RESEARCH PROJECT

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

IS HOMEWORK NECESSARY
FOR EDUCATION?

BY: THABANG BRIAN

RAMODUTLWA
 GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

IS HOMEWORK REALLY NECESSARY FOR EDUCATION?

By: Thabang Brian Ramodutlwa

Does doing
Is it a waste
homework
of student’s
improve
time?
children’s
marks?
Is homework really
necessary for education
in schools?

Can children
Do students
really learn from Pass
doing
homework? Without doing

Homework?
Methods of data collection and why I chose them?
Internet: Searching in Google and using websites such as Sandiego.edu helps to finding actual
facts on the issue. It will help get valid information on whether homework is really necessary.

Interview/Questionnaire: This will help to get different student’s opinions on the topic orally
and since different students have different opinions it will also help with the gathering of both
the pros and cons of the debate.

1. Do you think that homework is a waste of student’s time?

______________________________________________________________________________

a. Why do say so?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

2. How many times do receive homework a week?

______________________________________________________________________________

3. How long do you normally spend doing homework per day?

______________________________________________________________________________

4. Does homework help you understand topics taught in class?

______________________________________________________________________________

5. Do you think students can pass and succeed without doing homework?

______________________________________________________________________________

a. Why do you say so?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
 6. Do you think that homework should be banned in schools and why?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

Is homework really necessary for education in school?

In recent times schools have been permanently removing homework. This may sound alarming
to many parents, but there has been mounting evidence that getting rid of homework may have
great benefits on children’s education.
While pushing to eliminate homework may cause great surprise to many people, but this debate
is not new. There has been a long age debate on whether homework is really necessary for
students. This topic has been going on for almost a century. Parents and educators have been
arguing and debating on whether homework is really necessary for children’s educational
growth. (Lathan, no date)

When does homework actually help?

Homework has many advantages. Some of them are as follows:

Doing homework helps develop good study habits, life skills and also teaches the importance of
planning, staying organized and taking action (Ramdass, 2011).It also teaches students to work
independently and helps increase their critical thinking capabilities.

It helps teachers determine how well the lessons are being understood by the students. This may
help the teachers know if they need to revisit or discuss certain topics.

Doing homework also gives students another opportunity to review school material and helps
them learn topics better. A recent study has shown that students typically retain 50% or less of
what they hear or see in class and more practice that is given in homework helps remember their
school work better. (Thalheimer, 2015)

Homework allows parents to be involved in their children’s learning. This may help them
understand their child’s academic strengths and weaknesses.

Homework also helps student learn how to use technology efficiently by the use of research. This
will help them in the future as technological skills are now needed for modern day jobs.

Negative effects of Homework for students

Although some amount of homework may help students with their learning and their in-class
performance, too much homework can have damaging effects such as:
Too much homework may give students elevated stress levels that may cause health issues such
as sleep deprivation, weight loss and in most cases can cause depression. This may also lead to a
reduction in their educational progress. (Parker, 2014) A CNN article covered the issue of
extreme pressure placed on children due to homework. The article looked at the results of a
survey which showed that over 4,300 upper-middle class student suffer from stress due to
homework. (Enayati, 2014)

Today most homework requires devices and an internet connection that some students do not
have. (Lathan, no date)

Homework also usually takes up too much of children’s time resulting in them not having time to
study and may cause lack of sleep. This may leave children tired and exhausted both mentally
and physically. A recent survey shows that 4 out of 5 students agree with that statement.

Homework takes away time from activities that boost children’s social-emotional development,
such as hobbies and socializing. This may drastically hinder their social interaction skills with
other people. (Parker, 2014)

Summary
In short according to the information gathered, although homework may play an important role
in student’s education, it is not necessary. Students can still continue learn without being given
homework without any hindrance in their education.

If schools ban and get rid of homework it may have many advantages on the students and may
improve student’s education drastically. This has been shown by some most educated schools in
countries such Finland that do not give homework to students but still produce some of the most
educated graduates.

References:
Lathan J (no date). Is homework really necessary? Education inequity and its impact on
students. San Diego.edu [online]. Available at https://onlinedegrees.sandiego.edu/education-
inequity-and-homework/ (Accessed13/03/2023).

Weir K (2016). Is homework is necessary evil. Apa.org [online].

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2016/03/homework (Accessed 23/03/2023).

Enayati A (2014). Is homework making your child sick? Cnn.com [online]. Available at
https://edition.cnn.com/2014/03/21/health/homework-stress/index.html (Accessed 23/03/2023).

Thalheimer W (2015). Debunk this: People remember 10 percent of what they read. Td.org
[online]. Available at https://www.td.org/insights/debunk-this-people-remember-10-percent-of-
what-they-read (Accessed 23/03/2023)

Parker C (2014). Stanford research shows pitfalls of homework. Stanford.edu [online].

Available at https://news.stanford.edu/2014/03/10/too-much-homework-031014/ (Accessed
23/03/2023)

Young J (2010). High-Tech Cheating Abounds And professors Bear Some Blame. Chronicle.com
[online]. Available at https://www.chronicle.com/article/high-tech-cheating-abounds-and-
professors-bear-some-blame/ (Accessed 23/03/2023)

Rambass G (2011). Developing Self-Regulation Skills: The important role of homework.

Sagepub.com [online]. Available at
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1932202X1102200202 (Accessed 24/03/2023)

BY: Thabang Brian Ramodutlwa