Right: cartoon depicting two kinds of helpful services regarding homework.
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Arguments in favour of homework
1. Homework can have positive effects on academic achievement, especially for more senior students
There is evidence of a positive effect on students' academic achievement (as defined by school results) from homework. In an analysis published in 1994 of 20 studies conducted since 1962, it was found that high schoolers aged 14 to 16 years who did homework performed 69% better than those who did not do homework but for those students aged 11 to 13years, the average homework effect was much less. In primary school, homework appeared to have no effect on achievement.
Confirming the above findings is more recent research published in 2006 conducted by Duke University researchers in the United States, lead by Professor Harris Cooper which showed a positive correlation between student achievement and homework. The researchers reviewed over 60 studies on homework between1987 and 2003 and found that the positive correlation was much stronger for high schoolers than for primary school students.
On March 29, 2012, the Department of Education of the United Kingdom published the results of a survey which indicated that there were substantial academic benefits to be gained for those students who completed regular homework. The research was conducted by academics from the Institute of Education, Oxford and Birkbeck College, part of the university of London.
Spending more than two hours a night doing homework is linked to achieving better results in English, maths and science, according to a major study which has tracked the progress of 3,000 children over the past 15 years. Spending any time doing homework showed benefits, but the effects were greater for students who put in two to three hours a night.
The findings on homework run counter to previous research which shows a relatively modest link between homework and achievement at secondary school. The academics involved in the latest research say their study emphasises what students actually do, rather than how much work the school has set.
Pam Sammons, a professor of education at Oxford University, said that time spent on homework reflected the influence of the school - whether pupils were expected to do homework - as well as children's enjoyment of their subjects.
Professor Simmons has stated, 'That's one of the reasons Indian and Chinese children do better. They tend to put more time in. It's to do with your effort as well as your ability.'
2. There are a number of activities that students can valuably perform at home
Historically homework has been condemned as often being made up of 'busy work', essentially pointless tasks set merely to keep students occupied, or drilling exercises requiring children to learn by rote.
The 2014 report of the Inquiry into the Approaches to Homework in Victorian Schools states that 'legitimate purposes for homework including: introducing new content; practising a skill or process that students can do independently but not fluently; elaborating on information that has been addressed in class to deepen students' knowledge; and providing opportunities for students to explore topics of their own interest.'
The Tasmanian Department of Education Homework Guidelines has presented in detail the types of activity suitable as homework. These include activities which are short, frequent and regularly monitored by the teacher. The work should be clearly related to what is being taught in class and regular feedback should be given. It should be relevant in that it is in line with the achievement of set outcomes. It needs to be varied and engaging and differentiated so that students of differing abilities are all given work they can meaningfully complete. Generally, the work being set for homework needs to have been explicitly taught in class. The work should consolidate revise or apply classroom learning.
Some of the homework set should develop students' independence as learners through extension activities such as investigating, researching, writing, designing and creating. It should assist students to prepare for upcoming classroom learning by having them formulate ideas, collect relevant materials or complete surveys or questionnaires.
It has also been noted that homework should be set which is accessible to students so that they are able to complete it without significant external assistance.
3. Completing homework can improve work habits and students' attitude to school
It is claimed that homework can have positive effects on more than a students' academic achievements while at school. Some educationalists claim that it results in improved attitudes toward learning, greater self-reliance and organisational skills.
In 2007 an overview was prepared for the Queensland Government titled 'Homework for the 21st Century'. It included the following observations, 'Some perceived long-term effects of homework on academic achievement and learning include an improved attitude towards school; better study habits and skills; and the encouragement of learning during leisure time. Non-academic long-term effects are said to include improved self-direction and self-discipline; better time organisation; more inquisitiveness; and enhanced independent problem solving.'
There is also a view that homework can help to develop good work habits and job management skills for later in life. A spokesperson for the Queensland Department of Education is reported to have said that 'Homework is... important for developing lifelong study habits that will hold students in good stead when they move into tertiary study and ...work.'
4. Homework can improve connections between parent and school
The New South Wales Department of Education and Training website states that 'homework bridges the gap between learning at school and learning at home and...enables parents/carers to see how their child is progressing.'
The same point has been made in the 2014 report of the Inquiry into the Approaches to Homework in Victorian Schools which states, 'Homework can have the effect of helping a parent to understand the progress the child is making or otherwise and can therefore help make parent-teacher interviews more meaningful.'
This Inquiry's report indicates that 'one of the key benefits of homework is to engage and inform parents of their children's educational progress... [providing] a conduit for information that otherwise parents wouldn't have. By understanding what their children are doing, parents will be better able to provide appropriate support.'
The Victorian Association Catholic Primary School Principals (VACPSP) sees parents as vital element to a child's education, including homework. VACPSP members encourage parents to assist their child with his/her work at home in a number of ways, including asking whether homework has been set and ensuring their child keeps a homework diary; acknowledging their child's success and asking how his/her homework and class work are progressing; helping their child to plan and organise a time and space for completing work at home; assisting their child to complete work at home by discussing key questions and directing him/her to resources; and discussing homework in their child's first language (where English is not the main language spoken at home) and linking it to his/her previous experience.
Ms Trish Jelbart of the Mathematical Association of Victoria has stated that 'Homework provides a fantastic opportunity for a direct communication about the actual work that students are doing in the classroom to the parents so the parents can really interact with the actual learning that is going on.'
5. Homework can be an opportunity for students to utilise resources outside the school
It has been claimed that homework can be the first step toward lifelong learning as not only does it encourage students to take greater responsibility for their learning it shifts the learning focus away from the school and into the larger community within which the student will spend his or her adult life..Thus homework tasks can be an opportunity for students to utilise community resources such as public libraries. It can also be a chance for them to access community groups of a variety of types for information to assist their studies.
The Homework Policy of the Queensland Department of Education states, 'Homework provides students with opportunities to consolidate their classroom learning, pattern behaviour for lifelong learning beyond the classroom and involve family and community members in their learning.'
A number of schools have explicitly made the link between homework and fostering lifelong learning. The James Young High School refers to its homework policy as its Lifelong Learning Policy and states, 'The Lifelong Learning Policy aims to enable each child to reach their full potential by developing an awareness and understanding, among all stakeholders, of the importance of homework in relation to learning.' The school's policy includes encouraging students to use community resources in order to complete homework activities.
Another means of establishing connections between the students' enquiries and the wider community is the formation of homework clubs. These appear to have been of particular value in helping immigrant students.
The 2014 report of the Inquiry into the Approaches to Homework in Victorian Schools has acknowledged 'the extraordinary cohort of students, student organisations and on the ground professional and volunteer groups, such as the Centre for Multicultural Youth, that are offering such worthy support for children from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, through their work with community based homework clubs.'