When the lesson is about to end and the teacher announces homework requirements, they might think that a three or four session stuck behind more books and writing after school has finished is going to further their education. But piling on the homework will not help children advance in school, in fact, it could well have the reverse effect entirely.
Do you get too much homework?
A study by a group of Australian researchers found the average scores of relating to students’ academic performances against the amount of homework dished out at the end of the school day, showed clearly that when more time was spent on homework students were getting lower scores. The research clearly suggested that placing too much homework can cause lower grades and even lead pupils to begin suffering from depression.
Can homework cause depression? Yes, if a pupil is inundated with too much homework their life balance is thrown out of all proportion. All children and adults too should adopt an 8-8-8 circadian rhythm to life where eight hours work, eight hours play and eight hours rest (sleep) plays an important factor in how we all roll.
A typical school day might begin at 9 am and complete by 3.15pm, so piling on three hours of nightly homework means schoolchildren must endure seven hours at school (including traveling time) and three hours of homework, thus robbing the child of two hours downtime.
These numbers should scare you, as it is more than an average adult should be working on something that requires cognitive and creative efforts. To decrease the chances of depression and anxiety attacks, you may want to hire a homework writer and share the assignment load with them. It is a more balanced choice than finding a tutor, as working with a tutor only adds hours to your studying routine.
Often to make matters worse, teachers will give pupils homework that is both time-consuming and will undoubtedly keep them busy while being totally non-productive. Some examples include History teachers asking pupils to hand write (word for word) pages 113 to 139 of a textbook on The French Revolution. Such remedial homework will do nothing to improve pupil’s scores in exams or up their grades.
There is certainly no advocacy for the abolishing of homework here; simply that the amount and quality of a child’s extracurricular work after school be re-examined. Good quality homework practices have been adopted in Finland where schoolchildren were given just 30 minutes per night to spend on homework and none at weekends. The kids were stress-free and scored highly in their grades.
Many parents are even beginning to advocate time limits on a number of homework minutes dished out each night. Stress, depression and lower grades are the last things any parent wants for their child.
For those who wish to try and help themselves, there are lots of books and other material that can help combat stress and depression.
Show this page to your teachers and see what they say 🙂