In the article “Homework? What Homework?” Jeffrey R. Young makes a bold claim. Young argues that students in college are studying far less than they are supposed to in order to succeed. His argument is partially based in the idea that teachers are lowering their standards claiming “the problem may start in high school, where students are apparently spending far less time on homework than those who graduated a decade ago.” (Young). This however is a completely false claim based in anecdotal or verbal responses and not observed fact. The reality of the fact is that students are getting far more homework in grade schools than in the past. “The Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan reported that 6-8-year-olds spent on average 44 minutes a week on homework in 1981 and 123 minutes a week in 1997” (Are teachers). There was nearly a 300% increase in homework per week in only a relatively short period of time. This trend is not exclusive to just 6 – 8-year-olds; it is generalized to all age groups throughout grade schools.
In an article published in Phi Delta Kappa International Deborah B. Strother claims and supports the idea that “teachers in high preforming schools expect students to do more homework”, converse to the claims by Young. The American Psychological Association further refutes the argument that students are beginning a habit of disregarding homework in high school or younger schools, presented by Young. The American Psychological Association published an article “How Much Math, Science Homework Is Too Much?” in which they present research finding that “more than 70 minutes is too much for adolescents”. The research was done on young teenagers average age between thirteen and fourteen, making them all likely to be freshman in high school. This research was conducted in 2015, and “the researchers found that the students spent on average between one and two hours a day doing home work in all subjects” (How much math). Two hours of homework a night is double what is proven to be an effective amount to yield maximum learning. This amount of homework now suggests that student’s are expected to complete about 700% more homework in 2015 than in 1997. Statistically 700% seems like a daunting figure, and that is because in reality this is an absurd amount of homework.
