Going to school and getting homework is an age-old tradition that has continued for several years. Despite all the advancements in education and the transformation of the learning process, one thing that has not changed is homework. Students dislike this and still have firm roots in the educational process due to its believed effectiveness. However, for the past few years, experts have been trying to answer whether homework really helps in the learning process or is it just an unnecessary burden being carried by students forever.
To reach a conclusion about this debate, it is vital to closely analyze the impact of homework on the learning process. There must be some inevitable benefits that have kept it a tradition for a long time. Following are some of the benefits of homework for the learning process.
Better academic performance:
One of the most significant benefits of homework is that it enhances the academic performance of students. According to studies, regular homework help students achieve better grades at school and thus have better learning. Studies even prove that students who complete their homework regularly have higher scores than those who do not do homework or spend less time doing it. Academic performance is considered an indicator of learning outcomes among students, and therefore better academic performance from students’ side represents their better learning.
Reinforcement of learning:
When studying or learning something new, reinforcement holds a significant place. It helps to add concreteness to the concepts understood and developed in the minds of students. For better and long-lasting learning, it is important to reinforce lessons taught at schools. The best way of reinforcement is homework. They enable a student to revise and apply the concepts learned at schools for doing work at home. It not only enhances their learning capabilities but also helps them generate critical questions about the lessons. This ultimately results in better understanding through critical thinking.
Development of better study habits:
Leaving a habit is quite challenging; however, developing a habit, especially a good one, is even more challenging. The most common problem faced by students is regarding the development of study habits. Homework proves to be a source of developing and strengthening good study habits among students. Whether students get something to write, read or learn as homework, they are compelled to overview their study material and teachers’ lectures. This is the best way to study. Moreover, students develop life-changing habits, including time management, self-motivation, discipline, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Instead of relying on others to help them study, they try to do the work by themselves, thus gaining as much knowledge as possible.
Involvement of parents:
It is crucial that parents know what their children are studying at school to monitor their studies at home. It is difficult to allow parents to witness the proceeding of a class, and therefore, homework serves to let them know what their kids are learning at school. To motivate children to study, parents can get engaged with them in their hone-assigned tasks and projects. It makes learning fun for students, and they are eager to share their knowledge and queries with their parents. This way, parents come to know about their children’s areas of strength and weakness in terms of academics. They can brush up on their strengths and focus on improving weaknesses. Instead of hiring an assignment writing service for doing homework, it is better to learn with your parents at home as it has become a trend.
Students’ learning process is confined to academics or the course knowledge. Instead, it aims to develop other major areas necessary for a good member of society. Getting homework daily and having to get it checked and evaluated makes students responsible for their duties. When they know that they have to complete a task in the given time and also own their performance, they tend to be perfect to the core. They become more responsible for their duties and value accountability.
Along with these valuable benefits, some downsides also must be kept in mind when analyzing this debate. Some of them are mentioned below.
Too much homework can be harmful:
Although homework improves students’ academic performance, excessive homework can turn the situation the other way. Too much homework proves to be a burden for a student that they struggle to carry on their backs. Having unnecessary homework may stress out children, and their classwork would suffer as a consequence. They might want to cut themselves off from studies to reduce the stress and, in the long run, may not want to study at all. Some students cater to this situation by taking some support from unfair means for cheating. They would copy work from their fellows to have better marks and grades at school.
Lack of resource availability:
Nowadays, homework assigned to students involves accessing different learning material through the Internet and other means. This proves to be difficult for low-income families who live from hand to mouth. They usually do not have the resources to access basic resources required for assignments and projects such as the Internet and others. Therefore, it becomes difficult for those to fulfil homework requirements.
Not very effective for young students:
Their results and grades prove the effectiveness of homework for students of class 5 and above. However, studies show that it has no direct and proven impact on the academic performance of young students. They need a slightly different method of teaching than the old ones. Instead of learning, they learn more by experiencing and practising things along with their peers. Homework seems to be a burden for them, and they become stressed out with it.
It can be seen that homework has a significant role in students’ learning process, which can not be eliminated. However, it must be kept in mind that the true benefits of homework can only be obtained if it is quality homework that engages students and keeps them motivated for learning instead of making them feel fed up with studies and learning.