As a new school season is about to start in the U.S., a new study has shown that elementary kids are struggling with too much homework. In fact, they have three times more homework than what is recommended.
Published in The American Journal of Family Therapy, the study delved into the connection between children's homework and stress. Over 1,200 parents were surveyed by the researchers and the results showed that the children were indeed swamped with more school work in their after-school hours.
The standard load, as recommended by the National Education Association and the National Parent-Teacher Association, should only be 10 minutes per grade level per night. This means that kids in the first grade must only be doing 10 minutes of homework nightly, and then kids in the second grade should only be spending 20 minutes. The time increases as each grade level goes higher. Therefore, those in the 12th grade or senior high school should be spending 120 minutes of homework on school nights.
Kindergarteners, on the other hand, shouldn't be doing any homework, but as the researchers learned, some have spent 25 minutes for this, according to CNN.
"It is absolutely shocking to me to find out that particularly kindergarten students (who) are not supposed to have any homework at all ... are getting as much homework as a third-grader is supposed to get," Stephanie Donaldson-Pressman, one of the study's authors and a clinical director from the New England Center for Pediatric Psychology, told the news outlet.
Donaldson-Pressman also highlighted that too much homework is "detrimental to [students'] attitude about school, their grades, their self-confidence, their social skills, and their quality of life," according to Vice.
Researchers also note that there's a difference in homework patterns depending on the family's cultural and educational background, according to Time Magazine. Hispanic students apparently spend more time doing their homework compared to other families. Those whose parents have college degrees also spend more time doing their homework, especially among high school kids.
"The only type of homework that's proven to be beneficial to elementary school students is free reading, and the fact that the kids can choose what they are reading makes the difference," said Denise Pope, a professor at Standford University, according to Today.
Jessica Lahey, an author and parenting expert, shared her recommendations to parents via CNN. She said that moms and dads must evaluate other factors, such as distractions, that may be affecting their time in doing homework.
