Is homework harmful or helpful?

            Homework is the assignment for students from their teacher to be done outside of the class specially at home. There are many reasons of the teacher for giving students the homework, for instance: to reinforce what has been taught, to provide students with greater choice in learning, to prepare students for the next lesson, to help students review for an assessment, to enrich the lesson plan, and to teach a real world skill. Teacher always puts their strategy to get the main purpose of giving homework, such as giving clear and appropriate assignments, teaching study skills and using homework planner. Besides of that, there are advantages and disadvantages of giving homework for students. Homework is still debating by the proponents who think that homework is efficient, and on the other hand the detractors try to end giving homework for students because of many disadvantages of homework itself.

            There are some advantages in giving homework for students that has been proven by experts in the several points. They are for developing students’ skill, teaching students about time management, and developing students’ responsibility. First, homework develops students’ skill as Dr. Joyce Epstein at cesdp.nmhu.edu website has identified that homework gives students a chance for establishing their knowledge and skill of understanding the lesson in the class. The skill that will be gotten by students is to increase speed, mastery and maintenance of skills. It means, students speed of thinking, writing and reading will increase directly. It also influence their mastery of a subject that has been given by teacher. In addition, students will keep every skill they get by doing homework everytime when homework requires them to study.

            Second, students will develop their time management by doing homework. They will realize when to do homework and when to play without leaving their obligation for doing homework on time.  Certain non-academic benefits of homework have been shown, especially for younger students. Indeed, some primary-level teachers may assign homework for such benefits, which include learning the importance of responsibility, managing time, developing study habits, and staying with a task until it is completed (Cooper, Robinson and Patall 2006; Corno and Xu 2004; Johnson and Pontius 1989; Warton 2001).

            Third, students will be more responsible because they have to be demanded to finish the homework by themselves. Students will indirectly initiate to study regularly. Slowly, they will study how to do or finish a problem and how to be a responsible person that is begun from a little thing, doing homework.

            On the other hand, some disadvantages are really found by giving homework for students. They are decreasing students’ freetime, causing students’ stressful, and increasing the cheat culture. The first disadvantage of doing homework is students will lose their free time. People must imagine if every teacher gives students many homework in the same period. Students will not have free time to do anything, such as playing, doing sports, watching movie, shopping and everything that students need to refresh their mind in the weekend or holiday.

            Second, students will become stressful because they have to do homework on time. If they do not, teacher will get angry or give them punishment. It will causes more stressful if every homework has the same deadline to be submitted. Skipping from the class is chosen by students as the best way to resolve that problem. From a little thing, doing homework, a big problem is waiting for. According to Stanford Research in the Stanford Report, 56 percent of the students considered homework a primary source of stress, according to the survey data. Forty-three percent viewed tests as a primary stressor, while 33 percent put the pressure to get good grades in that category. Less than 1 percent of the students said homework was not a stressor.

            The third is increasing cheat culture. Students who have not finished their homework yet will try to do everything to complete it. They do not have any choice except cheating friends’ homework if they want to be still in the class and without getting the teacher’s anger. Students will feel comfortable to do that thing and they will not repeat in twice but more. The worst thing is they will be dependent students for doing everything, such as when doing exam or test. Moreover, technology that we have are more sophisticated in this modern era. It makes everyone looking for information easier than before. Most of the students surf the internet not for searching the information, but looking for the key answer of their homework. So, they do not cheat their friends only, but also cheat the key answer for the homework in the internet.

            The conclusion is a consideration must be made by both of teacher and student knowing the advantages and disadvantages of homework. Sometimes, homework can be helpful and another time, it can be harmful.

1.      Epstein, Joyce. “Purposes and Benefits of Homework.” Web. 3 Mar. 2015.             <http://www.cesdp.nmhu.edu/toolkit/enhancing-student-learning/purposes-            benefits-of-homework.asp>.

2.      Cooper, Robinson, et al. “What research says about the value of homework: At a   glance”. 5 February 2007. Web. 3 March 2015.   <http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Instruction/What-            researchsays-about-the-value-of-homework-At-a-glance>.

3.      ”Homework.”  Wikipedia Online. 9 Apr. 2015. Web. 3 Mar. 2015.             <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homework>.

4.      Kelly, Melissa. “Reasons for Homework”. About Education, n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2015.             <http://712educators.about.com/od/curriculumandlessonplans/tp/Reasons-For-       Homework.htm>.

5.      Warger, Cynthia. ”Five Homework Strategies for Teaching Students with Disabilities.       ERIC Digest.” ericdigests.org. N.d. Web. 3 Mar.  2015.        <http://www.ericdigests.org/2002-1/homework.html>.

6.      “Homework: Harmful or Helpful?” Eduflow. Wordpress.com. 3 Oct. 2013. Web. 3            Mar. 2015. <https://eduflow.wordpress.com/2013/10/03/homework-harmful-    or-helpful/>.

7.      Tri, Wahyu. “Advantages and Disadvantagesof Homework.” We Love Writing. We           Love Writing, 15 May, 2012. Web. 3 Mar. 2015.           <https://welovewriting.wordpress.com/2012/05/15/advantages-and-            disadvantagesof-homework/>.

8.      Bouchillo, Esther. “Pros and Cons of Homework”. Study.com. N.d. Web. 3 Mar.    2015. <http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/pros-and-cons-of-            homework.html>.

9.      Parker, Clifton B. “Stanford research shows pitfalls of homework.”Stanford Report,         10 Mar. 2014. Web. 3 Mar. 2015.      <http://news.stanford.edu/news/2014/march/too-much-homework-  031014.html>.