Kaitlyn Costenaro

English 1102
Research Paper
Homework. Friend or Foe?
Recently, in the past couple of years, homework has been the cause of debate between
educators and parents all over. Parents feel like their children receive too much homework for the
amount of time they already spend in class. According to the Webster dictionary homework is
defined as, an assignment given to a student to be completed outside the regular class period
(Webster). This definition states that homework is to be done outside of the classroom.
Homework completion enhances students to reach their full academic potential. Homework
enhances students by the time spent on completing the work.
I remember when I was in high school I hated receiving homework and I would never
complete assignments. Due to this I feel like I did not succeed academically to my full potential.
Since high school I have decided to pursue an education major and now see the importance of
homework in a class setting. Some parents strongly disagree. In a Washington Post article, Amy
Joyce states, parents can find themselves torn between wanting to encourage children to
complete their work and wanting them to get exercise, play, just be a kid. By saying this Joyce,
is explaining that parents feel like their kids are receiving too much homework and they would
rather them be outside and doing things that make them a kid. In the same article, Jonathan
Brand, headmaster of Chelsea Academy in Front Royal, Va., explains that,
his school has general guidelines about homework amounts, even for older
students. We lower the homework requirement in younger grades, he said.

In grades 4 and 5, their youngest, teachers try to give no more than 30 minutes
per night. Were very careful about the kind of homework assignments we give
to students. The benefit they receive from homework diminishes significantly in
the lower grades (Joyce).
By saying this he states that homework does have a benefit when it comes to giving the students
the correct amount of homework. Students do not need to receive hours and hours of homework
but with the right amount of work they can benefit greatly.
Another issue contributing to the debate on homework is the amount of time a student
should spend on homework each night. This issue is partly the reason why parents in Joyces
article are upset. Parent Sara Youngblood-Ochoa stopped allowing her son to do his homework
packets because she felt that he was doing fine in school and they were taking way too long for
him to complete (Joyce). An article on the case for and against homework by Robert J. Marzano
states that, One of the more contentious issues in the homework debate is the amount of time
students should spend on homework he then goes on by saying homework must be realistic in
length and difficulty given to the students abilities to work independently (Marzano). By saying
this he implies that homework should be assigned and that the amount of homework assigned
should be realistically given.
In two different studies carried out on teachers and on students it was concluded by both
that homework helps students academically more when completed. In the first study physical
education teachers were told to give their students homework in order to see the attitudes of the
teachers towards assigning the homework. In the end 80 percent of the teachers in the experiment
agreed that giving out homework benefited their students (Barton). The teachers felt like the use

of homework was positive to the students. In the second study conducted on the students it was
concluded that, those who are more involved in homework have better academic achievement in
Math at secondary grades (Surez). With that being said it can be concluded that students who
are involved in their homework are more likely to succeed in the classroom than students who do
not complete their work. Students should complete their work to make sure their reaching their
full potential. Parents should encourage students to be more involved unlike the parents from The
Washington Post article.
Homework is a great tool for enhancing students full learning potential. When used
correctly the student is benefited greatly. Parents feel like their children are receiving way too
much homework but teachers should only be assigning the appropriate amount each night. By
doing this educator and parents both get what they want all while the students are gaining great
academic benefits.

Works Cited

Barton, Gina. V. Murray, Mitchell, Kate Stanne. Attitudes And Behaviors Of Physical
Educators Regarding Homework. Physical Educator 57.3 (2000): 138.

Joyce, Amy. Too Much Homework? Why Some Parents are Opting Out. The
Washington Post. Aug 26, 2016.

Nez, J. C., et al. "Relationships Between Perceived Parental Involvement In

Homework, Student Homework Behaviors, And Academic Achievement:
Differences Among Elementary, Junior High, And High School Students."
Metacognition And Learning 10.3 (2015): 375-406. ERIC. Web. 13 Nov.
2016.Vancouver/ICMJE

Surez, Natalia, et al. "Homework Involvement And Academic Achievement Of Native

And Immigrant Students." Frontiers In Psychology 7.(2016): 1-8. Academic Search
Complete. Web. 22 Nov. 2016.
Marazano, Robert J. Special Topic/ The case For and Against Homework. Responding to
Changing Demographics. March 2007. Pg 74-79.