Does Homework Help?

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Does homework really make a difference to a student’s long-term success?

The world has been debating over the advantages and disadvantages of homework since the late 19th century. Some of us as teachers or facilitators may feel that homework is an effective way to reinforce the concepts taught in school. In other cases, working parents or caregivers from low-income families may feel differently about homework, getting homework help and its impact on children.

Also, there have been multiple research studies conducted on understanding the impact of homework on grades and test scores. Although most of the studies found a strong correlation between homework and academic success, there’s a threshold which needs to be understood and followed for learning to happen and grades to eventually show the impact.

This means schools and teachers need to have a close monitoring on the amount of homework given to students. According to Harris M. Cooper of Duke University, who has been conducting research over few decades on the topic of homework, one needs to follow the 10-minute rule per grade level. This simply means that a 1st grader needs to be assigned homework that can be completed in just 10 minutes each day, a 6th grader should spend at least an hour, a 9th grader should spend approximately 90 minutes per day, and a high schooler’s homework assignment should range anywhere between 90 minutes to 2.5 hours per day. Homework given within these limits is not only optimal for motivating a child to learn but also will eventually deliver academic success.

But getting good grades is a very short run measurement of the impact of homework. Assignment of homework starts from elementary school and continues all the way up to college and university level. This means that a student deals with homework over a period of approximately 18-20 years of his or her life. Hence, anything practised for that long is bound to create long lasting impact. Some of the core skills homework can foster, assuming it is given within the threshold limits, are responsible behavior, perseverance, ability to manage distractions etc.

The relation between human motivation and academic success

As per McClelland’s Human Motivation Theory, every human is driven by one of three motivators:

Achievement
Affiliation
Power

These motivators are not innate, and one develops them through experiences over a period. With regards to the discipline of education, motivation is driven from achievement. Achievement motivation is a consistent driving force put by a student (in context of education) to achieve success by insisting on doing difficult assignments, putting extra effort into learning and scoring high grades in school exams and tests.

But in turn achievement motivation is driven by the individual’s beliefs in ability in carrying out a specific task. Also referred to as positive believes. Research suggests that to a large extent positive learning beliefs play a crucial role in defining the types of tasks a student will choose to pursue, their persistence in the face of challenge, and their academic achievement.

So, for a child to showcase achievement motivation, he/she needs to first develop positive learning beliefs and showcase behavior such as perseverance abilities, goal-setting skills, expectation towards achieving success, time-management skills etc.

As discussed above, an optimal amount of homework, based on the 10-minute thumb rule, can help cultivate positive beliefs about learning and set a student up for academic success.

The role of parents in helping a child develop positive beliefs

Multiple research studies have shown that both parents and teachers play a significant role in helping a child develop positive beliefs and behaviors, and homework is a key medium that is used for promoting motivation and academic achievement.

So, does this mean that parents need to be involved with their child in completing the homework assignments?

No, the expectation from parents is not to help their child with solving the homework questions but play a supportive role and take active interest in the school activities. Here are a few simple tips that can help parents cultivate positive beliefs in children about learning:

Build a connection with the school teachers and actively participate in school events.
Set-up a dedicated study area for your children just like you do for your office. The place should be distraction-free.
Focus on keeping a schedule for breaks, healthy eating habits and exercise.
Keep a check on your child’s progress reports and take actions proactively.
Make sure you reward your child for academic achievements.

Once a child has developed strong positive beliefs about learning, he/she will be motivated to complete their homework in time and score better grades in class. In the long run, the child with positive learning beliefs about self is more likely to excel in their career and have a much higher chance of leading a happy life. So yes, homework is an important element is school curriculum and it has long term benefits on a student’s personality and confidence.

Homework: Pros and Cons