Canadian Council on Learning | Conseil Canadien sur l'Apprentissage

Homework effective when properly assigned: research shows

May 4, 2009 Ottawa—A study released today by the Canadian Council on Learning (CCL) confirms that homework is linked to higher student achievement—but only if it is judiciously assigned and engaging to the student.

CCL’s systematic review examines results of 18 studies, published from 2003 to 2007, that looked into the effectiveness of homework in primary, intermediate and secondary schools across Europe and the United States. There were no equivalent Canadian studies published in this five-year period.

The key findings are summarized in CCL's Lessons in Learning article "Homework helps, but not always," which is a digest of the 61-page systematic review.

"Our review illustrates that homework can be a useful learning tool," says Paul Cappon, CCL's president and CEO. "But as with any tool, it must be used appropriately and with care."

Key findings

• Homework that demands active student engagement—such as deciding which strategy to use for a particular mathematics word problem—is more likely to be effective than, for example, rote repetition..

• Of the three studies examining primary students, the evidence did not suggest that homework benefits younger students.

• Lower achieving students appear to have the most to gain from doing homework.

• CCL’s review confirmed Harris Cooper’s general rule of thumb that homework should not exceed 10 minutes per grade level per day. (i.e., a Grade 8 student should receive no more than 80 minutes of homework per day.)

The impact of homework on academic achievement is a topic that was identified by the Canadian Teachers' Federation as an issue of importance to teachers.

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The Canadian Council on Learning is an independent, not-for-profit corporation funded through an agreement with Human Resources and Social Development Canada. Its mandate is to promote and support evidence-based decisions about learning throughout all stages of life, from early childhood through to the senior years.

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