Does homework really work to boost achievement? Homework! It's not something most students look forward to. Some studies show that over 70% of students don't like doing homework. Speaking from personal experience, the idea of being assigned homework growing up always filled me with dread and aggravation. But, just because students don't like doing it, there has to be a good reason for assigning homework, right? Homework is often used as a tool to increase student achievement. Does it work, and if so, to what degree does it really help students to find greater success? Researchers can't seem to agree Many researchers have performed studies on the correlation between homework and achievement, but the majority of evidence presented on the subject has been questioned if not refuted. German psychologist and education researcher Ulrich Trautwein and fellow researcher Olaf Köller address some of the challenges faced by researchers when tackling the subject of homework's value in their article, "The Relationship Between Homework and Achievement—Still Much of a Mystery." They criticize the weak correlations presented by researchers like Cooper and Paschal who seemingly selected "homework" classes or "no-homework" classes "arbitrarily" for their samples (Trautwein, 2003, p. 118). They conclude through their research that there is not a system yet designed that can consider all of the variables necessary to answer the question of the efficacy of homework in fostering achievement, casting doubt on much of the research presented to date. The pro-homework camp Harris Cooper, professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University, cites his own work as evidence of the correlation between homework and achievement in his Op-Ed piece for The News and Observer. In addition to his research supporting the benefits of homework in boosting achievement, he also mentions other factors that can benefit students such as "the development of good study habits and a recognition that learning can occur at home as well as at school." (Cooper, 2018). Cooper also concedes that too much homework can be harmful for students. He agrees with the "10 minute rule" supported by the NEA where students should only be expected to do homework for a number of minutes equal to ten times their grade level. The skeptics Not everyone is convinced that homework boosts achievement in school. Alfie Kohn, author and lecturer on psychology, education and parenting, Conclusion References Cooper, H., & Cooper, H. (2018, October 11). Yes, teachers should give homework – the benefits are many. Retrieved February 17, 2019, from https://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/op-ed/article99527192.html Kohn, A. (2006). Does Homework Improve Learning? Retrieved February 17, 2019, from https://www.alfiekohn.org/homework-improve-learning/ Research Spotlight on Homework. (n.d.). Retrieved February 17, 2019, from http://www.nea.org/tools/16938.htm Ulrich Trautwein, U., & Köller, O. (june 2003). The Relationship Between Homework and Achievement—Still Much of a Mystery. Educational Psychology Review, 15(2), 115-145. Retrieved February 17, 2019, from https://www.jstor.org/stable/23361516.
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