So all that time you spent doing tedious homework assignments back in your school days was all for naught, according to a new study. Turns out, it probably didn’t help you get any smarter. In fact, it might have even set you back.
Researchers at Sydney University in Australia found that too much homework can often have the opposite effect on students. Instead of enhancing their intellect, they become bored and unhappy, leading to absolutely no academic advancement.
“What the research shows is that, in countries where they spend more time on homework, the achievement results are lower,” Dr. Richard Walker, from Sydney University’s Education Faculty, told The Telegraph.
The study found that 59 percent of 10 and 11-year-olds do less than two hours of homework per week. About 22 percent do three or four hours a week, and five percent complete seven or more hours of homework per week.
“At the moment homework (is often) an add-on because parents want it,” Walker added.
The one exception to the study was high school students in grades 11 or 12. Those students did prove to benefit from more than a few hours of homework each week.
However, recalling our own high school days, the last two years were exactly when we started blowing off homework all together.
More adventures in psuedoscience:
- While 17-year-old students are likely to benefit from homework, they aren’t likely to benefit from Plan B’s over-the-counter availability. A new study found that one in five pharmacies will deny access to the emergency contraceptive to 17-year-old’s, despite a federal mandate.
- A man in the U.S. has undergone the most extensive face surgery in history. You have to see these before and after photos.
- If those pictures make you blurt out an obscenity, have no fear. A new study found that cursing in the work place can actually boost relationships. Sh**, that’s cool!
