Most parents, teachers, and even students agree on the value of homework according to The MetLife Survey of The American Teacher: The Homework Experience. Homework has become a hotly debated issue in some

More on this topic Research Review: What research says about the value of homework Research based answers to FAQ's about homework

communities but as this survey shows, these communities are the exception and not the rule around the country. Nevertheless, while parents, teachers, and students agree that the amount of homework assigned is not overwhelming, they also agree that the quality needs to improve.

The Findings

Most parents see the value of homework

Overview Title: The MetLife Survey of The American Teacher: The Homework Experience Author(s): Dana Markow, Ph.D, President, Youth and Education Research          Amie Kim, Research Manager, Youth and Education Research         Margot Liebman, Research Associate, Youth and Education Research Research Methods: Opinion Poll Poll Conducted by: Harris Interactive Peer Reviewed: No Funder(s): MetLife, Inc Released: February 2008 The questions: To examine the perspectives of students, parents, and especially teachers on their experiences to determine: How much homework is assigned and completed? How and when homework is accomplished? What is the impact of homework? What are the perceived goals and value of homework? How much time do teachers spend on homework?   The study: The results are based on a nationally representative sample of teachers, parents, and students. Researchers conducted a telephone survey of 1,000 public school teachers, an online interview of 501 parents, and 2101 students via questioners and online interviews. To gain a greater understanding of the survey results an online strategy session was conducted among twenty K–12 teachers, principals, and department chairs. Full Report: The Metlife Survey of The American Teachers: The Homework Experience

• Almost nine in ten believe that doing homework helps students learn more in school.
• Minority parents are more likely than non-minority parents to believe homework is important for their child's school and future success.
• Those who do not believe homework is important appear to be more alienated and less connected to their child's school.
• Contrary to many anecdotal reports, the majority of parents surveyed said that homework does not get in the way of family time or cause stress in their family.
• The vast majority (90 percent) of parents surveyed felt that helping their child with homework gives them an opportunity to spend time and talk with their child.

Neither parents nor students believe too much homework is assigned

• Eight in ten parents surveyed believed the homework assigned is the right amount or in some cases too little.
• Three-quarters of the students surveyed said they have enough time to complete their assignments.
• The 25 percent of students who said they don't have enough time to do homework tend to have lower grades and are less likely to go to college.
• Lower achieving students are less likely to be assigned homework everyday. But when they are assigned homework, they are more likely to spend an hour or more on it than higher performing students.

Both parents and teachers feel the quality of homework assigned is less than excellent

• One-third of parents surveyed rated the quality of homework as fair to poor.
• Nearly 40 percent of parents surveyed believed that at least some of the homework assigned is busywork and not connected to student learning.
• Less than a quarter (24 percent) of teachers surveyed felt the quality of homework assigned in their school is excellent. However, this is almost double the percentage from twenty years ago when only 12 percent of teachers felt as such.

Highly experienced (more than 21 years teaching) and new teachers (5 years or less teaching) differ on the impact of homework

• Highly experienced teachers are more likely than less experienced teachers to:
  • Believe homework is important.
  • Believe that it helps students learn more in school.
  • Believe that it helps students reach their goals for after high school.
  • Speak with their student's other teachers about how much homework they are assigning.
• New teachers are less likely to:
  • Provide students with feedback on homework.
  • Review completed assignments during class discussions.
  • Feel prepared to create engaging homework assignments.

Teachers assign homework for a variety of reasons

• The reasons teachers assign homework include:
  • Helping students to practice skills or prepare for tests.
  • Developing good work habits.
  • Developing  critical thinking skills.
  • Motivating students to learn.
  • Developing student interest.

 

Keep in mind

As with all surveys these results should be interpreted with some caution. The information provided in this report is based on the respondent's perceptions only and should be interpreted as such. For example, just because a parent believes the right amount of homework is being assigned doesn't necessarily mean the actual amount of homework assigned is academically appropriate.

Conclusion

Although the report shows that most parents believe the right amount of homework is being assigned, those parents who disagree feel disconnected from their schools. This disconnect may be the real driving force behind the homework debate in many communities. School boards are unlikely to quell the debate by simply passing a homework policy. Rather they should work at taking steps to have disengaged parents feel a part of their child's school and education. By doing so school boards are likely to keep future hotly debated issues from flaring up as well.

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 Posted: February 14, 2008

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