Evelyn S.

Pacatang September 2, 2019

Homework: Burden or a Benefit?

Students spend hours doing it, teachers spend hours checking it. Homework
is sometimes a burden to teachers and students but still it is necessary. Some people
doubt homework's effectiveness, but teachers and researchers agree homework is
essential. Homework enhances learning and plays an important role in achieving
better academic results. It helps them understand their studies more efficiently and
bring stability to academics achievements. However, there has been a debate among
teachers and parents about homework if it is burden or beneficial.
According to Harris Cooper author of “The Battle over Homework: Common
Ground for Administrator, Teachers, and Parents” says that homework is often
associated with greater academic achievement. It attests that there is 77% of positive
linkage between homework and achievement. And according to Ninshant Shina,
author of How Much is Too Much, 2018 says that homework helps students through
the following: 1) it helps them manage their time. 2) It helps students to be more
responsible. 3) Homework helps students seek extra knowledge about the subject. 4)
Homework leads a student towards independency over studying and many more.
However, various research proves that homework might improve academic
skills among older students but does not necessarily improve academic performance.
It elicits stress for students and their parents. When students spend hours at night to
finish their homework it will take away the time that could be spending with their
families. Lengthy assignment has negligible effect on productivity that causes burn-
out. In addition, too much homework can cause students to experience stress,
anxiety, depression, physical ailments, and even cause lower test scores, (Levy, 2017)
Homework encourage cheating instead of doing homework themselves students
indulge in copying these from their classmates with or without their permission,
(Simmons, 2012). This are the few reasons why is it burden and many universities in
U.S.A. Europe and Africa abolished homework.
Meanwhile, the (NEA) recommend a general guidance in giving homework.
1) 10 minutes per night for the first graders. 2) Additional 10 minutes for every grade
thereafter i.e. 20 minutes for second grade, 30 minutes for third grade. 3) Timings are
important in giving homework. Because too much homework can cause harm to a
student in various ways. According to Denise Pope, a senior lecturer at Stanford
University's School of Education and the director of Challenge Success, “Any student
doing more than 3 ½ hours homework every night is exposed to risk for greater levels of
stress and exposed to poor mental and physical health.” Over-burdening students with
homework should be avoided.
Therefore, homework can enhance learning and plays an important role in
achieving better academic results. It has a positive influence on a student’s academic
when constructed in the right norms. Any educators or facilitators should know how
much is too much. Too much is bad it will lead to a stressful and long list of negative
effects on their studies, instead of helping them it could fail them academically.