Homework: Why Our Kids Get Too Much Of A Bad Thing

This article interviews Dr. Harrison Cooper, author and professor at Duke, about the current homework controversy. Media, along with many other outlets, discuss the homework controversy: is it unecessary or valuable practice? Cooper says that people's’ views on homework has changed very little and it has proven to be somewhat of a cycle. For example, throughout the 20th century people’s views have continued to flip back and forth for various reasons. Some of the reasons listed in the article is that homework puts too much stress on the child, they need to practice and exercise their brain, and needing to keep up with the Japanese (Walker). However, the actual amount of homework that students get has changed very little. For example, elementary

Homework has been an area of discussion for teachers, students, and even psychologists. It’s been a practice which has been used throughout the United States to help students learn material, reinforce their day’s lesson, or just as busy work to improve a student’s work ethic. Several people view homework as useless, or just plainly unhelpful; this view has been demonstrated ever since the early twentieth century, where many authors and politicians were vehemently against homework, going as far as to write whole books and draft legislation (legislation which had passed the Californian government and had been law) against homework. This opposition has ever since faded, but is now seeing a new movement around America, and there are reasons as to why that is. In an article from CNN, they quote a study from another article published by The American Journal of Family Therapy which states that: “students in the early elementary school years are getting significantly more homework than is recommended by education leaders, in some cases nearly three times as much homework as is recommended”, and, as such, students are raised within a state of stress from the first grade. Several other studies also find that homework is very hurtful; the Journal of Experimental Education published an article which had made a study that found that the average amount of time students spend on homework each night had been 3.1 hours from a sample of high-performing schools in California, when the recommended time on homework is, at most, one hour each night. Homework has been mandated work for students all around the country, and several others, and the workload seems to only be increasing, and so, how might this workload affect a student’s ability to live a healthy life, a teacher’s work plan, and a psychologist’s view of an enormous workload on a student?

Throughout their school years,children say that they hate homework and that it’s pointless. Others will say, that this is definitely not the case. Students who actually spend time doing homework will better understand and execute class work more efficiently. Source C had mentioned that children who do not achieve much do more homework because they’re struggling. But, that struggling never goes away. Instead, children still struggle, but at this point, they don’t believe that homework is important. Source D had actually shown that high schoolers had higher grades when they spent more time doing work. They take the time to study and learn how to work through problems on their own, which helps them when taking tests. Multiple sources have stated

For the most part, education in the United States has revolved around the idea of a “work hard, and succeed” system. Educators strongly push for this idea and are in a way obliged to extend learning by assigning more work, which they are unable to complete in a school setting. In turn, they rely on homework to expand knowledge beyond the classroom. Homework has become what may seem a positive influence on education and test scores in the United States. However, It has also become one the biggest burdens on high school students.This burden fails to reflect today’s advancing technological society. It needs to conform to a more individualized and purposeful approach for students.

Homework has been a part of education for various centuries for the major part of the world. Initially, homework in America served to engage students with education and provide additional practice for material covered during class in order to encourage leaders during post-war years (“Homework: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives on Paid Labor at Home”). However, the effectiveness of homework upon academic performance has been gradually questioned over recent years. With many downsides to homework, many have begun to question whether homework is worth it at all.

In recent years, the abolition of homework has been a hotly debated topic in the educational field. During the early 20th century, educators held the belief that homework strengthened students minds and created a sense of responsibility as well as developed good time management skills. However, in recent years, growing concerns that homework interferes with home activities and takes valuable free time out of student’s lives have gotten more and more attention. Research has also shown that excessive amounts of homework has lead to tremendous amounts of stress for students, as well as parents. In China, unfinished and excessive amounts of homework has lead students to commit suicide. Schools assign and expect too

Homework entails assignments assigned by teacher to students to be performed outside of the classroom (Cooper, 2006). Homework accounts for a major portion of the educational process and is a key factor for success (MacDonald, 2009). It is utilized regularly in the teaching and learning process and can be seen as either beneficial or detrimental to student’s academic success. Homework and student academic success has been a very controversial and debatable topic for many decades and one that will persist for many more. It is said to be so ingrained in U.S. culture the term is part of a shared language (Vatterott, 2009). Educators, parents and students are integral members of this debate. According to Buell

In order for students to solidify their core understanding of certain topics, homework must be used because it allows students to recall what they have learned outside of school and learning skills can be improved. “For example, Harris Cooper summarizes many of the positive outcomes that homework has on a student’s life. Cooper categorizes these outcomes into four different sections: immediate achievement and learning, long-term academic benefits, nonacademic benefits, and greater parental appreciation of and involvement in school. Under the first section, Cooper explains that one’s learning can progress rapidly because there will be an increased understanding, better critical thinking, greater concept formation, information processing, curriculum enrichment, and better retention of factual knowledge for a student in the learning process. In terms of long-term academic benefits, homework allows students to learn anything they want in their leisure time, an improved attitude toward school can be observed, and new study habits can be formed to finish homework can classwork in more efficient timing. However, Cooper’s third category is considered one of the more important ones because it shows how homework is not only limited in the life of an academic enthusiast, but also for others, who do not focus on studying academic-related subjects. For instance, according to Cooper’s studies, he has found that self-direction,

The majority of students have, at one point or another, wished for less homework. For some student’s homework is not a big issue but for other students it can take hours and even days to do all their homework. That wasted time could be used for enjoyment or learning life skills instead of homework. Nine in ten high school students reported feeling stressed about homework (Galloway 4). So, should students get less homework? Yes, students should receive less homework because it improves their well-being by reducing stress and its impacts on health, increasing leisure time, and showing that homework does not affect grades significantly.

"I didn’t feel [stressed] until I was in my 30’s. It hurts my feelings that my daughter feels that way at eleven" (Ratnesar 313). This statement describes the intense issue facing the American Education System today. More and more students are spending a lot of out of school time on enormous amounts of homework. The overabundance of homework is putting pressure on the students, along with their parents. Our nation has steadily focused on after school studying to the point of possible exhaustion. In this paper, I will attempt to explain how educators are relying on homework as the major form of education, and how the amounts are too demanding on the students.

Can you agree that lately “homework” is being largely misguided? Can you agree that “homework” is being abused without producing its primary intended results? I highly urge you on behalf of all students operating through this system; change is needed. The current use of homework may be contributing to the decline in the motivation of students; therefore, interfering with their academic potential. Evidently, there has been an abundance of research which shows how homework is detrimental to a teen’s self-confidence, social skills, overall health, and most importantly their attitude towards school.

For the longest time, homework was perceived as being beneficial to students. Harris Cooper, a psychology professor, found that when students did homework, their performance transcended (Reilly 2). He also researched how homework affects a student’s score, noting “that homework is also thought to improve study habits, attitudes toward school, self-discipline, inquisitiveness and independent problem-solving skills” (2-3). When students develop these skills early, they can utilize them for when they go to college or get a full-time job. A limited amount of homework is argues to be beneficial for children, however, they should not go beyond the amount that is

The quality of a school is often judged by the amount of homework given to their students. Many believe that the more homework assigned the smarter the student will be. However, some believe that assigning loads of homework to children at a young age can cause poor results in the child’s academic and social and emotional growth. According to Scholastic, almost 50% of parents believe that their children receive the right amount of homework, however, 80% of parents also say homework is a main a source of stress and family dispute (Savvas, 2017). Over the years, researchers and educators have been questioning the appropriateness of homework for young children.

Over the years, there has been ample discussion about whether or not students should have homework and/or if that amount of homework is necessary. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, homework is defined as “An assignment given to a student to be completed outside of the regular class period; preparatory reading or research” (2017). Many believe that students should devote time outside of the classroom playing with friends, spending quality time with their family, participating in extracurricular activities, or simply relaxing. “Teachers see homework as a necessary expansion of daily instruction, parents expect it, principals view it as a catalyst to higher test scores, and students understand it as an inconvenient truth about their busy lives” (Watkins & Stevens, 2013). Research findings on the effectiveness of homework are mixed and the topic is dependent on if it is from the perspective of the student, parent, teacher, or principal. In actuality, the issue with homework is not necessarily that students should not have homework at all, but it is solely a quality vs. quantity problem. Through this study, we will first investigate the negative effects of homework, then explore how the advantages of homework benefit students, and finally I will share my personal opinions on the topic.

More than any other aspect of education, homework has been the cause of more friction