The Impact of Homework on Students

by Kash Robinson and Maggie McKenzie

Homework has been given out to students for a long time, but does it really help students effectively understand the lesson? Some students say homework helps them understand the materials because of the repetition, and for some, it may not. 

We interviewed a few GISS students to see how opinions differed, and here’s what they said. 

How many hours would you say you spend on homework each night? 

Wren Wick, Grade 10, says “Maybe like, half an hour.” 

Leifen Porebska, Grade 12, said “I don't usually have lots of free time so maybe an hour or a half hour.” 

Does homework help you have a better understanding of what you're learning? 

Some students prefer to do their own research entirely, like Ella, Grade 10. “Typically, no, I do most of my own research.” 

Leifen Porebska, Grade 12, says “Usually not, it's mostly just reading assignments for English, which doesn’t usually add to a portion of my learning.” 

How does homework affect your sleep and free time? 

Ella, Grade 10, said “It doesn't usually affect my free time, but it can annoy my schedule”. 

Wren Wick, Grade 10, said “It depletes my sleep schedule and ruins my free time.” 

Do you find there are certain classes that give out more homework than others? Students said that academic classes, such as math or psychology, can have a larger workload.

Ella, grade 10, said “More of the academic classes.” 

Wren Wick, Grade 10, “Yes, the math classes.” 

Leifen Porebska, Grade 12, says “Yeah, English, with presentations, science classes and higher education classes like Dual Credit.” 

Does grade level affect how much homework you receive?  

Ella, Grade 10, said “Probably (more) in the higher grades.” 

Leifen Porebska, Grade 12, said “Not the amount of homework you receive but you have to work harder to earn a higher grade on an assignment.” 

In the end, there will always be different people with different opinions on homework. Some will find the extra work helpful for understanding subjects and preparing for tests, others may feel overwhelmed or prefer doing the work in class when they have a teacher to refer to. Either way, homework will continue to be given, depending on the workload and who you have as a teacher. 

Thank you to all students who were interviewed, your opinions were very helpful!