Is homework good for students?

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1. 1

   Time Spent on Homework and Academic Achievement: A Meta-analysis Study Related to Results of TIMSS

   Psicologí a Educativa (Özyıldırım)Published Sep 28, 2021Checked Sep 30, 2026

   “Homework is a common instructional technique that requires extra time, energy, and effort apart from school time. Is homework worth these investments? The study aimed to investigate whether the amount of time spent on homework had any effect on academic achievement and to determine moderators in the relationship between these two terms by using TIMSS data through the meta-analysis method. In this meta-analysis study, data obtained from 488 independent findings from 74 countries in the seven surveys of TIMSS and a sample of 429,970 students was included. The coefficient of standardized means, based on the random effect model, was used to measure the mean effect size and the Q statistic was used to determine the significance of moderator variables. This study revealed that the students spending their time on homework at medium level had effect on their academic achievement and there were some significant moderators in this relationship.”

2. 2

   Does Homework Improve Academic Achievement? A Synthesis of Research, 1987–2003

   Review of Educational Research (Cooper et al.)Published Mar 1, 2006Checked Sep 30, 2026

   “In this article, research conducted in the United States since 1987 on the effects of homework is summarized. Studies are grouped into four research designs. The authors found that all studies, regardless of type, had design flaws. However, both within and across design types, there was generally consistent evidence for a positive influence of homework on achievement. Studies that reported simple homework–achievement correlations revealed evidence that a stronger correlation existed (a) in Grades 7–12 than in K–6 and (b) when students rather than parents reported time on homework. No strong evidence was found for an association between the homework–achievement link and the outcome measure (grades as opposed to standardized tests) or the subject matter (reading as opposed to math). On the basis of these results and others, the authors suggest future research.”

3. 3

   The effect of E-homework on K-12 students' academic achievements: a meta-analysis study.

   Frontiers in psychology (Yang et al.)Published Jan 30, 2026Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “Although E-homework has gained increasing popularity with the digital transformation of education, its actual effectiveness remains widely debated in academia. This study employed a meta-analysis to comprehensively evaluate the impact of E-homework on K-12 students' academic achievements based on experimental research conducted between 2000 and 2025. Literature was sourced from Chinese databases (CNKI, Wanfang, etc.) and English databases (Web of Science, Science Direct, etc.), resulting in the inclusion of 26 empirical studies that met predefined criteria. In addition to the overall effect analysis, subgroup analyses were conducted. The results revealed a significant positive effect of E-homework on academic achievement, with an overall effect size of Hedges' g = 0.309. Subgroup analysis further indicated that the enhancing effect of E-homework was more pronounced on assignment scores compared to exam scores. Furthermore, both subject domain and school level were found to moderate the effectiveness of E-homework.”

4. 4

   Time and quality in and out of class: the roles of instruction and homework in mathematics achievement and interest.

   Frontiers in psychology (Qin & Wang)Published Jun 23, 2026Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “Higher homework quality reduced the achievement gains of spending 60-90 min on homework compared with spending less than 30 min. Between-school effects were either non-significant or lacked substantial practical meaning. For mathematics interest, instructional clarity and homework quality played a more prominent role than instructional time and homework time. Instructional clarity strengthened the positive association between instructional time and mathematics interest. Moreover, mathematics interest was positively related to homework quality while negatively related to homework time.DiscussionThese findings provide insights into how time and quality in instructional and homework contexts are related to students' mathematics achievement and interest. They suggested that the quality-related factors (instructional clarity and homework quality) are more practically relevant to students' development of mathematics achievement and mathematics interest.”

5. 5

   Homework (Wikipedia)

   WikipediaPublished Sep 29, 2026Checked Sep 30, 2026

   “Homework is a set of tasks assigned to students by their teachers to be completed at home. Common homework assignments may include required reading, a writing or typing project, math problems to be completed, information to be reviewed before a test, or other skills to be practiced. The effects of homework are debated. Generally speaking, homework does not improve academic performance among young children. Homework may improve academic skills among older students, especially lower-achieving students. However, homework also creates stress for students and parents, and reduces the amount of time that students can spend in other activities.”

6. 6

   Using Research to Answer Practical Questions About Homework

   Educational Psychologist (Cooper & Valentine)Published Sep 1, 2001Checked Sep 30, 2026

   “The article begins with a presentation of reasons for the minimal influence of homework research, and educational research in general, on policy and practice. We propose that the practical use of research is hampered by the complexity of real-world settings, by flawed research designs, and by the probabilistic nature of research outcomes. Systematic research syntheses are offered as providing one way to overcome these difficulties. This special issue is a case example. To set the stage for the articles and discussion that follow, a definition for homework is offered along with a brief history of public attitudes toward homework and a listing of positive and negative effects attributed to homework. Then, the results of a research synthesis and a survey study are described that provide evidence for answering a complex and controversial question: How much time should students spend on homework each night? Little association is found between the amount of homework young students complete and achievement. The ...”

7. 7

   How mathematics homework types relate to mathematics academic performance via interest? A chain mediation analysis in the Chinese context.

   Frontiers in psychology (Zhang et al.)Published Aug 14, 2026Checked Oct 4, 2026

   “A total of 18,202 eighth-grade students completed a cross-sectional survey administered in a mixed online-offline mode. We adopted a mediation analysis method with multicategorical independent variables, using Practice Homework (PH) as the reference category. The results showed that homework combinations containing Test-Preparation Homework (TPH) tend to improve MAP through direct effects, while homework combinations including Applied/Project-Based Homework (APH)-in particular PH + APH-are more likely to enhance students' interest and improve MAP indirectly. In addition, homework interest and learning interest mediated the link between specific homework types (and their combinations) and MAP, primarily through a sequential chain mediation pathway in which homework interest predicted learning interest, which in turn predicted MAP. These findings clarify the mechanisms through which homework design-considering both types and combinations-relates to students' MAP in a "Double Reduction" policy context, offering practical guidance for educators on assigning homework that enhances learning motivation and academic performance.”

8. 8

   Parent Involvement in Homework: A Research Synthesis

   Review of Educational Research (Patall et al.)Published Dec 1, 2008Checked Sep 30, 2026

   “New emphasis is being placed on the importance of parent involvement in children’s education. In a synthesis of research on the effects of parent involvement in homework, a meta-analysis of 14 studies that manipulated parent training for homework involvement reveals that training parents to be involved in their child’s homework results in (a) higher rates of homework completion, (b) fewer homework problems, and (c) possibly, improved academic performance among elementary school children. A meta-analysis of 22 samples from 20 studies correlating parent involvement and achievement-related outcomes reveals (a) positive associations for elementary school and high school students but a negative association for middle school students, (b) a stronger association for parent rule-setting compared with other involvement strategies, and (c) a negative association for mathematics achievement but a positive association for verbal achievement outcomes. The results suggest that different types of parent involvement in homework have different relationships to achievement and that the type of parent involvement changes as children move through the school grades.”