A burden on students that has its benefits
August 30, 2008
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Kristin Rushowy
EDUCATION REPORTER
Homework has a negative effect on the attitudes of high school students, but does help them do better, say teachers across the country.
Almost 70 per cent of secondary teachers polled by two University of Toronto professors say homework has a "neutral" to "negative" effect on teens, but 75 per cent also say it boosts their achievement.
The survey, by Lee Bartel and Linda Cameron of the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, is a follow-up to their groundbreaking report on homework in Canada.
Released earlier this year, the pair surveyed more than 1,000 parents who said that while they like homework because it promotes good work habits, many felt it is a burden on their children, causing stress and cutting into family time.
They also found that Ontario students receive 40 minutes of homework a night, significantly more than those in any other province, where the average is 32 minutes.
Their more recent survey, which is still in progress, asks teachers what they think about the issue. So far, they've polled more than 500.
Of those, about 30 per cent of secondary teachers say they usually or always assign homework because they can't cover the required curriculum during class hours; among elementary teachers, about one-quarter feel that way.
Some elementary teachers said they feel pressured by parents and colleagues to assign work.
"Most of my homework is reading and hands-on math work, but parents want to see something concrete in front of them and don't always understand that this is not how things are necessarily done any more," wrote one.
Still, more than 90 per cent of elementary teachers say homework has a "neutral" to "very positive" effect on attitudes, and three-quarters believe it boosts achievement.
Toronto Star