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The mothers in my office do not look forward
to the starting of school because of the
busy balance of homework, music lessons, other after-school
activities, and sports activities. But as students head back to school
it is definitely time to think about homework. Here is the cycle:
teachers assign and grade it; parents remind their students about it
and maybe assist with homework; teenagers especially complain about
it, enjoy it or forget it, and maybe complete it. Researchers agree
that homework is an essential ingredient of a student's school
success.
How much time
is being spent on homework?
A recent study found that students in middle
and junior high school spend about 45 minutes while elementary school
students on the average spend about 35 minutes on homework. Another
study had another tale to tell, 41% of elementary
school students and 37% of
middle/junior high students do not do any homework on a typical day.
This second study showed that on the average, elementary school
students spend 63 minutes on homework, and the middle/junior high
students spend 77 minutes per day.
Who does homework?
Seventy-five percent of students whose
mothers had a college degree do homework, versus 49%-59% for students
whose mothers have less education. Private school students (87%) are
more likely to spend some time doing homework than those in public
school (58%).
How much is too much-and how much is not enough?
Doing little or no homework in school can
have negative long-term effect on children. Recent media attention
suggests that many American children are spending too much time
completing homework assignments. This may be true for some students in
this country. However, cross-cultural comparisons reveal that American
children complete much less homework than children in other countries,
such as Japan and Tawain.
It is critical
to examine homework time in the relationship of students' after-school
activities, as well as leisure activities such as watching television.
Many children do no homework because their after-school time is
consumed by other activities, such as sports teams and music lessons.
Homework may act as an additional stressor in the student's busy life
as well as their parent. On the other hand, students who do little or
no homework may be participating more in passive leisure activities,
like watching television. Parental monitoring is the key in
determining how homework fits in the balance of family life.
Homework can
enhance learning and achievement and develop independent work and
study habits. Teachers and parent should try to be sensitive to the
multiple demands on the students' time, while at the same time
recognizing the potential benefits of homework.
Source:
University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension, The Ups & Downs of
Adolescence, Homework-Yuck! August 2000. http://ianrww.unl.edu/ianr/fcs/upsdowns
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