A
middle school student should do math and science homework by themselves, and
they shouldn’t have too much of it.

That’s
the conclusion of a recent study published in the American
Psychological Association’s Journal of Educational Psychology. 

Researchers
determined that homework in those two subjects shouldn’t exceed an hour a day.
They also recommended the assignments be handed out on a daily basis and that students
do their work alone.

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“Our data indicate that it is not necessary to assign huge
quantities of homework, but it is important that assignment is systematic and
regular, with the aim of instilling work habits and promoting autonomous,
self-regulated learning,” said Javier Suarez-Alvarez, Ph.D., co-lead author
with Ruben Fernandez-Alonso, Ph.D. “The data suggest that spending 60 minutes a
day doing homework is a reasonable and effective time.”

The
researchers studied the performance of 7,725 students in public and private
schools in northern Spain. The students had an average age of just under 14.
Girls made up 47 percent of the group.

The
students were given questionnaires asking how much homework they had and
whether they did their assignments on their own or asked for help.

Their
academic performance in math and science was then measured using standardized
tests.

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Researchers
said students whose homework was assigned on a regular basis scored 50 points
higher on the tests. Those who didn’t ask for help scored about 54 points higher.

Overall,
the students were given an average of 70 minutes of homework per day. Students
who were given 90 to 100 minutes of homework showed a decline in test
performance.

There
was a small gain among students who did 70 to 90 minutes of homework, but
researchers said the slight increase was not worth the extra time students
spent on the assignments — two hours every week.

“For that reason, assigning more than 70 minutes
of homework per day does not seem very efficient,” said Suarez-Alvarez.

Researchers also determined that students who
did 70 minutes of homework and required assistance could expect to score in the
50th percentile on the tests. Those who did the same amount of homework on
their own would be expected to land in the 70th percentile.

“The conclusion is that when it comes to
homework, how is more important than how much,” said Suarez-Alvarez. “Once
individual effort and autonomous working is considered, the time spent becomes
irrelevant.”

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