The research sample was also given several open-ended questions to gain qualitative data on the issue. Well, we hate to break it to teachers and parents. Still, the qualitative data supported the quantitative one entirely. Learners reportedly said that sleep deprivation and lack of time for other activities were major issues due to too much homework burden. They suffered from headaches, felt tiresome and exhausted; many even lost a lot of weight. And let’s say not in a good way. Only less than one percent of individuals felt that these tasks were not causing stress in their life primarily.

Teachers are encouraged to give ten-minute-long assignments rather than the ones that lead to 75-minute-long answers like those in Canada. Students should have a proper routine rather than spending their entire time on assignments if they want to stay healthy. Surprisingly about 72 percent of parents also feel that it can cause household stress in general.

🗝️ Pros and Cons of Homework

Many of us often find ourselves in a dilemma posed by the question, “Is homework harmful or helpful?” We can come out of it step by step, looking at the positives and then the negatives of home assignments.

✔️ Benefits of Homework

There are many benefits of home assignments.

• Responsibility

Many students learn the importance of being responsible for submissions and completing tasks correctly to score well. They get better at meeting deadlines and completing everything on time.

• Improved Understanding

It also helps high school students understand the topic better. They put in effort from their end to understand the topic by research and reading more about it.

• Better Grades

Reviewing a topic repeatedly to complete a task helps middle school students get in the habit of achieving good scores, leading to enhanced academic performance.

• Feedback from Teachers

The feedback on assignments helps students recognize their strengths and weaknesses. They identify their mistakes and can try to improve them. Positive feedback gives them a sense of accomplishment as well.

• Practice Makes It Perfect

Starting from elementary school, children practice a lot through assignments. They apply all the knowledge received in their classes to the assignment at hand. It helps them gain a good grip over the subject.

• A Chance to Review

These assignments give students a good opportunity to review every topic in detail. That way, they revise everything they learned in class, and all the details are reinforced.

• Learn to Set Goals

Students get in the habit of setting daily goals to complete their assignments. It helps them learn ways to prioritize what’s more important, go out with friends, or complete a marked assignment.

• Better Research Skills

When one has to complete their assignment and spend time on homework, they tend to research every way possible. Individuals learn how to use primary and secondary research sources to gather relevant and useful information to complete the task at hand.

• Encourages Remote Learning

Many times children are unable to attend school if they fall sick or due to transport issues. On such unpredictable occasions, assigned tasks can aid learning from a remote end.

• Time Management Skills

Children realize that they might have some things to get done with before the day ends. In such situations, they allot time to tasks and try to stick to the prepared schedule. It aids in time management and keeps the student on track.

✔️ Cons of Homework

There are some cons of homework assignments, which will help us decide whether it is helpful or harmful.

• Too Much of Anything is Harmful

After spending almost six hours a day studying at school and taking back-to-back classes is already exhausting for students. If they have to spend another three hours on homework, they stop focusing, and the element of learning is no longer a part of the activity.

• Does it help or stress younger children?

Children are looking to discover their abilities at a younger age and make the best out of them. But piled-up homework does not help them in this regard. Many schools, such as those in Florida, have come to replace these with reading activities for 20 minutes every night.

• Isn’t a Good Idea for Low-Income Students

Such students have to work hard to make ends meet. Many have part-time jobs to have enough finances to educate themselves. Such students don’t get enough time to spend on assignments every day.

• Lack of Interest

Students tend to lose interest in subjects if they have too much homework. Many people already know which career path they want to walk on, so too many assignments in elective courses can frustrate them.

• Can be Irrelevant

Many people feel their teachers don’t give assignments based on what they teach in school. If you’re smart, then you can research and find the answers; however, some people aren’t and struggle a lot in these situations.

• No Free Time

An excessive amount of homework leaves people with no free time to catch up in other life areas. They feel overwhelmed and consider these tasks the core reason they struggle to excel in other life areas.

• The Famous Myth

It is a myth that students who have more home-based tasks succeed better in terms of academic achievements. In countries like Japan that lead in academic achievements, they tend to support a below-average quantity of assignments.

• Too Much Stress

Homework is not beneficial if it harms your health. Many students suffer from anxiety, stress, and headaches due to an increased amount of such tasks day by day.

• Leads to Problems in Other Areas of Life

Students can’t focus on personal and professional life as they are entirely focusing on assignments. Many also start lacking skills to solve problems other than assignments efficiently.

• Lack of Focus

Repeatedly following the same routine becomes boring, and people stop focusing on these tasks and start taking them casually.

👍 How to Make Homework Less Stressful ❓

• It is difficult to establish if homework is harmful or helpful, but we can certainly try to make it less stressful!
• Students should be given shorter assignments that take around ten to fifteen minutes a day to focus on developing other skills such as sports and making time for their social life.
• An adequate amount of assignments should be given to help students remain focus and revise topics rather than bombarding them with a bunch of tasks they don’t understand.
• Relevant assignments should be given to students so that they can relate them to class discussions.
• Teachers should provide feedback on time rather than holding on to assignments without checking and returning them. Feedback helps students improve a lot.
• No one but the student should focus and complete the task. Even if parents feel like helping, they can help with research a bit or help children understand the topic, but the student must complete the task independently.
• Teachers should set goals for every child and then issue assignments that help children achieve these goals.
• The effort put into homework should be acknowledged and appreciated by teachers to encourage students to complete their tasks.

What Can Parents Do ❓

Many parents also think to themselves, “Is homework harmful? or is homework helpful?” A more relevant question for them should be how they can help their children with the tasks. Parents play a crucial role when it comes to supporting their children with academics. If you are a parent looking to guide your child better, then follow these tips:

• Help your child come up with a manageable schedule and set a routine for assignments and other activities. Help them follow this routine strictly. A few cheat days are fine, but try to keep them on track.
• Make sure your child doesn’t engage in continuous academic tasks. Help them take breaks and do something productive or help them develop new skills.
• Parents can also help with research and help students realize the importance of a subject through healthy discussions.
• As a parent, you can keep a tutor to help your child with the assignments rather than leaving them alone to face the ocean of assignments.
• If your children are scoring a bit less, try to understand their problem rather than scolding them. Help them remain focused rather than demotivating them.