Impact of Homework On Student

Some claim that homework positively influences learning and ultimately, academic achievement. They argue that homework is key to the academic success of students in contemporary society (Minke, 2017). Others contend that giving students homework is a practice that is not only harmful to the learning process but also the learners' emotional health. On the other hand, instructors have always considered homework as a primary educational tool. In spite of this, there existed a robust anti-homework movement in the United States in the late 19th Century and even early 20th Century (Eren & Henderson, 2011). Background For decades, homework has turned out to be a controversial educational issue which has attracted debate from stakeholders in the education sectors as well as researchers. At the turn of the 20th Century, anti-homework movements emerged explicitly in the U.

S. Educators argued that homework was beyond enhancing the learning of students and was indeed a burden for learners. Nonetheless, the Cold World War and the launching of Sputnik Satellite in the 1950s altered the prevailing negative attitudes about homework (Baş, Şentürk & Ciğerci, 2017). Academic achievement- This is the score of a student in given standardized tests or the grades a learner scores in his or her class (Hayward, 2010). Academic achievement also describes the degree to which teachers or even students have achieved the educational goals (Baş, Şentürk & Ciğerci, 2017). Hypothesis For this study, the hypothesis to be tested is that homework would impact student achievement both within and outside of school. Chapter 2: Literature Review The literature review section purposes to determine how homework affects the achievement of learners in school and also outside school.

Throughout this chapter, the focus would be what researchers have discovered about homework and its relation to student's achievement. Claims were put forward that homework had adverse effects on the students' physical and mental health. It deprived a child of playtime which was vital for their healthy growth and development. In 1930, the American Child Health Association leveled a severe charge against homework coupling it with child labor as one of the primary causes of high morbidity and death rates among adolescents after heart diseases and tuberculosis (Gill & Schlossman, 2004). Although homework was getting such bad press, parents still perceived it as beneficial as it allowed them to monitor what their children were being taught at school. In the 1950s through 1960s, homework was still a significant issue.

The U. S Education Department led by William Bennet printed What Works, completely endorsing homework and providing educators with specific recommendations (Pashalidis, 2006). The importance of homework to students included giving them practice in enhancing work habits, personal characteristics, and desired skills. In recent years, there has been a stir that overwhelming homework negatively impacted families as well as the time the members spent together. When one looks beyond the numerous statements published in magazines, the statistics give a clear picture of the amount of work assigned to students. Besides these results, the studies discovered another critical outcome that would, later on, become important facet research concerning homework. The studies revealed that the effect of homework on student achievement depended on the students' grade level.

For those in high school, homework significantly influenced the achievement level. On the other hand, there was minimal or no impact on achievement amongst learners in elementary schools while the effect amongst middle school students plus the junior high learners was half that of high school students (Cooper and Valentine, 2001 as cited in Hayward, 2010; Pashalidis, 2006). Perhaps this is because young students did not enjoy doing homework as much as the older students (Suárez et al. Over 50% of the studies used homework as an exogenous intervention and then went ahead comparing the performance of students who were not assigned homework and those that were awarded. The remaining 50% employed a priori matching while others used post-hoc statistical equating for purposes of enhancing similarity of the two groups- non-homework and homework.

All these studies revealed that homework positively influence student achievement. Another study conducted by Eren and Henderson (2008), relied on theoretical models of effectiveness of homework on tests scores of Neilson (2005) and Beets (1997) as a motivation for their empirical methodology. They based their model on three critical assumptions: (i) Learners have different abilities and therefore do not require the same amount of time for the completion of similar assignments. At the high school level, they found out that homework was consistently associated positively with academic achievement. The relationship became even stronger when the students found the assigned homework meaningful and relevant. Nonetheless, the homework benefit plateau was about two hours every night amongst high school students (Cooper at al. 2006 as cited in Galloway, Conner & Pope, 2013).

Beyond the two hours, homework might have detrimental effects on achievement leading the researchers to conclude that the optimal time to be spent on homework among high school students was 1. Gathering of quantitative of data through surveys where teachers were asked how they administered homework and their opinions on how it affected learners' achievement. The students were asked their views about the value as well as the purpose of homework. The collection of qualitative data was gathered through small group interviews of both students and teachers. Participants The participants involved students a group of 4th and 7th-grade students at a district school. There were 35 students, 21 males and 14 females. For the students, the surveys comprised of closed-ended questions where the primary goal was understanding their perceptions of homework and how it benefitted them.

The students were required to respond to questions asking the number of days they received homework in a week and the average time they spent completing these assignments. Group interviews were conducted were both teachers and students had an opportunity to participate. There were open-ended questions which covered various ideas and issues concerning homework. When describing classroom situations, the students were requested to conceal the teacher’s name. C. , & Patall, E. A. Does homework improve academic achievement? A synthesis of research, 1987–2003.  Review of educational research, 76(1), 1-62. , Conner, J. , & Pope, D. Nonacademic effects of homework in privileged, high-performing high schools.  The journal of experimental education, 81(4), 490-510. Gill, B. Types of Homework and Their Effect on Student Achievement. Pashalidis, D. J. Homework-Does It Impact Student Performance? Suárez, N.