The Importance of Homework
By: Jack Dong
Throughout the years, educators, parents, and students have debated whether or not homework should continue to be assigned. Many students view homework as unnecessary, contributing to higher stress levels by increasing their workload, which involves extracurriculars and studying for quizzes and tests. Moreover, it takes away from the amount of time they can spend relieving their stress. However, homework remains an important aspect of learning and personal development.
Improved Student Achievement
To begin, homework is linked with higher scores on standardized tests and reinforces the material learned in class. When students engage with concepts outside of the classroom, they have the opportunity to review, practice, and solidify their understanding. This reinforcement is crucial because it helps students retain and comprehend information more effectively. According to Will Thalheimer, a leading expert in learning and instructional design, “students typically retain 50% or less of what they hear, read or see in class.” Yet, students remember on average 90% of the things they actively engage in, such as performing a presentation (Thalheimer).
Edgar Dale’s Cone of Experience highlights the effectiveness of different learning methods | Image by Will Thalheimer
Homework assignments allow students to apply what they learned in the classroom to practical problems, deepening their understanding and helping them make connections between different topics. Moreover, by revisiting the material with homework, “it strengthens the connections in their brains associated with that knowledge” (Hojic). This is crucial in subjects like math and science where students will continuously draw on previous concepts they learned. Thus, it is important that they have a deep understanding of the material that was covered previously or more class time would have to be spent on relearning the same things, inhibiting progress.
Personal Improvement
Aside from benefiting one’s memory, homework plays an important role in developing essential life skills. Time management, self-discipline, and responsibility are just a few skills that homework fosters. Time management is one of the most important skills for a student especially as they grow older when they are involved in more activities and have a greater workload. Recent studies suggest that being able to manage one’s time effectively reduces stress levels, improving academic and non-academic outcomes (Hojic).
Time management is an important skill students must learn for success beyond education | Image by HAKINMHAN on IStock
Furthermore, homework prepares students for the future by teaching them how to organize their work, meet deadlines, and work independently (Lathan). In higher education and the workforce, students and employees are expected to manage their own schedules and complete assignments independently. The discipline and time management skills developed through homework are directly transferable to life after school.
The Right Amount of Homework
Despite the benefits of homework, too much homework will have a negative impact on students. It is important that teachers assign the right amount of homework each night to ensure only the benefits. Recent studies suggest that elementary school students should receive minimal homework and if they do receive homework, it should aim to build self-regulation and independent work skills (Bempechat). According to the National Education Association, students should “spend 10 minutes per grade level per night on homework,” meaning that a sixth grader should receive about an hour's worth of homework per night (Lathan). Thus, the most homework a high school student should receive each night is around 1.5 to 2.5 hours while middle school students should receive around an hour each night (Goodwin).
For the most benefit, high schoolers should between 1.5 to 2.5 hours of homework per night | Image by SeventyFour on IStock
Too much homework would ultimately hurt the student’s wellbeing. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, “after around four hours of homework per week, the additional time invested in homework has a negligible impact on performance” (Lathan). However, due to the many rigorous classes high school students are enrolled in, some may spend more than four hours each day doing homework. When students spend this much time on their homework, it leads to higher stress levels that negatively affects student performance in school.
The Disparities Homework Highlights
Not all students have support from their parents when doing homework, which may be especially important for younger students | Image by Paco Navarro
The varying viewpoints about homework among students highlights the inequalities in education and reinforces these socio-economic differences. It was found that students from poor performing schools, often dominated by minority students, received much less homework than students from affluent communities (Bempechat). Low-income students and families see homework as a way to close the achievement gap while affluent students are overburdened with homework. However, some studies have indicated that homework doesn’t close this achievement gap because disadvantaged students may not have the same resources as their wealthier peers and may have additional responsibilities. For example, students coming from affluent schools tend to have access to tutors, computers, and dedicated spaces for homework (Lathan). More importantly, these students can rely on their parents for support and encouragement, leading to better academic outcomes. On the other hand, students from disadvantaged backgrounds often have other responsibilities, such as a part time job or taking care of their siblings, that take away the time they can spend doing homework. Moreover, they lack the resources or support when they don’t understand something covered in the homework which ultimately could negatively affect their academic performance.
Students who come from more affluent families have access to more resources relating to homework such as private tutoring | Image by monkeybusinessimages on IStock
Overall, these disparities highlight broader issues of inequality within the education system. When homework assignments are not designed correctly, they can reinforce existing achievement gaps, making it difficult for disadvantaged students to keep up with their peers. This has long-term implications for educational equity, as students who struggle with homework are more likely to fall behind academically, leading to lower grades, test scores, and graduation rates.
Conclusion
While there may be downsides to homework, homework reinforces classroom learning, improves academic performance, and fosters essential life skills. Research clearly shows that when homework is assigned and used effectively, students are likely to benefit. By providing students with opportunities to practice, review, and apply what they learned in class, homework helps build a strong foundation for lifelong learning and achievement. However, it is important that educators address the current disparities in the education system to provide the most meaningful and beneficial homework for all students. Educators must work with parents and students to optimize the homework assigned, ultimately making homework more equitable, meaningful, and supportive of each student’s unique needs and circumstances.
References:
Bempechat, Janine. “The Case for (Quality) Homework.” Education Next, 20 Dec. 2023, www.educationnext.org/case-for-quality-homework-improves-learning-how-parents-can-help/. Accessed 30 Aug. 2024.
Goodwin, Cara. “How Important Is Homework, and How Much Should Parents Help?” KQED, 4 July 2024, www.kqed.org/mindshift/62400/how-important-is-homework-and-how-much-should-parents-help. Accessed 30 Aug. 2024.
Hojic, Nejra. “Is Homework Actually Useful?” Simple Studies - 200+ Free Study Resources for Students, www.simplestudies.org/blog/is-homework-actually-useful. Accessed 30 Aug. 2024.
Lathan, Joseph. “Is Homework Necessary? Education Inequity and Its Impact on Students.” University of San Diego Online Degrees, 16 Feb. 2024, onlinedegrees.sandiego.edu/education-inequity-and-homework/. Accessed 30 Aug. 2024.
Thalheimer, Will. “Debunk This: People Remember 10 Percent of What They Read.” ATD Home, www.td.org/content/atd-blog/debunk-this-people-remember-10-percent-of-what-they-read. Accessed 30 Aug. 2024.
