A new study discussed in a UVa Today article, titled “When is Homework Worth the Time?,” concluded that whether or not students complete their homework does not necessarily correlate with their grade with regards to math and science. There does appear to be a correlation, however, between completing homework and higher scores on standardized tests. The authors, Assoc. Prof. Adam Maltese at Indiana University, Assoc. Prof. Robert Tai at the University’s Curry School of Education and Dean of Education Xitao Fan at the University of Macao, analyzed the transcripts of 10th graders from a span of 12 years to reach such conclusions. The results imply a need to focus on the type and quality of homework given. Homework should not be given just for the sake of giving homework, but rather should be geared toward obtaining a certain objective.
In essence, the study questions traditional thinking, which equates extensive homework with greater comprehension of subject matter. The focus is on giving more homework, rather than quality homework. To a certain extent, there is some logical validity in assuming the benefits of more homework. The assumption is that completing extensive homework assignments and different kinds of drills would enhance students’ comprehension by forcing them not only to learn the problems well, but also to be able to complete them with efficiency.
Yet research by Pennsylvania State University professors David B. Baker and Gerald LeTendre notes that countries that generally assign minimal homework such as Denmark and the Czech Republic have higher student achievement while countries that assign extensive homework such as Thailand and Greece have lower student achievement. Granted, there are nations such as South Korea and China that achieve high performance with high quantities of homework, yet at the same time, both of these countries have been criticized for their focus on memorization rather than application of knowledge or thinking creatively. Moreover, teachers in the United States during the 1980s increased the amount of homework given, especially for younger students, in order to improve our international standing in education, but our standing did not change despite this adjustment. Lastly, it is unlikely that students will have the same level of focus and determination to understand a subject after working through a long assignment. By the end of the assignment, their focus and enthusiasm may have waned, thus undermining comprehension.
Rather than focusing on providing more homework, it is important to focus on the quality of the homework assignments given. Homework assignments are often meant to help struggling students increase understanding or teach topics not discussed in class, according to LeTendre. But homework assigned for either of those purposes can be ineffective. If students are struggling with a certain topic or do not have a sufficient understanding of the basics, giving them more drills or assignments to do by themselves is not necessarily going to increase comprehension — it cannot be assumed that parents are either available or proficient enough in that subject to help. It will be more effective to have an individual such as a tutor complete the assignments with them. Homework assignments are likely to only help those students who already understand the material. Second, new topics should be covered in class and not via homework assignments. Homework should instead increase the depth of understanding of a topic. In fact, there have been indications that the types of rudimentary homework assignments described above decrease test scores, according to the Huffington Post.
Professor of Education Harris Cooper at Duke University actually recommends giving second graders approximately 10 to 15 minutes of homework, and then increase by 10 to 15 minutes for each succeeding grade level. In addition, there should be focus on giving homework that allows students to apply what they learn in class, perhaps in different contexts that allows for higher levels of understanding. Furthermore, it is important that teachers provide sufficient feedback so students understand their mistakes and can learn from them rather than having simply X’s and check marks, according to the Northwest Regional Education Laboratory. We need to change our thinking from the idea that more homework begets greater achievement to a less-is-more mindset that allows students to spend a shorter time on homework while fostering greater understanding.
Fariha Kabir’s column appears Wednesdays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at f.kabir@cavalierdaily.com.
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