well as keeps parents connected to their children's learning.
Should homework be given to students debate? ›Homework provides us with the much needed time we need to understand all the different subjects and topics at the comfort of our homes. It is difficult for teachers to supervise every single student but if students do their homework then teachers can check their work easily during their free time.
Does homework affect family time? ›Does homework affect family time? Excessive homework can cut down on productive family time. This is especially true in families where the parents are incapable of assisting with the homework. As the stress levels increase, fights begin, which takes away from any quality family time students can spend on school nights.
How much stress is caused by homework? ›But student experiences don't always match these results. On our own Student Life in America survey, over 50% of students reported feeling stressed, 25% reported that homework was their biggest source of stress, and on average teens are spending one-third of their study time feeling stressed, anxious, or stuck.
How does homework affect sleep? ›Too much homework can result in lack of sleep, headaches, exhaustion, and weight loss”. Similarly, Stanford Medicine News Center reports that the founder of the Stanford Sleep Disorders Clinic stated, “'I think high school is the real danger spot in terms of sleep deprivation,' said William Dement, MD, Ph. D.”.
How many hours do Chinese students sleep? ›Time asleep decreased as students progress through school grades with the average sleep time for students in primary, middle and high school being 8.7, 7.6 and 7.2 hours respectively.
Why homework should be banned 10 reasons? ›- 1 It eats up all our free time. ...
- 2 It causes high stress levels. ...
- 3 We already go to school for 5 days a week, 6-8 hours a day, and 12-15 years. ...
- 4 It's so boring. ...
- 5 No time to spend time with family.
Most academics agree that busy work does little to increase learning. It is best to not assign packets of worksheets if they do nothing to add to student learning. You also don't want to waste valuable time grading meaningless paperwork. Some studies show that much homework may actually decline achievement.
Is homework good for kids? ›Duke University analyzed findings from 60 homework-related research studies and found statistically significant evidence that middle and high school students who complete homework regularly will score higher on tests and earn better grades than those who do not.
Why homework should not be banned 10 reasons? ›- Homework improves presentation skills. ...
- Student-Teacher Interaction is Boosted by Homework. ...
- It sows a sense of responsibility in students. ...
- Parents are updated with the child's education. ...
- Grades and scores on tests are improved. ...
- Enhances your writing abilities.
What are the benefits of homework essay? ›
Benefits Of Homework Essay
For example, Homework teaches students that learning can occur wherever you are. Every day you are expanding your knowledge whether you know it or not. Teachers assign homework to carry out the lesson and broaden knowledge. Also, students have greater self-direction and self-discipline.
How much is too much? According to the National PTA and the National Education Association, students should only be doing about 10 minutes of homework per night per grade level.
Why did homework exist? ›In 1905, an Italian teacher named Roberto Nevilis invented the concept of “homework.” Originally, its purpose was to be used as a punishment for students who were lazy in class or for those who were disobedient or rude to their teacher. This practice became popular and became more frequently used around the world.
Is homework good for mental health? ›Cynthia Catchings, a licensed clinical social worker and therapist at Talkspace, says heavy workloads can also cause serious mental health problems in the long run, like anxiety and depression. And for all the distress homework can cause, it's not as useful as many may think, says Dr.