The researchers used survey data to examine perceptions about homework, student well-being and behavioral engagement in a sample of 4,317 students from 10 high-performing high schools in upper-middle-class California communities. Along with the survey data, Pope and her colleagues used open-ended answers to explore the students' views on homework.
Median household income exceeded $90,000 in these communities, and 93 percent of the students went on to college, either two-year or four-year.
Students in these schools average about 3.1 hours of homework each night.
"The findings address how current homework practices in privileged, high-performing schools sustain students' advantage in competitive climates yet hinder learning, full engagement and well-being," Pope wrote.
Pope and her colleagues found that too much homework can diminish its effectiveness and even be counterproductive. They cite prior research indicating that homework benefits plateau at about two hours per night, and that 90 minutes to two and a half hours is optimal for high school.
Their study found that too much homework is associated with:
: 56 percent of the students considered homework a primary source of stress, according to the survey data. Forty-three percent viewed tests as a primary stressor, while 33 percent put the pressure to get good grades in that category. Less than 1 percent of the students said homework was not a stressor.
: In their open-ended answers, many students said their homework load led to sleep deprivation and other health problems. The researchers asked students whether they experienced health issues such as headaches, exhaustion, sleep deprivation, weight loss and stomach problems.
: Both the survey data and student responses indicate that spending too much time on homework meant that students were "not meeting their developmental needs or cultivating other critical life skills," according to the researchers. Students were more likely to drop activities, not see friends or family, and not pursue hobbies they enjoy.
The results offer empirical evidence that many students struggle to find balance between homework, extracurricular activities and social time, the researchers said. Many students felt forced or obligated to choose homework over developing other talents or skills.
Also, there was no relationship between the time spent on homework and how much the student enjoyed it. The research quoted students as saying they often do homework they see as "pointless" or "mindless" in order to keep their grades up.
"This kind of busy work, by its very nature, discourages learning and instead promotes doing homework simply to get points," said Pope, who is also a co-founder of , a nonprofit organization affiliated with the GSE that conducts research and works with schools and parents to improve students' educational experiences..
Pope said the research calls into question the value of assigning large amounts of homework in high-performing schools. Homework should not be simply assigned as a routine practice, she said.
"Rather, any homework assigned should have a purpose and benefit, and it should be designed to cultivate learning and development," wrote Pope.
In places where students attend high-performing schools, too much homework can reduce their time to foster skills in the area of personal responsibility, the researchers concluded. "Young people are spending more time alone," they wrote, "which means less time for family and fewer opportunities to engage in their communities."
The researchers say that while their open-ended or "self-reporting" methodology to gauge student concerns about homework may have limitations – some might regard it as an opportunity for "typical adolescent complaining" – it was important to learn firsthand what the students believe.
The paper was co-authored by Mollie Galloway from Lewis and Clark College and Jerusha Conner from Villanova University.
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Jason Howland
In recent years, there's been a big boost in the beverage industry when it comes to the sale of energy drinks. Classified as dietary supplements, most of these drinks contain stimulating ingredients, in addition to high amounts of caffeine, that aren't regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.
Researchers at Mayo Clinic recently published a study looking into the risks of consuming energy drinks by people with genetic heart diseases .
Watch: The Mayo Clinic Minute
Journalists: Broadcast-quality video (1:06) is in the downloads at the end of this post. Please courtesy: "Mayo Clinic News Network." Read the script .
They are stocked in coolers around the country. Energy drinks are beverages designed to give you a boost. But can they hurt your heart?
"The healthy heart can handle these chemicals just fine — of course, in moderation. The fragile heart may not be able to," says Dr. Michael Ackerman , a genetic cardiologist at Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Ackerman led a study looking into the effects of energy drinks on the heart. He warns that while energy drinks may not directly cause cardiac arrest, consuming them, especially in large quantities, can be a "perfect storm" for people with genetic heart conditions.
"Maybe you've been sleep deprived, and now you're taking the energy drink. Then maybe that is going to be the 1-2-3 punch that puts that heart — where normally those chemicals wouldn't have annoyed it — to now where it finally trips up the heart into that potentially life-threatening arrhythmia ," he says.
He says it's not a strong link but a call to be aware.
"It's a call to being alert and aware, and informing your health care provider if you are consuming these drinks," says Dr. Ackerman.
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Health Hazards of Homework. Pediatrics. A new study by the Stanford Graduate School of Education and colleagues found that students in high-performing schools who did excessive hours of homework "experienced greater behavioral engagement in school but also more academic stress, physical health problems, and lack of balance in their lives.".
• Reductions in health: In their open-ended answers, many students said their homework load led to sleep deprivation and other health problems. The researchers asked students whether they experienced health issues such as headaches, exhaustion, sleep deprivation, weight loss and stomach problems.
Emmy Kang, mental health counselor at Humantold, says studies have shown heavy workloads can be "detrimental" for students and cause a "big impact on their mental, physical and emotional health ...
Key points. Mental health challenges and neurodevelopmental differences directly affect children's ability to do homework. Understanding what difficulties are getting in the way—beyond the usual ...
But they were not more invested in the homework itself. They also reported greater academic stress and less time to balance family, friends and extracurricular activities. They experienced more physical health problems as well, such as headaches, stomach troubles and sleep deprivation. "Three hours per night is too much," Galloway says.
In most cases, that stress is from academics, not social issues or bullying, the poll found. (See the full results here .) Homework was a leading cause of stress, with 24 percent of parents saying ...
problems in the long run, like anxiety and depression. And for all the distress homework causes, it's not as useful as many may think, says Dr. Nicholas Kardaras, a psychologist and CEO of Omega
Research shows that excessive homework leads to increased stress, physical health problems and a lack of balance in students' lives. And studies have shown that more than two hours of daily homework can be counterproductive, yet many teachers assign more.. Homework proponents argue that homework improves academic performance. Indeed, a meta-analysis of research on this issue found a ...
Elementary school kids are dealing with large amounts of homework. Howard County Library System, CC BY-NC-ND. One in 10 children report spending multiple hours on homework. There are no benefits ...
In addition to homework reducing opportunities for play, it also leads to increased conflicts and stress for families. For example, research finds that children with more hours of homework experience more academic stress, physical health problems, and lack of balance in their lives (18).
Their findings were troubling: Research showed that excessive homework is associated with high stress levels, physical health problems and lack of balance in children's lives; 56% of the ...
Lack of sleep. One of the most prevalent adverse effects of schoolwork is lack of sleep. The average student only gets about 5 hours of sleep per night since they stay up late to complete their homework, even though the body needs at least 7 hours of sleep every day. Lack of sleep has an impact on both mental and physical health.
Negative Effects of Homework for Students. While some amount of homework may help students connect to their learning and enhance their in-class performance, too much homework can have damaging effects. Students with too much homework have elevated stress levels. Students regularly report that homework is their primary source of stress.
Chinese schoolgirl uses robot to do her homework. Emmy Kang, mental health counselor at Humantold, says studies have shown heavy workloads can be "detrimental" for students and cause a "big ...
The short answer is that depression can absolutely lead to depression for a variety of reasons. Identifying the cause of your homework-related depression below is the first step toward bettering your mental health. Excessive homework, lack of social support, and perfectionism are just a few of the reasons homework can lead to depression.
This causes students to spend far too much time doing such assignments and can be detrimental. A 2013 study conducted at Stanford University found that students in top-performing school districts who spend too much time on homework experience more stress, physical health problems, a lack of balance in their lives and alienation from society.
* Reductions in health: In their open-ended answers, many students said their homework load led to sleep deprivation and other health problems. The researchers asked students whether they ...
This situation has not improved over time: Compared with summer weekends, school-month weekdays from 2016 to 2019 show a pediatric suicide rate increase of 62 percent. The increase was 42% from ...
In a poll, 56 percent of students attributed any stress in their lives to too much homework. Less than 1 percent of students said that homework was not a stressor. When asked how homework affects them, students reported lack of sleep, headaches, exhaustion and stomach problems. Students reported that due to the necessity of keeping their grades ...
Over the years, numerous studies investigated the relationship between homework and stress levels in students. One study published in the Journal of Experimental Education found that students who reported spending more than two hours per night on homework experienced higher stress levels and physical health issues.Those same students reported over three hours of homework a night on average.
Homework over a certain time limit can cause stress, depression, anxiety, lack of sleep, and more. Homework distracts from extracurriculars and sports as well, something colleges often look for. Homework is ultimately leading students to resent school as a whole. According to a study done by Stanford University, 56 percent of students ...
What parents can do: "The teacher should provide a clear connection to how the summer work is going to enhance the learning and/or enrich the learning that will occur at the start of the year ...
The country's National Health Service posted on X that "the NHS is aware of a global IT outage and an issue with a [general practitioner] appointment and patient record system." The NHS that ...
Microsoft said it was aware of an issue impacting Windows running CrowdStrike technology. American Airlines, United and Delta grounded flights.
Health care systems were crippled, forcing hospitals to cancel noncritical surgeries. In the United States, 911 lines went down in multiple states, though many of those problems were being ...
Top U.S. carriers including Delta Air and United Airlines are restoring some operations on Friday after a technical issue related to an IT vendor forced multiple carriers to ground flights.
President Biden has said none of his doctors have told him he has a serious medical condition. But his debate performance last month raised questions about his health and acuity.
The company said it determined the cause and is working to fix it. A company spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Other airlines were unaffected by the outage.
Forty-three percent viewed tests as a primary stressor, while 33 percent put the pressure to get good grades in that category. Less than 1 percent of the students said homework was not a stressor. • Reductions in health: In their open-ended answers, many students said their homework load led to sleep deprivation and other health problems. The ...
Dr. Ackerman led a study looking into the effects of energy drinks on the heart. He warns that while energy drinks may not directly cause cardiac arrest, consuming them, especially in large quantities, can be a "perfect storm" for people with genetic heart conditions. "Maybe you've been sleep deprived, and now you're taking the energy drink.