Research has found that most students often get homework that is higher than the average recommended by experts. As a result, a student may experience adverse side effects mentally and health-wise. Another outcome of too much homework is the development of significant stress for both students and parents. The NEA (National Education Association) and the NPTA (National Parents Teachers Association) are in favor of 10 minutes in homework equivalence per grade level. It translates to that for a kid in grade 1 will receive only ten minutes of homework while a kid in grade 5 will receive 50 minutes of homework maximum. They also concur that there needs to be a general limit on studies after school.
A recent study found that kids in the elementary school received almost three times the average recommended homework. The study conducted in Rhode Island consisted of more than 1100 parents having school-aged kids in 2015. They found that 1st and 2nd graders received approximately 28 – 29 minutes in homework equivalence each night. Those kids in kindergarten received roughly 25 minutes each night of homework. However, the NPTA and NEA suggest that kindergarteners should not receive any homework at all as it doesn’t have a significant impact on their education.
All this homework consequently leads to stress for the whole family and not just the kids. It gets worse in families where parents have limited education and lack the confidence to communicate with their kids about school work. Most likely, these types of parents choose to opt-out of the homework conundrum and advise their kids not to finish their assignments. The reason for this is that kids actively engage in after-school chores and activities and alleviates stress for their children.
Consequences for students in high school
According to research in 2013, homework also has adverse effects on high school students and may negatively affect their health. According to the research, high-performing students who spend most of their evenings doing homework develop stress, problems with their physical health, lack of balance in life, and alienation from society. A suggestion from this research is that giving students homework for more than two hours may have counterproductive results. However, the researchers claimed to do homework for an average of 3 hours or more daily.
More than 70% of students who took part in the research confessed to being under constant stress from schoolwork. 56 % of these students claim that homework was the primary cause of stress. Another result of the study is that students don’t meet their developmental needs or cultivate critical life skills due to too much homework accorded to them.
Homework quality matters more than quantity
There’s a great debate still ongoing regarding the number of homework students should receive and its impact in the long run. What everyone agrees, though, is that quality is always superior when it comes to homework. It’s not only enough for teachers to follow the 10-minute per-grade rule, but they should also ensure they give effective and realistic assignments to kids. The goal of homework is adding value to a learner and being beneficial to a kid. Teachers, on their part, should focus on assigning kids homework that will boost their skills and cultivate their learning and development in life as a whole.
Conclusion
Homework has its advantages and disadvantages. To reduce stress among learners and other associated negative results from too much homework, it is essential to note the points from the above article.
