Research from the OECD has prompted suggestions that homework for UK students must be increased in order for them to compete in the international rankings (particularly in maths).
The study, spanning 65 countries, showed a “clear link” between time spent on homework and higher performance. British teenagers spend 4.9 hours a week on homework, whereas students in Shanghai spend 13.8 and in Singapore 9.4. While these jurisdictions top the international tables, the UK is 26th and it is suggested that this performance is partially the result of inadequate levels of homework. All very cut and dried. Or is it?
The study goes on to say that while the amount of homework assigned is associated with mathematics performance, “the average number of hours that students spend on homework ... tends to be unrelated to the school system’s overall performance”.
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