Homework Truths

With some studies claiming that homework has little or no impact on pupil achievement, schools have been tempted to cut back on it or ban it altogether. But we shouldn’t write homework off, warn two gurus of UK education research. Steve Higgins and Lee Elliot Major argue that the evidence on homework has been misrepresented – and out-of-school study can, in fact, have a major impact on learning outcomes

- Steve Higgins and Lee Elliot Major

As the wind blows across the playground, whipping play bark from beneath the climbing frame into the green wire fence, a group of parents huddle in a sheltered corner. They have formed a circle and it is only as you get close that you can see what they are busy protecting at the centre: 27 cardboard models of the London skyline, some as big as the children who made them, have been neatly placed in rows.

The weather soon worsens. Each gentle lift of PVA-ballasted cardboard prompts twitches and gasps, and the circle moves ever tighter. Their desperation grows: “Where is the teacher?” they mumble. “We can’t hold out for much longer...”

You recognize the signs; you’ve been there yourself: it must be homework deadline day in Year 2.

Homework has always been dogged by doubters: it is too often a pointless task unconnected to learning; it takes up valuable family time; it highlights the haves and the have-nots; it leaves children feeling distressed as they have no teacher guidance on hand; the parents just do it for them; and you get ridiculous scenes like that described above on autumn mornings for no apparent benefit.

It’s true that homework is a risky teaching strategy. There is no qualified teacher present. That means little control over who completes the tasks that have been set and little help if the child encounters problems. Potential distractions multiply with every new generation of mobile phones and digital devices – the perfect attention-grabbing machines. Homes can be frantic places with little space for quiet study.

It’s also true that the impact of homework on classroom achievement is patchy – some studies have found little or no learning gains, particularly for primary-age pupils.