Is too much homework beneficial to children?

THE EDITOR: As the run-up to national exams (SEA, CXC, etc) draws closer, school children are becoming more and more overburdened with homework. Homework should definitely be given as a means of revision and consolidation, but too much homework can do more harm than good. After six hours of work at school, students have little mental and physical energy to do more work at home.

An average of eight subjects is done for the day for students in Forms 1, 2 and 3. Assume that each subject matter gives homework that takes about half an hour to complete. The total is four hours of homework which is equivalent to half of a day’s work. This work is to be done after the children are exhausted and in an environment that is often not conducive to concentration. Most children begin school work as soon as they reach home. They hurriedly eat whatever is available, and turn the dinner table into a battleground.

They do not have the time to socialise and bond with family members, neighbours and friends. Even weekends are not free. Excessive daily homework retards full development of children. It robs children of their childhood. They have little or no time to relax and play. They cannot engage in a hobby or do leisurely reading, and cannot assist in household chores. They also cannot even function fully the next day because of deprived sleep and adequate rest. Excessive homework as well as extra lessons can leave children burnt out. The stress and struggle to cope can make them grow up hating school and deterred from becoming a lifelong learner.

Excessive homework is oppressive and a burden to parents too. Parents are often drawn into the task of helping their children on evenings and sometimes late in the night. They too have less time to depend on physical, domestic and social activities. What is worse is that research by Harris Cooper and others in the United States has shown that there is little or no overall relation between the volume of homework students do and their performance on achievement tests. Perhaps some policy makers, educators, teachers and parents need to do some extra homework. They need to read the book by Etta Kralovec and John Buell entitled The End of Homework: How Homework Disrupts Families, Overburdens Children, and Limits Learning.”

DR KUMAR MAHABIR
Swami Avenue, Don Miguel Road
San Juan