[JSR] Does Homework Harm or Help Students?

How often is it that parents actually get to talk to their kids? When students get home from school, most of the time, they go straight to their rooms to complete their homework. Although homework is very important, helpful, and beneficial to our students in this generation, there can be some negative aspects as well as the positives.

First of all, according to today.duke.edu, the results of studies regarding homework state that homework can improve students’ scores on the class tests that come at the end of each topic that they learn. The studies also proved that students from grades 2-12 did better in several different topics when assigned homework. The same research also showed that 77 percent find that the connection between achievement and homework is positive.

Despite these results, it shows that there is no relationship between homework and achievement with regards to elementary school students. It is said that this is true because younger children have less developed study habits and are more easily distracted than older children. These studies also show that young students who are struggling in school take more time to complete their homework because the assignments are too difficult for them.

Another beneficial effect of homework is that it can help students to develop good study habits so they are ready to grow and mature. These study habits can help students realize that learning does not only have to occur at school, but at home as well. Homework can also help to foster independent learning and responsible character traits.

Fifth grader Christina Park gave her opinion that homework had helped her a lot in elementary school. She said, “ Homework helped me to review the topics that I had learned in school, and it helped me to study for my tests.”

On the other hand, there are some negative effects of homework as well. According to oxfordlearning.com, homework can affect students’ health, social life, and grades.

When considering health, homework can affect both students’ mental and physical health. According to a study by Stanford University, 56 percent of students stated that homework was their primary source of stress. Lack of sleep, headaches, exhaustion, and weight loss are all unhealthy results of too much homework. Poor eating habits like families choosing fast food as a faster alternative are also caused by extreme amounts of homework.

Secondly, most of the time, extracurricular activities and time to socialize gives students a chance to refresh their bodies and minds. Unfortunately, students who receive large amounts of homework have less time to spend with their friends and families. Without this time allowing students’ to refresh and socialize, students will have to deal with stress, impacting life at home and school.

Lastly, homework also negatively affects students’ grades. On a regular basis, after a day of school filled with learning, students can become burnt out if they have too much homework. If this event occurs, most of the time, the child will stop completing their homework and rely on a family member to help them with their homework. This results in the benefits of homework being lost and grades heading downhill.

Excessive amounts of homework may also lead to less active learning, which is a kind of education that occurs in context and promotes participation. Active learning encourages the application and analysis of class content in real world settings. These opportunities are not always provided in homework, resulting in boredom and a lack of problem solving skills.

Therefore, although many people have different opinions about this topic, it is safe to conclude that different students are affected by homework in different ways. These effects can be positive or negative, depending on the student.