Does homework improve academic achievement or is it all a myth?
Kids go to school and then, go home and do homework. They turn their homework in the next day. If it's a longer assignment, they hand it in by the due date. Is anybody really happy about that?
Students aren't. They've already 'done their time' in the classroom for the day; why should they continue classroom activity outside of school? Is homework beneficial enough that we insist on sending kids home with more to do?
Here at Superprof, we’ve been keeping a close eye on doing homework. We're tuned in to the ongoing debate surrounding the topic of homework and how beneficial the practice really is to learning outcomes. Read on to discover what we've found so far.
What The Studies Say
So, does homework improve grades? Is that why it is so popular across the world? It seems not...
Did you know that not a single academic study has ever been able to prove a positive correlation between academic success and homework? Me neither. All the way back in 2012, the Huffington Post reported on a then-new study. This work added more weight to the growing body of evidence about homework benefits. It concluded that homework has little or no effect on academic success.
The study in question surveyed more than 18,000 high-school maths and science students. The objective was to investigate the relationship between homework and academic performance. Specifically, whether more time spent on homework shows a net-positive effect on overall learning and grades.
They asked thousands of students one question: How much time do you spend on homework?’. The study found a very modest correlation between the amount of homework students said they did and their scores on standardised tests. It further disclosed that there was no relationship whatsoever between time spent on homework and course grades. Most shockingly, the study revealed "no substantive difference in grades between students who complete homework and those who do not.”
In today’s current educational environment, with all the activities taking up children’s time both in school and out of school, the purpose of each homework assignment must be clear and targeted. With homework, more is not better.
Robert Tai, UVA School of Education
So if homework is increasingly proven to be a waste of time, perhaps government bodies are right to consider ditching the practice. Incorporating homework back into the classroom where learning outcomes are best demonstrated could work to improve grades. After all, parents who homeschool their learners generally don't assign additional work after the formal learning time ends.
What's the Point of Homework?
The point of school is to learn. Learning is measured through academic performance. Formal performance assessments - exams, are graded. Those grades reflect only marginal improvement for students who (state they) regularly complete their home assignments. That can hardly even be called a correlation.
1,000 parents found that primary pupils were spending an average of 2.2 hours per week on homework.
The homework done by primary school children can include reading, practising spelling, or revising for tests. Charity the Education Endowment Foundation suggests that the uses for homework at primary school include reinforcing the skills that pupils learn in school, helping them get ready for tests and preparing them for future school lessons.
Homework can also act as a point of communication between home and school, helping parents feel part of their child’s schooling.
36% of parents thought that homework had no use for their primary school children. Source – Ofsted Parents' Panel
The 2018 Ofsted Parents’ Panel which surveyed the views of around 1,000 parents in England on educational issues – found that 36% of parents thought that homework was not helpful at all to their primary school children.
Passionate educators insist that homework builds a bridge between school and home. But does it, really? And is parental involvement beneficial? Here again, evidence is stacking up. Studies show that parental involvement reduces learners' academic success. That's only in part because parents do the work. Another reason points to parents not fully understanding modern educational initiatives.
And then, there's busy work. Let's say that a primary school group just studied a significant historical epoch or science fact. They're assigned project work; maybe building or drawing a model of that event or writing their thoughts about what they just learned in science. These activities are related to the topic but don't necessarily reinforce learned knowledge.
This takes us to another point. Those who advocate for homework believe those exercises repeat concepts introduced in class. Repetition leads to consolidation (of knowledge), as the theory goes. We all know that's true for physical activity; everyone knows about muscle memory. But is it the same for intellectual work?
We'd argue not. For homework to be true repetition, it would have to be done in the same conditions as the original work. In other words, in the classroom. Students, particularly the younger ones may not be aware that they code-switch between school and home. That means they let go of their learner persona and adopt their child persona. It's a completely different psychological state.
Learners in a Montessori setting have less of an issue switching between the school and home environments. Traditional schools have a completely different setup than Montessori schools. They are far more structured and competitive than the more relaxed Montessori setting. And traditional schools mainly follow a teacher-led instruction model. By contrast, Montessori education revolves around the student-led model.
Homework Through the Ages
It's safe to say that, for as long as there have been schools, there has been homework. The first recorded instance of homework assignment could be when Pliny the Younger asked his students to practise speaking at home. As he taught oration, it makes sense that his assignments would be verbal rather than written. And his point was clear. The more students practised speaking, the more fluent they would become.
Strangely enough, the type of homework we know today originated from a political manoeuvre. Horace Mann, a German politician, insisted that students must continue working to learn at home. It was a power move meant to prove that the state had absolute authority over every citizen, regardless of their age.
This power play didn't make students any more talented or gifted in learning. However, it did make other nations jealous and, maybe, a bit fearful. Soon, homework spread across Europe. As for Horace Mann, he imported the concept to US schools.
At first, American educators were ecstatic about homework. It didn't take long for that tide to turn, though. A couple of decades after assigning homework became a thing, the practice suffered massive backlash
The US has flip-flopped on homework ever since Mr Mann brought it over. From the Depression Era to the mid-50s, homework was supposed to be a personal exploration. When US lawmakers learned that Soviet students were in class practically, homework was back on the table. In the 80s, academics realised American students were falling far behind global educational standards. The practice intensified until the early aughts when it again fell out of favour.
A growing body of studies proves that homework does not substantially contribute to better grades. It does not necessarily reinforce what was learned in the classroom and does not exactly constitute a model for repetition as consolidation. It stresses students out and may cause turmoil at home. And both teachers and students have to labour beyond regular 'working' hours to deal with homework.
Even homework's origins appear odious! They're so bad, in fact, that in 1930, the US declared that homework, after a full school day, extends study hours beyond the amount of time child labour laws allowed kids to work! Even China, a country notorious for its educational push, is now pushing back against kids spending their childhoods in learning modes.
In Poland, teachers are no longer to give required homework to kids in the first to third grades. In grades four to eight, homework is now optional and doesn't count towards the student's overall grade.
Is There Any Benefit to Doing Homework?
Though there are a lot of studies that are disparaging of homework, there are potential benefits.
Time management is one of the benefits of homework. All the fables ever written can't teach kids about the evils of procrastinating quite like having to cram for an exam does. Learning how to manage their schedules prepares them for the adult world, where just about every second of their time will be regimented.
Homework potentially sets students on the path to discovery. Outside of the classroom, they're free to roam any intellectual field that piques their interest. It's not uncommon for a homework assignment to serve as a springboard into such explorations. In fact, studying numeral systems prompted my mate to ask his dad, a software engineer, about coding.
Done well, homework can provide students with a number of benefits, and some find it to be a useful practice.
- Homework helps students reinforce what they have learned in class by allowing them to practice and review key concepts and skills on their own.
- Completing homework regularly may teach students how to manage their time effectively and prioritise tasks, a crucial skill for academic and personal success.
- By taking responsibility for their homework, some students learn to work independently, fostering a sense of responsibility and self-discipline.
- Homework provides a chance for parents to engage with their children's education, helping them understand what is being taught and supporting their learning at home.
Tuition is a different prospect to homework. Actually working with another human can be a great way to catch up or even get ahead in school, and receive help with areas that might be a challenge.
Homework Help With Superprof
Whatever kind of homework you may be stuck with, our Superprof tutors can help. We work with a wide variety of teachers and tutors in different subjects, and no matter what somebody is struggling with, there's a tutor to help.
Our range of tutors can offer both in-person and online lessons and there are near countless subjects and areas of expertise among our tutors. If you need help organising your homework or trying to attain better grades, reach out to one of our tutors today.
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I like it all
what is the point of homework
jon
I don’t understand why your article says “Did you know that not a single academic study has ever been able to prove a positive correlation between academic success and homework?” There have been plenty of studies that prove homework helps academic success. Here’s the one right here https://www.forbes.com/sites/nataliewexler/2019/01/03/why-homework-doesnt-seem-to-boost-learning-and-how-it-could/?sh=47a6a0c968ab
And another by Duke University https://today.duke.edu/2006/09/homework_oped.html
If you’re going to say things as if they’re factual you need to back it up by where you’re getting your facts.
Agreed, another study here…
“The evidence shows that the impact of homework, on average, is five months’ additional progress.” MacBeath and Turner (1990)