Is Homework Harmful or Helpful? Here is the Truth
What are the main pros and cons of homework for students? Is it really beneficial? From book reports to dioramas and algebraic problems, the debate about the quantity and quality of homework to students has raged for more than a century.
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Early in the 1900s, progressive educationists decried the negative implications that homework had on both the physical and mental health of kids, resulting in the ban of homework for children below 15 years in California. But public opinion, which was in favor of homework carried the day. Today, statistics indicate that students take an average of three hours doing homework.
Is homework helpful or harmful? As one of the hot button issues, it is not uncommon for teachers to ask students to write essays about homework. So, here is a more in-depth look at how you should go about writing a winning homework argument essay.
Is Homework Harmful or Helpful Pros and Cons
Proponents of homework argue that it is crucial to student’s academic achievements while opponents point at the associated health implications. So, here are the main pros and cons of homework.
Pros
- Homework help students to improve their grades and test results. When students relook at the things they learned in class, they understand them well and perform better in exams.
- When students get assignments to do at home, parents have a better chance to get involved. For example, they can check how their children handle different problems, and even help by showing them alternative methods of solving them.
- Homework provides students with an opportunity to learn how to be independent. As they learn how to solve different math or literature problems without the help of their teacher, the skill will develop and become very useful later in life.
Cons
- Most researchers appear in agreement that too much homework can be harmful to the health of students. Many students who are given a lot of assignments suffer from health problems such as stress, emotional exhaustion, and stomach problems.
- Homework disadvantages those from low-income areas. In many cases, it is only the students from high-income areas who are given homework because they have access to resources such as internet and quiet working space. This disadvantages others from low-income areas.
- Although most learning institutions, let us say all of them, use homework, there is no scientific evidence that it helps students at lower levels.
Is Homework Harmful or Helpful Essay
To help you get a better grasp of what is a homework essay and how to craft it for top grades, here is a sample essay.
“Is Homework Helpful or Harmful?
Students spend hours doing homework, and teachers spend more hours checking it. Homework is, at times, a burden to learners and teachers, but it is necessary. While some people cast doubts about the effectiveness of homework, teachers and educationists are in agreement that it is important. Homework helps students get better grades, build their skills, and get their careers on the right path.
Although some studies on homework have pointed at some issues, particularly those related to the well-being of students in lower grades, they conclude that it is necessary for success in one’s academics and career. Indeed, even the opponents of homework appear to support the course of homework by indicating that what need to be relooked at is quality and quantity. And now, even the issue of time has been resolved. The national PTA recommends that students in the elementary school should not get more than 20-40 minutes of homework in a day. Those in the middle school should not be given homework that exceeds 60-90 minutes. Finally, the junior-high school aged learners should have no more than 120 minutes of homework.
By giving students just enough assignments, they get ample time to apply the skills they learned in class and be part of the community. Indeed, teachers can also select homework assignments that help learners socialize and understand their environment. For example, a teacher might ask learners in elementary level to identify items in their environment and note their colors, shape, and functions…”
Is Homework Harmful or Helpful: Research and Statistics
Before we can look at the pros and cons to factor when working on “is homework harmful or helpful argumentative essay,” it is vital to start by understanding what research says about the subject.
- In their 2007 study, TIMSS demonstrated that their 4th-grade students from regions that give students below average homework were more successful compared to their overwhelmed peers.
- In 2013, a study done at Stanford University established that most students in communities that spend a lot of time on homework experience more stress, lack of balance in their lives, and physical health problems.
- Another study done in 2015 and published in the Frontiers in Phycology noted that many students who got a lot of homework experienced serious health effects such as emotional exhaustion, chronic stress, and drug use.
- In one of the studies published in the High School Journal, students who spent between 31 and 90 minutes working on homework every day scored more points on SAT compared to peers who spent less time on homework.
These facts and stats on homework demonstrate that although homework is an important part of learning, it is very important that teachers put more effort into quality as opposed to quantity.
Seek Writing Help with Your Assignment
As the debate on whether homework is helpful or not rages on, one thing you need to be sure about is that your lecturers will keep giving you more assignments. So, be prepared to handle them. But if you find it challenging, because of reasons such as the topics being complicated, tight deadlines, other engagements, or poor writing skills, it is a great idea to seek writing help from experts. They have been in the writing industry for years and are willing to help you craft A-rated essays. With an academic writing expert on your side, you can never go wrong with your assignment.
