School homework. A systematic analysis with special reference to the Spanish case

Abstract

The issue of homework has been particularly controversial in Spain in recent years as a result of the protests raised by families regarding the excessive amount of time their children have to devote to this activity. The main reference in the research about this issue is Cooper. What Cooper does is a meta-analysis. The main problem is that this research was carried out more than a decade ago. In any case, several very clear lessons can be drawn from his analysis: there is a moderate correlation between homework and school results in Secondary Education but none in Primary Education. More than two hours of homework per day are counterproductive and parents should not participate in its completion. In the case of Spain it is possible to resort to PISA and TIMSS data and to some reports being issued at the request of school councils from some Spanish regions. What we see here is that our students do a lot of homework which is for the most part difficult and uncreative. In spite of this, the vast majority of students, teachers and parents consider them to be necessary. The type of homework that our students have to do is explained by the hegemonic teaching style and the huge prevailing curriculum in Spain.

Keywords

• deberes escolares
• familia
• currículo
• innovación escolar