Background

Increasing academic demands, including larger amounts of assigned homework, is correlated with various challenges for children. While homework stress in middle and high school has been studied, research evidence is scant concerning the effects of homework on elementary-aged children.

Objective

The objective of this study was to understand rater perception of the purpose of homework, the existence of homework policy, and the relationship, if any, between homework and the emotional health, sleep habits, and parent–child relationships for children in grades 3–6.

Method

Survey research was conducted in the schools examining student (n = 397), parent (n = 442), and teacher (n = 28) perception of homework, including purpose, existing policy, and the childrens’ social and emotional well-being.

Results

Preliminary findings from teacher, parent, and student surveys suggest the presence of modest impact of homework in the area of emotional health (namely, student report of boredom and frustration), parent–child relationships (with over 25% of the parent and child samples reporting homework always or often interferes with family time and creates a power struggle), and sleep (36.8% of the children surveyed reported they sometimes get less sleep) in grades 3–6. Additionally, findings suggest misperceptions surrounding the existence of homework policies among parents and teachers, the reasons teachers cite assigning homework, and a disconnect between child-reported and teacher reported emotional impact of homework.

Conclusions

Preliminary findings suggest homework modestly impacts child well-being in various domains in grades 3–6, including sleep, emotional health, and parent/child relationships. School districts, educators, and parents must continue to advocate for evidence-based homework policies that support children’s overall well-being.

中文翻译：

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3-6年级的家庭作业和儿童：目的，政策和非学术影响

背景

学习需求的增加，包括分配的大量家庭作业，与儿童面临的各种挑战相关。虽然已经研究了初中和高中的家庭作业压力，但很少有研究证据表明家庭作业对小学生的影响。

目的

这项研究的目的是了解评估者对家庭作业的目的，家庭作业政策的存在以及家庭作业与情绪健康，睡眠习惯以及3至3年级儿童的亲子关系之间的关系（如果有）的认识6。

方法

在对学生（n  = 397），父母（n  = 442）和老师（n  = 28）的家庭作业感进行了调查研究，包括目的，现行政策以及孩子的社交和情感健康状况。

结果

老师，家长和学生调查的初步结果表明，家庭作业对情绪健康（即学生对无聊和沮丧的报告），亲子关系（超过25％的父母和孩子样本）存在适度的影响报告家庭作业总是或经常干扰家庭时间并造成权力斗争）和睡眠（36.8％的被调查儿童报告说有时3-6年级减少睡眠）。此外，研究结果表明，对父母和老师是否存在家庭作业政策存在误解，教师援引分配作业的原因，以及儿童举报和教师报告的家庭作业情感影响之间存在脱节。

结论

初步调查结果表明，家庭作业对3-6年级各个领域的孩子的健康都有适度的影响，包括睡眠，情绪健康以及父母/孩子的关系。学区，教育者和父母必须继续倡导以证据为基础的家庭作业政策，以支持儿童的整体福祉。