Education Essay Example on Whether Homework Is Beneficial

Educational benefits

Homework gets defined as any activity or task mostly assigned to be done out of the workplace or school environment. In consideration of the context, it refers to the school task given to students to undertake at home. Various debates on its benefits have equally been brought forward with some parents and educational reformers terming its benefit as dubious. On the other hand, teachers offer contradictory statements by referring to the activity as essential in helping the students learn and grasp concepts. Equally notable, researchers have also contributed to the debate with different opinions. It is, therefore, out of this concept that the hypothesis question about the vitality or harmfulness of homework arises.

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Duke University social psychologist Harris Cooper and also a Ph.D. holder, argues that homework entails production of educational benefits as well as boosting of retention and understanding level of the learner. In one of the reviews conducted between 1987 and 2003, the renowned social psychologist connected the issue of homework to higher test score in high schools and other lesser degree schools. He equally noted little academic benefit of the subject in the elementary schools thereby questioning its vitality (Kirsten, 2016). Other researchers such as Robinson and Patall in 2006, argued the debate having undergone through various circles since the late 17th century when learners from the elementary schools hardly received homework contrary to those from grammar schools. Towards the elapse of the nineteenth century, the child health and progressive educational movement brought an attack on both the elementary and junior schools coupled with the argument of its harmful nature instead of the educational benefit.

Child mortality rate

The movement through two researchers Gill and Schlossman tabled an argument that the subject contributed to increasing in child mortality rate and even approving one of the writer's approaches which termed it as a legalized criminality. At the dawn of 1957 launch of Sputnik, the homework debate got termed as Sputnik, and it later got viewed from the dimension of a national crisis to the United States of America (Centre for Public Education, 2007). The underlying reason for the mentioned got based on Russian children getting noted as smarter than those of the U. S. A. Currently, the issue of homework gets viewed from different perspectives with other people offering divergent opinions. According to the opinions, the concern is not only based on the assignment alone but its volume.

Research mirrors most parents and teachers to offer evident support for the continuation of the program despite the contradicting media reports. Some researchers with the exclusion of Cooper also gets depicted to remains rigid with the memory of the Vietnam era where homework got viewed to burden and stress learners hence making it harmful (Centre for Public Education, 2007). Therefore, it can get deduced that even though there exist certain underlying myths on the importance of homework especially on increasing academic achievement, researchers have totally maintained a different opinion concerning the issue. The additional evidence presents them to argue the existence of the minimal relationship between the score of learners and the amount of homework they do.

The debate on whether homework is important or harmful to learners is one that traces its roots since seventeenth century to date. Researchers have always shared contradictory beliefs to that of other people as imaged in the paper. Therefore, it is an area which should be given a keen consideration that brings learners on board to also give their opinion. Finally, the issue in discussion qualifies to get noted as evidence-based practice due to its integration of the past and current information in addressing its underlying beliefs.

References

Centre for Public Education, (2007). What Research says on the Value of Homework: Research Review, Retrieved from http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Instruction/What-research-says-about-the-value-of-homework-At-a-glance/What-research-says-about-the-value-of-homework-Research-review.html

Kirsten W, (2016). Is Homework a necessary Evil? American Psychological Association, Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/monitor/2016/03/homework.aspx