Study shows homework not always beneficial

A study by Adam Maltese, assistant professor of science education in the School of Education, has shown homework doesn’t necessarily help students receive better grades in their classes but does help them perform better on standardized tests.

Robert Tai, associate professor at the University of Virginia, and Xitao Fan, dean of education at the University of Macau, contributed to the study.

The idea for the study, which is titled “When Is Homework Worth the Time?,” came from an initial concern about whether traditional education practices were beneficial in helping students achieve at higher levels in math and science, according to the press release.

“Our results hint that maybe homework is not being used as well as it could be,” Maltese said in a press release.

The researchers looked at more than 18,000 surveys and transcript data from high school sophomores.

According to the press release, the authors of the study believe more research needs to be conducted about the effectiveness of homework, which could in turn be used to shape  education policy.

“If homework is going to be such an important component of learning in American schools, it should be used in some way that’s more beneficial,” Maltese said. “More thought needs to be given to this rather than just repeating problems already done in class.”

— Sydney Murray