How much Homework Should Students Have?

The belief that homework helps children develop study skills and review concepts learned in class is shared by many teachers and parents. Others believe that homework is disruptive, unnecessary, and leads to a loss of interest in learning. When looking at decades of research, we can see that homework is beneficial but only to a degree. So, how much homework should students have?
 

Lower Secondary (Sekundarstufe I)

Students gain more benefits from homework as they grow older and develop the study skills necessary to dive deeply into a subject and retain what they learn. Assignments can help prepare them for scholarly work and studies have shown that students in lower secondary can benefit moderately from homework. Additionally, a study from 2016 shows that online math homework that is tailored to the student’s level of understanding can considerably increase test scores. 

However, there are risks to assigning too much homework. According to a 2015 study, students’ math and science test scores started to drop when they had more than 90 to 100 minutes of homework per day. The researchers recommend that “homework should present a certain level of challenge or difficulty, without being so challenging that it discourages effort.” Teachers should avoid low-effort, repetitive assignments, and assign homework “with the aim of instilling work habits and promoting autonomous, self-directed learning.”
 

Upper Secondary (Sekundarstufe II)

By the time they reach the upper secondary level, students should be independent learners. Homework provides a boost when learning at this age, as long as it is not overwhelming. According to a 2013 study, excessive homework might cause students to have major mental and physical health issues, including higher stress levels and sleep deprivation. 

'Gymnasium' teachers should be aware of how much homework the other teachers are assigning. While it may seem reasonable to assign 30 minutes of homework, that can amount to 3 hours when spread across 6 subjects, for example. That is why it is important to work together to develop a school-wide homework policy and make it a focal point of the back-to-school period and the first parent-teacher conference of the school year.
 

We hope this article has helped you understand how homework impacts students. If you want to find out more about Mentora Gymnasium, you can make an appointment and visit our school or take part in one of the regular open days we host.