does homework take time away from sports

• USA TODAY Sports
• Fantasy Score

Student athletes can’t escape homework struggle. Does it matter?

Cries of teen frustration about homework often pop up on social media as a weekend closes and the impending Monday looms over a stack of unfinished reading or worksheets.

Seeing memes for “Sunday homework got me like... ” might elicit a chuckle. But the sentiment is real. It’s not only Sunday — that’s just the inevitable buildup to a week of juggling class, practice, regular meals, games, homework, chores. Maybe also a paying job.

And high school athletes feel the pressure — more than many of their peers who are simply busy — often in exponential ways during the season that could be hard to understand if you aren’t playing sports.

Trying to get through studying like.. 😴😴😴 pic.twitter.com/VVmbDGyTug — Get Schooled (@getschooled) January 27, 2016

“There are definitely nights where it’s overwhelming,” says Brazil Rule, a senior on the Shenandoah Marlins competitive swim team based in Waynesboro who leaves the house to swim before 5 a.m. most days of the week. “The next morning, I will take practice off, or I’ll have to have a mental health day.”

Makenzie Gray, a sophomore and multi-sport athlete at Stuarts Draft, says it’s the logistics that can be hard to surmount sometimes. Part of the scheduling rigor involves making time for your body to repair itself after a hard game or practice.

Juggling school & sports? "I study or do homework before the bus leaves or even on the bus." Casey Taylor, Lee High pic.twitter.com/5IxAdiDZXa — wmramsey (@wmramsey) January 30, 2016

“It's usually days when we have an away game where we don't get back until late that I have to make the choice whether to do my homework or sleep,” she says. “For me, sleep suffers. I always feel bad if I don't do my homework.”

The issues are nationwide, really, in almost every high school with traditional sports.

Kayla Rodriguez, a sophomore in Oviedo, Fla., is one of the thousands of teens who talk on social media about their busy schedules.

Sunday night homework got me like 🤕 pic.twitter.com/LjIzv71Wyz — Get Schooled (@getschooled) October 25, 2015

“I often miss out on hanging out with my friends and having a relationship because the little free time I have is spent doing all my homework,” she says. “Sometimes I have to get up early because I can't stay up all night and do my homework!”

FLAT GROWTH IN AMOUNT

A recent Brown Center report on American education pegs the growth of assigned homework as flat over the years — not supporting any hypothesis that the schedule tension for athletes is new. Or if it is increasing, it might not stem from an uptick in homework itself.

it's so hard to manage school and sports, so much homework and not enough time to do it... — A$AP K-ROD (@kaylaskye5678) January 21, 2016

Could distractions like social media and video streaming be more of a factor for teens than an actual change over the years in assignments?

“The current study finds little evidence that the homework load has increased for the average student,” reads the Brown report. “Those with a heavy burden, two or more hours of homework per night, do indeed exist, but they are a distinct minority.”

Robert Pondiscio, a senior fellow at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, has studied the issue. He advises a network of charter schools in Harlem and writes about education and reform. “The ‘over-scheduled kid’ is one of those phenomena that dominate the conversation in media, but there’s a lot less evidence for it than you might think,” Pondiscio says. “The opposite seemed to be true: participation in organized extracurricular activities is closely related (even when controlled for socioeconomic status) to a broad range of positive outcomes.”

Less than 15 percent of students had what was deemed heavy daily homework, even as 17-year-olds.

His own daughter is a student athlete — better organized than he ever was, Pondiscio says.

George Laase, baseball coach at Robert E. Lee High School, isn't sure that athletes are dealing with any more assignments at home than previous generations.

"With block scheduling and the efforts of our teaching staff, students have a chance to begin or finish homework before the end of class," he says. "There are less books being taken home and more technology available to help complete the task. But regardless of the amount assigned per day, I still believe (letting it pile up) really becomes a matter of choice by the student."

And things like Netflix tempt teens away from work they know they need to do, says Rule, the swimmer.

POSITIVE EFFECTS?

Being busy with all of it, sports and school, does have helpful effects, the studies show: on physical safety and psychological well-being, supportive relationships with peers and adults, higher self-esteem, reduced alcohol and drug use and higher high school graduation rates.

Martha Mikell, a teacher at Stuarts Draft High School, says she sees this phenomena play out.

“As strange as it may sound, I actually see students do a better job keeping on top of things when they are in season,” Mikell says. “The more rigid schedule forces them to allocate their time wisely and reduces procrastination. After all, if you have a project due Friday and games late on Tuesday and Thursday, you better do it on Wednesday.”

I honestly don't understand how people can balance school, multiple sports, jobs, social life, homework, and chores.....like help me. — Elizabeth Racławski (@bissy__) January 21, 2016

Mikell does encourage parents to help their teens build in some downtime. Without that, they can struggle even more, given diminishing returns of chugging ahead all the time without a regular pause to recharge.

Parents themselves say they feel the stress of balancing everything, and especially of knowing when to push their athlete about homework, or not.

Catie Young of Waynesboro talked about it recently after a bout of parental anxiety triggered by homework.

She has a sophomore, Libby, who swims and runs track, plus two kids in middle school.

Do you help them manage sports and homework, or butt out? Young admits to the natural lectures to her children like “don’t suddenly remember at 9 p.m. Sunday that your special group project is due Monday morning."

“I get uncomfortable when the kids don’t do things when I think they should,” she says. “What I would like to do is lecture them — mom knows best. Instead, I try to step back and remember how thankful I am to no longer be a teenager.”

Young and her husband usually let things play out unless something gets majorly out of whack.

“We expect the children to communicate with their coaches and teachers when they have to make accommodations for athletics or academics,” Young says. “Homework that requires computer time or Internet access is difficult to complete while on the road with a team, though. Long competitions make this particularly challenging.”

In Karen Gray’s house in Draft, it is sleep that suffers even as her daughter’s grades remain solid.

“The struggle for me is watching her balance everything and being so hard on herself,” Gray says. “She wants to excel in both, and sleep seems to be the area that is neglected.”

An extensive study based on a nationally representative database of 5,000 families and their kids, and how they spend their time, concluded there was "very limited empirical support for the over-scheduling hypothesis."

Colin Whitmore, a senior at Stuart Hall, plays four sports. Those demands on his body mean he can’t crimp his sleeping schedule too much.

Instead, he tries to get up a little earlier to work when he is fresh. Or he dedicates his study hall or lunch period at school to finishing homework.

“Personally, I deeply value my sleep — I have found that I feel and function much better when I get quality sleep rather than gutting out a late night to finish a paper or project,” Whitmore says. “When I have something due the next day that could keep me up all night, rather than stressing endlessly over it, I normally just go to bed.”

"I had a 10 hour work day today" Bruhhhhh "7 hrs school + 3 hours sports +3 hours homework= 13 hours everyday" — G Cancilla (@GCancilla21) January 21, 2016

In the end, it may just be good practice for these athletes. They will face similar demands in college, if that’s where they are headed.

And most adults have faced the prospect of coffee-guzzling to get through a work day on fumes because parenting, work or going out with friends kept them up late the night before.

Dylan Wimer, a senior at Robert E. Lee High, says meeting that challenge — as best he can — is giving him coping skills for life.

“You have to prioritize,” he says. “Every day I have to plan out what I am going to do — school, track practice, shower, game, go home, study.

“You lose a little sleep.”

THE NEWS LEADER

Advice for winning the homework battle

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience.

Homework or Personal Lives?

Many students get home and the first thing they do is homework. They’re pressured by their parents to do their homework while simultaneously being encouraged to spend time with family, eat, spend time with friends, go outside, participate in sports or other extracurricular activities, and sleep for 7+ hours. Rather than motivating students to master material and learn efficiently, homework negatively impacts students by taking away from personal time that is necessary for them to lead balanced lives.

In an article published by The Washington Post by Gerald K LeTendre, a professor of education in education policy studies at Penn State, states that, “Worldwide, homework is not associated with high national levels of academic achievement.” This means that there is no direct correlation between homework and test grades, and very few studies have been able to prove this, and the ones that have were more of a reach. At Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia,  16 out of 19 of the students in Fire Stream agreed that homework adds extra stress onto them or takes time away from other things that they’re encouraged to do, such as sports, extra classes, extracurricular activities, family time, etc. This means that just over 84% of students in Fire Stream have agreed that homework is added stress and takes time away from things that they’re encouraged to do outside of school. Many students participate in these activities because they’re passionate about them and it makes them happy. Sports and exercise is proven to relieve stress, homework adds stress and if time for this stress reliever is taken away that just means more stress, this can cause more problems in many aspects of their lives.

In an article written by CNN about how homework has been banned in some cities and not others, “What is clear is that parents and kids don't live in the world of academic research; they live in the real world where there are piles of homework on the kitchen table.” Meaning that students don’t have the luxury of just easily saying that homework helps their academic performance or not, and they don’t have the luxury of just not doing homework. That is especially true to highschool students who have to regularly chose between sleep and doing work, especially when they get homework from every class every night and homework can be up to 30% of their grade. Students in every grade get piles of homework and a lot of the time they don’t have resources on hand to see if they’re right or to get help, meaning they might do it wrong and not learn anything at all.  Even if students do try and do their homework it might take a while, according to Nationwide Children’s Hospital adolescents should be getting 9 to 9 ½ hours of sleep per night. Due to homework and trying to fit other after school activities in many adolescents don’t get the necessary amount of sleep. Sleep deprivation in teens has many negative effects such as mood changes, being more inclined to engage in risky behavior such as driving fast, drinking, etc, doing worse in school, and declined cognitive abilities.

In an article published by the New York Times, a mother explained how… , “The stress homework places on families starts early.” The article also talks about how homework takes away from family time and family activities. The author also says that her kids “are fighting not just over the homework, but also over their share of my coveted attention and my unique ability to download and print images.” This shows how homework adds extra pressure and can cause tension in families. It takes away from family time and causes more stress on students and parents. It’s almost as if once children start school and the homework starts that it never stops, and that more family time is taken away while more stress is added.

In a study concluded in 2003 by Dr. Harris Cooper he tries to argue that homework has a positive effect on students, but his studies also found no direct correlation between increased homework for students and improved test scores. Cooper himself said that “The analysis also showed that too much homework can be counter-productive for students at all levels.” Meaning that excessive amounts of homework can cause negative effects on students, but who is judging what excessive amounts of homework means? He talks about the “10 minute rule” meaning that every grade that a student increases they should get 10 more minutes of homework, meaning that a second grader should get 20 minutes, and a twelfth grader should get around 2 hours of homework. That would seem ideal, but in most high school settings teachers don’t interact with each other to see how much homework each of them give to equal it out to around 2 hours. This means that one class’s homework could take a student 2 hours alone and that would be what the ideal amount of homework is, so if it takes 2 hours for one class’s homework then how are students supposed to have positive benefits from doing all of their homework? Cooper’s research was also limited because very little research was done to see if student’s race, socioeconomic status, or even their ability levels has an affect on how much homework is “good” for said age range. This means that other aspects than just that they’re students in a certain grade weren’t taken into consideration. These things could cause major changes to the data that was collected.

Rather than encouraging students to master material and learn efficiently, homework negatively impacts students and families by causing more stress and taking away from family time. This is a problem not just for the overworked students, but also for students who have more complex personal lives. Many students work or have family obligations that they have to deal with, but don’t necessarily feel comfortable talking to a teacher about them. Although teachers might not think that the amount of homework that they give matters much,its influence goes beyond giving students work to do at home to how they interact in other important personal aspects of their life.

Works Cited:

LeTendre, Gerald K. “Homework Could Have an Effect on Kids’ Health. Should Schools Ban It?” The Washington Post , WP Company, 2 Sept. 2015, www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2015/09/02/homework-could-have-an-effect-on-kids-health-should-schools-ban-it/?utm_term=.3ed6d0fa2c72.

Kralovec, Etta. “Should Schools Ban Homework?” CNN , Cable News Network, 5 Sept. 2014, www.cnn.com/2014/09/05/opinion/kralovec-ban-homework/index.html.

Dell'Antonia, Kj. “Homework's Emotional Toll on Students and Families.” The New York Times , The New York Times, 12 Mar. 2014, parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/12/homeworks-emotional-toll-on-students-and-families/.

“Duke Study: Homework Helps Students Succeed in School, As Long as There Isn't Too Much.” Duke Today , Duke Today, 7 Mar. 2006, today.duke.edu/2006/03/homework.html.

“Sleep in Adolescents (13-18 Years).” Sleep in Adolescents :: Nationwide Children's Hospital , www.nationwidechildrens.org/sleep-in-adolescents

Comments (1)

A question that I have after reading this is in what other ways can we as students improve our learning without homework?

This 2fer has changed my opinion about how much homework affects a student's life in a bad way more than a good way.

Log in to post a comment.

You can also log in with your email address.

• May 15 Abby Weaver Departs from DECA
• May 15 Air Academy Seniors Return to Their Roots
• May 15 Air Academy Color Guard Keeps Winning Streak
• May 15 Senior Editor Signing Off!
• May 15 High School Time Capsule
• May 15 Senioritis Hits Air Academy Seniors Hard
• May 15 AAHS Students expressing themselves through art.
• May 1 Prom Celebrates Incredible Success

The Jetstream Journal

How are Student Athletes affected by homework?

Savannah Braden , Journalist | September 30, 2020

Senior Drew Braden briskly runs by during a cross country race held in Fountain Creek Regional Park.

Being a student athlete is no easy task. From late-night practices to long meets, student athletes truly are quite pressed for time when it comes to completing schoolwork. The balance that athletes face between achieving peak athletic performance and homework is quite indisputable if you ask students. Not only is homework mentally depriving, but it also greatly impacts a healthy sleep schedule needed for both academic and athletic success. 

Many athletes ask whether they are assigned too much homework.

Sophomore Jude Walker believes that since he is enrolled in challenging classes, homework is an astounding resource for him “to understand the content.” Contrary to popular belief, homework can be a versatile and impactful tool when it comes to success in the classroom. From Walker’s perspective, homework is a daunting task each night, yet ultimately is a very significant aspect of his academic execution. 

Yet do all students agree with Walker’s perspective? 

The answer is both yes and no. 

Sophomore Kayla Moore, who swims competitively, believes that by competing in a sport and completing homework each night is challenging.

“[Its] is cutting into our sleep schedule and then that is ultimately impacting our performance,” Moore adds. 

By balancing both a heavy workload and striving to be an exceptional athlete, the factor of getting enough sleep comes into play. Students often have to make the tough decision of whether or not they should continue their homework or simply go to bed. 

Just ask Senior Lillian Lewis. 

Lewis is a student athlete who not only thrives in sports but also is enrolled in numerous AP and honors classes, which provides quite the sizable workload each night. From Lewis’s outlook, she often receives a mass amount of homework in an almost unpredictable time frame, which then makes her, “end up deciding between homework and sleep.” 

Yet in contrast, Junior Joy Kemp believes that student athletes are not assigned too much homework.

 “They are the ones who chose to play a sport and do school at the same time, but could choose to cut down on their workload by taking easier classes,” Kemp notes.

Joy’s outlook not only contradicts other Air Academy students but points out the consequences of choice and responsibility. Ultimately, the student decides to enroll in challenging courses and compete in a variety of sports. 

Even though homework is not going away anytime soon, the incontestable role of a student athlete will only strengthen over time. Yet, the next time Air Academy students begin their homework, they should take a moment and understand that while this is a demanding task, it ultimately can make athletes be brighter individuals once they graduate.

Howdy, y'all! My name is Savannah Braden and this is my third year participating in Journalism! In my final year at Air Academy, I am thrilled to be the...

Abby Weaver Departs from DECA

Alana Hubbard Directs Debut Film

Christian Raker’s Discipline in ROTC has Paid Off

Natalie Mahaffey Excels at AAHS

Julia Miller Inspires Air Academy

Air Academy Color Guard Keeps Winning Streak

Prom Celebrates Incredible Success

Senior Breakfast Spearheads through Final Stages of Planning

Air Academy Grows Business Connections at Higher Level

Student Council Elections Foster Democracy Among Students

Comments (1).

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

liam • Feb 20, 2024 at 10:43 am

good article

Athletes should be given more flexibility with homework deadlines

Bailey Spore

Junior Nick Hayslett works in PREP to finish his homework on time.

by Bailey Spore , Reporter September 24, 2018

Participating in high school sports is not easy. With practices every day and games or meets once or twice a week, many student-athletes struggle to balance school work and sports. I have had track meets where I don’t get home until 10:00 at night. By the time I shower and eat dinner, it’s 11:30. At this point I have to make a choice. I can either stay up for another two hours doing homework that is due in the morning, (but then have to go through the school day on 5 hours of sleep), or I can not do my homework (sleep, and turn in my homework late).

Studies published in the  Journal of The American Academy of Pediatrics showed that students need at least 8 hours of sleep to fully function throughout the day. This can be an issue for student-athletes who don’t get to sleep until late at night and are up early in the morning.

No matter what I choose to do, I have to go to practice after school and repeat this process again every night. Teachers should sometimes give more time for homework because of this. I realize school comes before after school activities, but athletes are struggling in classes because of the loads of homework they have.

Student-athletes have to find a way to balance school work with games and practices. Many students don’t do sports just because of the amounts of homework they get. There just isn’t time. At the same time, many athletes love the sports they do and wouldn’t give it up because of extra pressure to complete homework. Sometimes that means they will not do their homework just because of how late athletes are at games or practices.

According to  The Foundation for Global Sports Development , “Not only does sleep affect a student’s academic and athletic performance, but a lack of sleep may lead to a greater risk for injury.”

Not doing homework hurts grades, which could make athletes ineligible and would lead to them not being able to participate in sports. On the other hand, if they do their homework, there is a possibility of being up to or even past midnight. Having to wake up the next morning with only five or six hours of sleep leads to academic struggles. 

This issue could be fixed if athletes had more time allowance for homework. Even with one extra day, students would be able to split their homework, and do half one night and half the next. It’s a win-win situation: participate in sports, get good grades, and get a full eight hours of sleep.

A lot of students participate in sports. Mr. Sunkel is a science teacher and the tennis coach. He estimates that about 20% of his students are student/athletes. That is a lot of students who will be up late doing homework after their practices and games.

Junior Nick Hayslett plays for the football team and runs track. Hayslett gets home from games or meets at 11 most of the time and has to wake up at six the next morning.Hayslett said,  “Athletes need more time because they have less time than other students to do their homework.”

“My student athletes complete homework almost all the time. I will make an exception once in a while for a student who will come to me and say they have an away game and won’t be able to get homework done. A lot of my students do their work in study halls after school,” said Mrs. Jamie Hendi, government teacher.

Mrs. Hendi doesn’t believe student athletes should get more time for because they don’t get more time in college, so why should they in high school?

No matter how much time they get for homework, being a student-athlete is a tough challenge. As long as they are willing to put in the extra time and effort, student-athletes do great in their classes.

• Nick Hayslett
• The American Academy of Pediatrics

Your donation will support the student journalists of Linganore High School. Your contribution will allow us to purchase camera/recording equipment and software. We hope to raise enough money to re-start a monthly printed issue of our paper.

Comments (0)

Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

• Arts & Entertainment
• Daily Announcements
• Lancer Spotlights

• Future Students
• Current Students
• Faculty/Staff

News and Media

• News & Media Home
• Research Stories
• School’s In
• In the Media

You are here

More than two hours of homework may be counterproductive, research suggests.

A Stanford education researcher found that too much homework can negatively affect kids, especially their lives away from school, where family, friends and activities matter.   "Our findings on the effects of homework challenge the traditional assumption that homework is inherently good," wrote Denise Pope , a senior lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Education and a co-author of a study published in the Journal of Experimental Education .   The researchers used survey data to examine perceptions about homework, student well-being and behavioral engagement in a sample of 4,317 students from 10 high-performing high schools in upper-middle-class California communities. Along with the survey data, Pope and her colleagues used open-ended answers to explore the students' views on homework.   Median household income exceeded $90,000 in these communities, and 93 percent of the students went on to college, either two-year or four-year.   Students in these schools average about 3.1 hours of homework each night.   "The findings address how current homework practices in privileged, high-performing schools sustain students' advantage in competitive climates yet hinder learning, full engagement and well-being," Pope wrote.   Pope and her colleagues found that too much homework can diminish its effectiveness and even be counterproductive. They cite prior research indicating that homework benefits plateau at about two hours per night, and that 90 minutes to two and a half hours is optimal for high school.   Their study found that too much homework is associated with:   • Greater stress : 56 percent of the students considered homework a primary source of stress, according to the survey data. Forty-three percent viewed tests as a primary stressor, while 33 percent put the pressure to get good grades in that category. Less than 1 percent of the students said homework was not a stressor.   • Reductions in health : In their open-ended answers, many students said their homework load led to sleep deprivation and other health problems. The researchers asked students whether they experienced health issues such as headaches, exhaustion, sleep deprivation, weight loss and stomach problems.   • Less time for friends, family and extracurricular pursuits : Both the survey data and student responses indicate that spending too much time on homework meant that students were "not meeting their developmental needs or cultivating other critical life skills," according to the researchers. Students were more likely to drop activities, not see friends or family, and not pursue hobbies they enjoy.   A balancing act   The results offer empirical evidence that many students struggle to find balance between homework, extracurricular activities and social time, the researchers said. Many students felt forced or obligated to choose homework over developing other talents or skills.   Also, there was no relationship between the time spent on homework and how much the student enjoyed it. The research quoted students as saying they often do homework they see as "pointless" or "mindless" in order to keep their grades up.   "This kind of busy work, by its very nature, discourages learning and instead promotes doing homework simply to get points," said Pope, who is also a co-founder of Challenge Success , a nonprofit organization affiliated with the GSE that conducts research and works with schools and parents to improve students' educational experiences..   Pope said the research calls into question the value of assigning large amounts of homework in high-performing schools. Homework should not be simply assigned as a routine practice, she said.   "Rather, any homework assigned should have a purpose and benefit, and it should be designed to cultivate learning and development," wrote Pope.   High-performing paradox   In places where students attend high-performing schools, too much homework can reduce their time to foster skills in the area of personal responsibility, the researchers concluded. "Young people are spending more time alone," they wrote, "which means less time for family and fewer opportunities to engage in their communities."   Student perspectives   The researchers say that while their open-ended or "self-reporting" methodology to gauge student concerns about homework may have limitations – some might regard it as an opportunity for "typical adolescent complaining" – it was important to learn firsthand what the students believe.   The paper was co-authored by Mollie Galloway from Lewis and Clark College and Jerusha Conner from Villanova University.

Clifton B. Parker is a writer at the Stanford News Service .

More Stories

⟵ Go to all Research Stories

Get the Educator

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Stanford Graduate School of Education

482 Galvez Mall Stanford, CA 94305-3096 Tel: (650) 723-2109

• Contact Admissions
• GSE Leadership
• Site Feedback
• Web Accessibility
• Career Resources
• Faculty Open Positions
• Explore Courses
• Academic Calendar
• Office of the Registrar
• Cubberley Library
• StanfordWho
• StanfordYou

Improving lives through learning

• Stanford Home
• Maps & Directions
• Search Stanford
• Emergency Info
• Terms of Use
• Non-Discrimination
• Accessibility

© Stanford University , Stanford , California 94305 .

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it’s official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

• Publications
• Account settings

Preview improvements coming to the PMC website in October 2024. Learn More or Try it out now .

• Advanced Search
• Journal List
• Int J Environ Res Public Health

Striking a Balance: Physical Activity, Screen-Viewing and Homework during the Transition to Secondary School

Lydia g. emm-collison.

1 Centre for Exercise, Nutrition & Health Sciences, School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol, 8 Priory Road, Bristol BS8 1TZ, UK

Sarah Lewis

Thomas reid, joe matthews, simon j. sebire, janice l. thompson.

2 School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK

Ruth Salway

Russell jago.

Physical activity levels decline, and screen-viewing behaviours increase during childhood and adolescence. The transition to secondary school appears to coincide with a sharp decline in physical activity. Parents have the potential to influence their child’s behaviours, yet little is known about their expectations for their child’s physical activity and screen-viewing during this transition. This paper explores parents’ expectations for their children’s physical activity and screen-viewing as they transition from primary to secondary school, and their proposed strategies for managing these behaviours during this time. Forty-two parents of children aged 10–11 years participated in a semi-structured telephone interviews in July 2017 or March 2018. The interview data were analysed via inductive and deductive content analysis to explore parents’ perceptions of physical activity and screen-viewing during the transition, the reasons for their perceptions, and the strategies they intended to implement to help their child balance their behaviours. Most parents expected both physical activity and screen-viewing to increase during this transition. There were several individuals, social and school-level factors influencing these expectations. Overall, parents felt that helping their child balance their activity levels, screen-viewing and homework would be challenging.

1. Introduction

Physical activity is associated with improved physical, psychological and cognitive health outcomes in children and youth, including lower adiposity, lower cardiometabolic biomarkers, and improved well-being [ 1 ]. In developed countries, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) declines throughout childhood and adolescence [ 2 ], and very few 15 year-old’s engage in adequate levels of physical activity [ 3 ]. There is also some evidence indicating a marked reduction in physical activity around ages 11–12 [ 4 ] which coincides with the transition from primary to secondary school in the UK. It is also noticeable that, while light-intensity physical activity (LPA) continues to decline between the ages of 12–15, some evidence indicates that MVPA is stable during these years [ 5 ], suggesting that a large proportion of the decline in MVPA occurs before the age of 12. The decline in girls’ MVPA is greater than for boys, with evidence indicating it could be a much as double that of boys (e.g., the average decline in average MVPA of 46% and 23% for girls and boys, respectively) [ 4 ].

Sedentary time increases both in and out of school-time during childhood and adolescence [ 5 ]. Accelerometer-estimated sedentary time has been shown to increase over the transition from primary to secondary school by 10–20 min per day [ 6 ]. However, sedentary time represents a combination of different behaviours that accelerometers are unable to distinguish [ 7 ]. Screen-viewing is a sedentary behaviour of particular interest in the child and adolescent population. Higher levels of screen-viewing have been shown to be associated with the higher body-mass index, poorer psychological health and poorer academic achievement in children [ 8 , 9 ]. Evidence shows that over half (56%) of U.S. adolescents exceed the recommended 2 h of screen-time per day [ 10 ], with some evidence showing that screen-viewing patterns established during adolescence track through to adulthood [ 11 ]. However, much of the literature has focused on television viewing, which is unlikely to be representative of modern screen-viewing behaviours [ 12 ]. Given the negative health consequences of physical inactivity, efforts to understand the factors that are associated with both physical activity and screen-viewing are important for implementing strategies to promote lifelong health-behaviour habits.

The transition from primary to secondary school is a key life event for many children, and is one that involves significant changes to both the social and physical environment [ 13 , 14 ]. Changes in physical activity and sedentary time during the transition from primary to secondary school are likely to be influenced by a multitude of individual and environmental factors. From an environmental perspective, school-related factors, such as length of break times, opportunities for lunchtime physical activity and a higher prevalence of sports facilities may be associated with less sedentary time and more MVPA time during the school day [ 14 ]. Additionally, the potential increase in homework in secondary school is a key concern for children [ 15 ] and, whilst it may be academically beneficial [ 16 ], it could also mean longer periods of sitting time and less free time that can be spent being active. Qualitative work exploring the factors associated with the decline in adolescent girls’ physical activity during the transition to secondary school highlighted several factors on multiple levels, including the use of opportunities to be active, preferences for alternative activities, how supportive the physical environment is for being active, sense of self, and personal priorities [ 15 ]. In the same study, the reciprocal relationship between physical activity and sedentary behaviours was evident, with many of the girls expressing their personal preferences for screen-viewing activities (e.g., watching movies, playing computer games) as reasons for not engaging in physical activity [ 15 ].

Whilst previous research has separately explored the factors associated with physical activity and sedentary behaviours, such as screen-time and homework, in the transition to secondary school, there has been a limited exploration of how these behaviours might influence each other. Additionally, little is known about parent’s perspectives on this topic, which is a salient gap as parental support is associated with both the adjustment to the secondary school environment [ 17 ] and physical activity behaviour in adolescence [ 18 ]. With this in mind, the present study sought to explore: (1) Parents’ expectations for their child’s physical activity, screen-viewing and homework as they transition to secondary school; (2) reasons for these expectations; and (3) strategies that parents planned to use to ensure these behaviours are balanced during the transition to secondary school.

2. Materials and Methods

The data used in this paper are from the B-Proact1v cohort [ 19 , 20 , 21 ]. The wider study explored children’s physical activity, sedentary time and screen-viewing and associated factors throughout primary school. Data were collected on three occasions between 2012 and 2017 when children were in year 1 (ages 5–6 years), year 4 (ages 8–9 years), and year 6 (ages 10–11 years). One thousand two hundred and ninety-nine child-parent dyads from 57 schools participated in year 1, and the same 57 schools were invited to participate in subsequent years. In year 4, 1223 child-parent dyads from 47 schools participated, and 1296 children-parent dyads from 50 schools participated in year 6. In each phase of data collection, children and parents wore a waist-mounted ActiGraph wGT3X-BT accelerometer for five days. Accelerometer data were processed using Kinesoft (v3.3.75; Kinesoft, Saskatchewan, Canada), and participants were required to have at least three days of valid data, including one weekend day, to be included in subsequent analyses. A valid day was defined as at least 500 min of data after excluding periods of non-wear time ≥60 min, defined as 60 min of consecutive zero counts, and allowing for up to 2 min of counts between 0–100 [ 3 ]. Population-specific cut points for children [ 22 ] were used to derive average daily minutes of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA). Children’s height and weight were also measured.

This paper presents qualitative data collected from a sub-sample of these parents in July 2017 (20 parents) and March 2018 (22 parents). Participants were sampled based on the child’s average minutes of MVPA per day. Participants with at least three days of valid accelerometer data were stratified into three groups of low (<51.0 min/day), mid (51.0–71.8 min/day) and high MVPA (>71.8 min/day). These groups were subsequently split by gender to give six groups. To ensure that each group was distinct, only parents of participants with low and high levels of MVPA were eligible for interview ( N = 351). Within each group, parents were contacted in a randomised order, and recruitment continued until theoretical saturation was met, identified when no new themes emerged in the interviews. In total, 123 parents were contacted, of whom 47 (38.2%) agreed to participate and 42 (34.1%) completed an interview ( Figure 1 ). Semi-structured telephone interviews were chosen as the method due to their cost-effectiveness and the flexibility they offer both participants and researchers [ 23 ]. Interviews were conducted at the participant’s convenience, and all participants provided verbal consent at the start of the interview. Interviews were recorded using an encrypted digital voice recorder (Olympus DS-3500). Participants received a £10 gift voucher following the interview as recognition of their time. Ethical approval for the study was granted by the School for Policy Studies Research Ethics Committee.

Study flow of participants.

2.1. Interview Data

The semi-structured interview guide was developed and refined by the research team. The interview guide was informed by previous research and gaps in current knowledge. The interview was designed to understand parental expectations for their child’s physical activity and screen-viewing over the transition to secondary school, the factors that they felt would influence patterns in these behaviours, and any strategies they were considering as a way of managing these behaviours. Specific topics that were explored included parents’ expectations for their child’s physical activity and screen-viewing at secondary school, the types of activity and screen-viewing that parents anticipated their child engaging in at secondary school, and parent’s plans for managing physical activity and screen-viewing at secondary school. Example questions included ‘How do you think [child’s] physical activity in secondary school will compare to primary school?’, ‘Do you have any plans for how you might manage [child’s] screen-viewing when they go to secondary school?’, and ‘How do you feel that the school routine and homework schedule at secondary school will differ from primary school?’. To allow participants to shape the direction of the interview, questions were phrased in an open and non-leading manner, and interesting responses were followed up with additional questions. Two male researchers trained in qualitative methods conducted all interviews (JM, TR), and throughout data collection they met regularly with the wider research team (LEC, RJ) to discuss the questions and refine the interview guide. Researchers’ interpretations of participant responses were checked for accuracy during the interviews. At the end of the interview, the researcher’s interpretation of the key findings were summarised, and participants were given the opportunity to comment further on any of the topics discussed.

2.2. Demographics

Parents completed a questionnaire, online or on paper, providing parent and child gender and child date of birth. Parents also provided their home postcode, which was used to assign an Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) score to each child as an indicator of socio-economic status. IMD scores are based upon the English Indices of Deprivation [ 24 ], and higher scores indicate greater deprivation.

2.3. Data Analysis

Interviews were transcribed verbatim by a university-approved transcription company. Prior to anonymisation and analysis, all transcripts were checked for accuracy by a member of the research team (LEC). Anonymised transcripts were entered into QSR NVivo 11 (QSR International, Warrington, UK) for analysis. The framework method [ 25 ] was used, allowing themes to be developed both from the participants’ experiences (inductive) and from existing literature (deductive), via several stages of analysis: Familiarisation; coding; framework development; framework application; and interpretation. In the familiarisation stage, three researchers (LEC, SL, TR) listened to audio recordings and read all interview transcripts to immerse themselves in the data. The researchers then independently read three transcripts and provided line-by-line annotations to describe key concepts within the data. The annotations were discussed, and with the lead investigator (RJ), the researchers collaboratively developed a coding framework to apply to subsequent transcripts. This process was repeated with three more transcripts, and the framework was refined accordingly. The process continued until no further refinements were required, and the final framework was applied to all the transcripts by the researchers (LEC, SL, TR), and after which the research team met regularly to ensure the framework was consistently applied. Any disagreements in coding were discussed with the wider project team until consensus was achieved. Following coding, hierarchies of themes were created, and summaries with accompanying quotes for each category were extracted to aid reporting. Participant characteristics based on questionnaire and accelerometer data are presented using means and proportions ( Table 1 ). Further, to contextualise the data, the parents’ relationship to the child, child gender and level of MVPA are provided alongside each quote.

Characteristics of the sample of parents ( N = 42) and their children by the group and overall.

1 Age- and sex- specific body mass index standard deviation score [ 26 ], 2 Child moderate to vigorous physical activity defined as ≥2296 counts per minute [ 22 ], 3 Indices of multiple deprivation, based upon the English Indices of Deprivation [ 24 ], 4 Parent moderate to vigorous physical activity defined as ≥2020 counts per minute [ 3 ].

Table 1 outlines the characteristics of the interviewed parents and their children. The average age of the parents was 42.5 years, half of the parents were female, and 95% were white British. Parents of highly active children engaged in more physical activity and had a lower BMI than parents of low active children. Low active children lived in more deprived areas than highly active children.

Most parents believed that the move to secondary school would facilitate their child engaging in more physical activity ( N = 28) or similar levels ( N = 8) when compared to primary school. Six parents expected their child’s activity to decrease over the transition to secondary school, but five of these parents felt this change would be temporary whilst their child settled at school. Parents felt similarly regarding screen viewing, with most expecting their child’s screen-viewing to increase ( N = 20) or stay the same ( N = 8) in secondary school.

3.1. Reasons for Parental Expectations for Physical Activity and Screen-Viewing

Reasons for parents’ expectations of their child’s physical activity and screen-viewing over the transition to secondary school were varied, with several individuals, social, and school-related factors that parents felt would influence these behaviours.

3.1.1. Child Independence

For many parents, active travel to and from school was a key behaviour that they felt would lead to an increase in their child’s physical activity. This was generally due to children engaging a greater amount of walking or cycling to and from school, primarily due to increased child independence, as well as convenience for parents.

“ I’m quite a firm believer when they get to secondary school, that’s where they do need to have their freedom, secondary school I don’t believe um, they need their mums dropping them off outside the school gates … So I think it’s important that she has her freedom and she has the responsibility of getting herself to school and getting herself back safely. ” (Interview 14, Mother of Low PA girl).

“ I’m not going to be able to take her, so she’s going to have to start taking herself. ”. (Interview 16, Mother of High PA girl)

However, for some parents, the locations of both home and secondary school meant that their child would be engaging in less active travel.

“ Because it’s so far away he’s gonna get on the school bus. We have spoken about riding his bike but he’s not road safe, so it might be something that he does in the future. ” (Interview 22, Mother of Low PA boy).

Some parents felt that increases in their child’s independent active travel might also have a positive impact on their child’s screen-viewing, due to spending less time at home.

“ I think [screen-time] will reduce a bit because I don’t think she’ll have as much time because her school day with the longer walk each end her school day is going to be longer, she’s going to be more tired because she’s going to be a lot more, a lot more walking to and from school and a lot more thinking so is she going to be mentally more tired. ” (Interview 3, Mother of Low PA girl).

However, for most parents, there was a general concern about the increased amount of time their child would be spending alone, either at home or whilst travelling to and from school, with parents anticipating their child would choose to engage in screen-time during this period.

“ It will be the case where he’ll have more [screen-time], he’ll probably have two hours after school in the evening before parents get home and the possibilities are that he’ll use that as screen time. ” (Interview 41, Father of Low PA boy).

“ So [screen-time] could go up and he will get, if we move close to school he will get a greater level of independence so there’ll be more time when the two children come home alone and they’re just at home and sort themselves out. So, yeah, I guess [screen-time] probably could increase ”. (Interview 1, Father of High PA boy).

Some parents felt their child was already developing more independence and, as a result, were finding it increasingly difficult to control the amount of time their child spends screen-viewing, and were surprised at how technology-oriented children of this age already are.

“ Because, that’s what the children of today are all about, you know it’s all about technology and communication, between you know what, I was at parents’ evening the other night and I overheard her school friends, her classroom friends talking about Twitter and asking if each other are on Twitter and Facebook and I was quite surprised at you know what they were saying. ” (Interview 33, Father of Low PA girl).

3.1.2. Social Factors

There were several social factors that parents felt would impact their child’s physical activity and screen-viewing at secondary school. Many parents felt the transition to secondary school itself, specifically the initial period of social adjustment, would reduce their child’s opportunity and willingness to engage in physical activity:

“ I think initially possibly less while he finds his, finds his friendship groups and, and confidence in a new school, to kind of join in group activities but I think, I think once, once we’re over that, he’ll probably, he’ll probably do the same sort of thing, you know? ” (Interview 23, Father of High PA boy).

“ The only thing I can think of is that, there’s more of a social side of things isn’t there, you’re trying to fit in with everything and be social, so… club after school or done something in school, you might think well, if my mates aren’t doing it, I’ll stay with them, do you know what I mean. ” (Interview 13, Father of High PA girl).

Some parents attributed this decline to potential peer pressure and, particularly for girls, the desire to fit in with new peers.

“ At secondary it’s completely switched around, you’re the youngest, erm, there’s that whole social thing about not standing out too much from the crowd so if you’re, if you’re you know, just walking round chatting to people you’re not standing out, you’re not going to be teased for playing babyish games, all that sort of thing and I think for [child] that’s quite, she’s quite acutely aware of all of those sorts of things. ” (Interview 12, Father of Low PA girl).

“ I think it does have a lot to do with it, yeah, because my eldest was quite sporty before she went to secondary school and she was quite tomboy-y and then she then started to wear the make-up and straighten the hair and she didn’t want to ride her bike or she didn’t want to run anywhere and like the kick boxing sort of, dwindled out and, it wasn’t cool to be sporty. ”. (Interview 16, Mother of High PA girl)

Parents felt that peer pressure would have a specific negative influence on girls’ physical activity, due to a gendered societal view of physical activity as a male behaviour.

“ I think one of the biggest reasons is how they look to their peers, like girls are supposed to be like, all girly and not be sporty or…like I don’t know, not competitive, in the sports world they’re more competitive in like the hair and make-up world… ” (Interview 16, Mother of High PA girl).

“ I think boys are much more likely to … to be involved in stuff where they’re kinda testing out all sorts of things aren’t they, about their identity and their um, you know, physical prowess, all of those things, and that kind of pre-puberty and puberty really and girls aren’t encouraged to do that. Well it’s a real—you know, it’s something I’m really-really conscious of because of my older daughter, and I just think it’s a—it’s a real shame that, you know, girls are put off sport at that sort of age, at that sort of 11, 12, 13 and stopped getting involved in things and, you know, it’s – yeah, it’s part of—it seems to be cultural doesn’t it. ” (Interview 26, Mother of High PA girl).

Parents also felt that increased peer pressure at secondary school might lead to increases in screen-viewing. This was generally due to pressure for their child to have their own mobile phone, the introduction of social media, as well as parents not wanting their children to miss out on opportunities to build friendships.

“ At the moment he hasn’t got a mobile phone you know again I think it will be peer pressure there, we will have to give in and get him a mobile phone, I don’t think he needs one at the moment but yeah with secondary school I think unfortunately it just gets you know younger and younger they need these things so yeah so that will increase as well. ” (Interview 18, Mother of Low PA boy).

“ A lot of that may be if some of her friends or new friends are involved in the Snapchat or the Instagram or a certain app or—and they’re talking about it during the day or even a game that they’re playing and they’re talking about it during the day and she’s involved in that, it could—I would say probably she will come back and start doing those things so that she can join in that conversation, I think that’s a natural thing. So yeah, that could possibly increase it um, depending on what, yeah, the others do in high school. ” (Interview 14, Mother of Low PA girl).

3.1.3. School

The majority of parents attributed the expected changes in their child’s physical activity levels to the difference between the primary and secondary school environment. This was particularly evident from parents who expected their child’s physical activity to increase during the transition. Many parents anticipated that secondary school would afford their child more opportunities to participate in a wider range of organised activities, due to the facilities available in a larger-site school.

“ In the secondary school he’ll have far more opportunities. It’s a much bigger school ‘cause the one we are at the moment is an extremely small school. We’ve got about a hundred kids at his school, to over a thousand, or about a thousand. So there’s a lot more opportunities, that’s why he chose the school because it’s got Astroturf pitches. ” (Interview 15, Father of Low PA boy).

“ He’ll have the opportunity to join the rugby team at secondary school yeah I think it will be a lot more varied amount of sports activities there so you know there’s an opportunity for him to actually get an interest in other sports as well. ” (Interview 18, Mother of Low PA boy).

However, not all parents expected the transition to offer a wider variety of opportunities for their child, and one parent expressed particular concern regarding the availability of after-school activities for their child.

“ In terms of the after-school clubs I am concerned it’s going to go down…because most football trainings that he does, I pay for, finish at age 11…So unless there’s school activities he can do at the senior school on an evening then his level of activity is gonna go down. ” (Interview 34, Mother of High PA boy).

Aside from participation in organised activities, several parents felt their child’s physical activity would increase due to incidental behaviour associated with being at a larger school.

“ Well again there’s a lot more of like, walking around the school as well, because obviously they’ve got to walk from class to class, so they’re not going to be stuck in the one class. ” (Interview 16, Mother of High PA girl).

“ The whole set up of secondary school, you are going to be moving around more, lesson change, etc., it’s a bigger campus, [yeah] you know so she’s going to be, everything’s on a larger scale isn’t it, which therefore involves more moving around. ” (Interview 12, Father of Low PA girl).

One of the important school-related concerns parents had, regarding their child’s physical activity and screen-viewing behaviours at secondary school, was the expected increase in homework. However, for most parents, the way in which homework might influence physical activity was uncertain, with parents feeling it could either inhibit or facilitate their child engaging in more activity.

“ I don’t know. It can go either of two ways really. It might overwhelm him and he’s just too tired with it all, so that he does just wanna sit down and not do anything, or it might push him to be more active. ” (Interview 22, Mother of Low PA boy).

“ I suppose it could do, bearing in mind obviously she’s got to do, sort of, sit inside and do homework every day hasn’t she, do you know what I mean in the evening, so, but hopefully, like I said, if this homework only takes half an hour, an hour, she should still be able to go out and do stuff. ” (Interview 13, Father of High PA girl).

Some parents felt that homework would not influence their child’s physical activity, due to participation in organised activities that would not be compromised, and rather felt that time spent completing homework was more likely to replace screen-time.

“ He will still be doing his clubs, or that might be at least twice a week, we’ll still expect him to be doing some physical sort of club. At the end of the day, if he’s got extra homework, it’s the screen time that gets eaten into, not his physical activity. ” (Interview 10, Mother of High PA boy).

Yet many parents felt the increase in homework would increase their child’s screen-time. This was specifically due to expecting a lot of homework to be completed on the computer, although parents did distinguish between education and leisure-time screen-viewing.

“ It depends because obviously now, at secondary school, I would say there’s gonna be more on the laptop which is what I’ve seen an increase for my son, a lot more research which he does on his phone so she will probably do on her laptop … the homework side of it, it could – it could make it increase. ” (Interview 14, Mother of Low PA girl).

Parents spoke of some differences in how they felt the increase in homework might influence boys’ and girls’ physical activity differently. This was due to perceptions of boys’ preferences for being outside and active rather than indoors doing school-work.

“ All I can say is that boys are probably just gonna want to be out and play ‘cause that’s what they do at that age, and the girls probably will just get on with it and do their homework. That’s my opinion and I know it’s very sexist but… ” (Interview 22, Mother of Low PA boy).

“ Girls are better than [at] doing things than boys, like homework, so they come home and think, ‘Oh, I’ll get this done. ” (Interview 30, Mother of High PA boy).

Despite some parents feeling there were gender differences in how homework might affect other behaviours, many of them felt that how their child would cope with the increased workload is down to their own character and parental support rather than their gender.

“ Well they’re all going to get the same amount of homework I suppose. But I suppose it depends, I don’t think you can say it’s all the same for all girls and all boys. It depends on the individual I would imagine on how active that individual is and what they do. ” (Interview 28, Mother of Low PA boy).

“ I don’t know, I guess that’s very hard to gauge. It would almost be down to how that’s monitored and controlled by parents rather than being able to say yeah it’s different for girls than boys. I mean it’s the aptitude of the individual or their willingness to apply themselves. ” (Interview 9, Father of High PA boy).

3.2. “Striking a Balance” between Physical Activity, Screen-Viewing and Homework

Despite most parents expecting their child’s physical activity to increase, it was clear that parents felt there was the potential for the increased workload at secondary school to influence physical activity and screen-viewing. Parents expressed the need to find a balance between these activities, and they identified that they need to play a key role in helping their child to balance their school work and other activities, with some recognising the potential benefits of maintaining healthy levels of physical activity on homework and productivity.

“ I think that…the extra demand of homework can actually stop children being able to spend that time playing, going out and doing activities. They spend that much time doing homework they haven’t got time to go out, go and visit their friends and going out for a walk so, it can happen but personally I don’t want to see that happen when it’s a question of trying to strike a balance… I want my child to find the thing that she’s good at and work hard on them and not worry about things she’s not so good at so that she’s got time in her life to do other activities. ” (Interview 27, Father of High PA girl).

“ It’s obviously necessary that she’s going to have to sit still to do some studying which at the moment she doesn’t really, so yeah, like I say, I think I’d try and kind of make up for that by doing bike rides at the weekend or maybe trying find her another you know dance class that she fancies doing or take her to trampolining places. ” (Interview 25, Mother of High PA girl).

With the expected changes in behaviours during the transition to secondary school, several parents spoke of strategies they would adopt to try and help them achieve this balance. Many of the strategies revolved around parents monitoring and controlling the amount of time their child spends screen-viewing, suggesting alternative activities to their child and removal of devices if school-work is not completed.

“ Encouraging him to do different things, I suppose again sort of anything that’s not sort of watching telly or on his Xbox I suppose. Encourage him to be with friends and different activities. ” (Interview 28, Mother of Low PA boy).

“ Well we’ll still apply the same restrictions during the school day so no Xbox or anything like, reduce his gadgets, he’s done the homework and the good thing with the school is that they send emails and tell us if there’s interventions or detention or anything about the children there. So, you get a good idea of what their homework is and their learning ability. As soon as you get anything negative coming back then you can apply restrictions. And I’ve got no hesitation of taking away the Xbox controls or the power cable. ” (Interview 39, Father of Low PA boy).

Some parents identified that physical activity could be used to help their child get their homework completed more efficiently, and therefore, felt it was important that physical activity was encouraged alongside school-work.

“ But the Secondary school, it’s one of those things, they will have to spend more time doing homework…But again, sort of try and engage in getting the homework done, you know, let’s go out and get some fresh air, or let’s go out and sort of do something and blow away the cobwebs. It’s quite difficult because sometimes the piece of homework can take one child sort of 20 min and it can take another child 40 min. ” (Interview 8, Mother of High PA girl).

Outside of parents encouraging their child to engage in alternative activities to ensure behaviours are balanced, several parental strategies centred more on their child continuing to develop independence, with the implementation of techniques to facilitate better time management and prioritisation of activities.

“ No, I guess we’ll see how much [homework] she’ll have and then we will just talk it through with her really about the best way to do it and try and get her to understand its best to sort of keep on top of it than letting it build up, something like that. ” (Interview 42, Father of Low PA girl).

Similarly, it was evident that, for many parents, homework would be the priority, and ensuring that their child completed any school-work prior to engaging in other activities (particularly screen-viewing) as central to achieving balance.

“ I’m not too sure how much it entails, what the school will expect and at the end of the day [homework] takes priority over any gaming. ”. (Interview 10, Mother of High PA boy)

“ I think he’s, obviously it’s going to be a big jump from what he gets homework-wise now to what he’s going to get. I think it’s going to have to be sort of managed to say, ‘Right, you do your homework first and then you get your screen time’ ” (Interview 28, Mother of Low PA boy).

“ Yeah, ‘cause there’s more homework at secondary school and if she gets into the habit of doing the homework near enough straight away then that sort of frees her up rather than leaving it to the last weekend or the last moment so it’s all one panic. ” (Interview 5, Father of High PA girl).

Conversely, a few parents felt that homework should fit around their child’s physical activity, making use of the journey between clubs or waiting for siblings to complete activities to complete school-work.

“ I suppose it can impact on them. But again, that’s how we try and work around these things and obviously try and do homework at quiet times, if as I say we’re kinda multitasking, where we’re dropping one of at a sport or a club we would generally do other things or catch things out. You know, we take [him] to rugby, his sister does some reading or some drawing while we’re waiting for him at rugby. ” (Interview 15, Father of Low PA boy).

4. Discussion

Most parents expected both their child’s PA and screen-viewing to increase during the transition to secondary school. Whilst parents’ expectations for their child’s screen-viewing are consistent with existing evidence [ 5 , 6 ], their expectations for physical activity do not align with evidence that has consistently shown a steady declining trajectory in children’s activity levels [ 2 , 4 ]. Parents identified a variety of individual, social and school-level factors that might influence their child’s activity and screen-time during the period of transition, highlighting the complexity of these behaviours. An overview of the main findings and their implications are presented in Table 2 .

Findings and recommendations for supporting children’s physical activity during the transition to secondary school.

Parents’ expectations that their child’s physical activity would increase during the transition to secondary school was commonly attributed to an increase in active travel to and from school. This is consistent with evidence indicating that active travel does contribute to children’s overall daily MVPA [ 27 ]. However, the location of secondary school and, more specifically, the distance between school and home and perceptions of road safety, could prevent active travel. Distance and safety perceptions have been shown to influence whether children are allowed to walk to school in several studies [ 28 , 29 , 30 ], suggesting that there is a need for changes to neighbourhood infrastructures to improve safety for children. Targeting environmental features, such as road speed, presence of pedestrian crossings and cycle lanes may enable more children to engage in active travel, and thus, increase daily physical activity at the population level [ 31 , 32 ]. Additionally, for some children, road safety and cycling training may be beneficial. The increased independent mobility that accompanies children’s ability to walk to and from school has also been shown to be associated with the time they spend playing outdoors [ 33 ]. Therefore, encouraging children to engage in active travel may have additional benefits for overall physical activity levels beyond the specific contribution of walking or cycling to and from school. Regardless of the mode of transport to and from school, parents largely acknowledged that their child would have greater independence at secondary school. For some parents, this led to concerns regarding their child’s level of screen-viewing, as their increased independence would mean longer periods of being home alone, which parents anticipate being used for screen-time. Evidence suggests that children who have limited access to local neighbourhood facilities (such as parks and youth clubs) engage in more home-based sedentary behaviour [ 34 ]. With this in mind, there is a need for more evidence-based and community-led strategies to increase physical activity and reduce sedentary time in rural populations.

Many parents felt their child’s physical activity would be inhibited temporarily during the transition to secondary school. One reason for this expectation was the social adjustment that is inherent to moving schools. The transition from primary to secondary school entails significant changes to the social environment [ 13 , 14 ], and thus, represents an important life event for all children. Whilst many children look forward to the prospect of developing new friendships, qualitative work highlights that they also have concerns regarding how these peer-relationships will develop [ 35 , 36 ]. Evidence indicates that children cluster in friendship groups with similar physical activity levels [ 37 , 38 ], indicating that friendships are associated with physical activity. Therefore, whilst parents were confident that as friendship groups were established their child’s physical activity levels would return to previous levels, this may not be the case for all children and may depend on the relationships they build in the early weeks of secondary school. Previous qualitative studies have shown that friends provide support for physical activity by co-participating in activities, modelling being active, and providing verbal support, with these factors being particularly integral for the initiation of new activities and joining of new clubs [ 39 ]. Interventions using peer-relationships to increase physical activity engagement have been shown to be beneficial, particularly for girls [ 40 , 41 ]. This indicates that friendships may be particularly important to physical activity levels during this transition, when new opportunities are presented to the children. Therefore, strategies that help children to build friendships during the transition period and encourage positive experiences of physical activity with friends may be effective for increasing youth physical activity engagement.

Parents of girls were more likely to expect their daughter’s physical activity levels to decline, due to fears around peer pressure and a desire to integrate with their peers. These fears were specific to girls, due to perceptions of what is considered ‘feminine’. Gender norms surrounding girls’ physical activity are complex, with many girls reporting that they enjoy being physically active, understand the benefits of an active lifestyle, but simultaneously feel great pressure to appear ‘feminine’, which is not seen to be conducive with being active [ 42 ]. It has been suggested that focusing on fun rather than athletic ability might help to engage more girls in a range of physical activities [ 43 ]. Parents were also concerned about how peer-pressure might influence their child’s screen-viewing, with expectations that their child would want to engage in more screen-time, specifically gaming and social media, due to wanting to fit in with their peers. Children have greater access to a range of screen-viewing devices, which has led to an increase in the time they spend screen-viewing [ 44 , 45 , 46 ]. Most evidence indicates that screen-viewing can be harmful to children’s development and well-being [ 47 , 48 ], but much of this research has been focused on traditional forms of media, such as television viewing. Whilst the literature concerning interactive forms of media (e.g., multi-player video games and social media) is in its infancy, initial findings suggest there may be both positive and negative consequences related to these behaviours [ 49 ]. For example, there are consistent associations between social media use and the presence of mobile devices in the bedroom and sleep disturbances in older children and adolescents [ 50 ]. However, there is also emerging evidence indicating that interactive digital media, and particularly social media platforms, can be used to facilitate social development and improve mood [ 51 ], and may, therefore, be a useful tool to improve physical activity engagement; but more research is required to ascertain the long-term effects of social media use.

Parents felt the new secondary school environment would have a positive impact on their child’s physical activity, due to the enhanced facilities and a wider range of activity options. Whilst there is evidence showing that more opportunities for physical activity engagement, such as through extra-curricular activities and inter-mural sports are associated with greater physical activity engagement in children [ 52 ], the literature exploring associations between school facilities and child physical activity in secondary schools is inconclusive, with some evidence that school facilities are associated with physical activity in boys only [ 53 ]. Therefore, the influence parents expect the change in the school environment to have on their child’s activity may be unwarranted. Where most school-related changes during the transition were viewed as positive for children’s physical activity, parents were concerned about the impact that the increased workload would have on both physical activity and screen-viewing. Parents had mixed views regarding how homework would influence their child’s activity levels, but previous qualitative and quantitative evidence has found that homework is a barrier to being physically active for children transitioning to secondary school and throughout adolescence [ 15 , 54 , 55 ]. For parents who felt the increased homework would not impact their child’s physical activity, their main reason was due to the child’s participation in organised activities that would remain part of their day. There is some evidence to suggest that participation in organised activities in childhood is associated with higher levels of physical activity in adulthood [ 56 ], indicating that structured activity patterns may persist over time and so may not be altered by additional pressures. Therefore, encouraging more children to participate in organised physical activities may promote lifelong behavioural habits. Parents consistently felt that the increase in homework would mean an increase in their child’s screen-viewing. Technological developments result in an increasing proportion of homework being completed on a computer or tablet, thus, inherently increasing screen-time, with evidence indicating that during the transition to secondary school, homework time and computer use both increases [ 57 , 58 ]. Parents did distinguish between recreational and educational screen-viewing, but further research is required to ascertain the relative effects these types of behaviour on health outcomes.

All parents expressed an intention to monitor their child’s physical activity, screen-viewing and homework during the transition to secondary school as an attempt to ensure that these behaviours were well-balanced. However, many of the parents felt that achieving balance was going to be a challenge and expected that balancing their own desire to support their child’s independence with their concern about their child’s preferences (e.g., screen-viewing over physical activity and homework) would be particularly difficult. Many of the parents reported having already implemented practical strategies to try and achieve a balance, including suggesting alternative activities to screen-viewing (physical activity and social activities) and removing screen-viewing devices. Logistical support and parental modelling of physical activity at ages 11–12 have been shown to be associated with lower levels of screen-time and higher levels of physical activity at ages 13–14 [ 58 ], so the practical strategies that the parents suggest may be effective for balancing behaviours, provided the parents also balance their own behaviours. In addition to practical solutions, several parents spoke of beginning to develop their child’s independence with regards to physical activity and screen-viewing throughout the final year of primary school. Strategies that encourage children to self-monitor and regulate their behaviours may be most effective, with evidence indicating that self-regulation of screen-viewing is associated with less social-media use [ 59 ]. Additionally, encouraging children to manage their own transition from primary to secondary school has been cited as an important strategy for reducing transition-related anxiety [ 60 ]; therefore, supporting children to identify their own needs in terms of balancing behaviours may reduce the impact that the transition to secondary school has on their physical activity and screen-viewing.

Strengths and Limitations

This study has several strengths, including the recruitment of a diverse range of parents from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds and with children whose physical activity levels range from low to high. Notably, the sample had equal representation of mothers and fathers, despite it being difficult to recruit fathers into research projects [ 61 ]. However, the study has several limitations, including the limited ethnic diversity within the sample, which inhibits the generalisability of the findings to families with different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. A notable limitation is the studies reliance on parents’ prospective expectations for their child’s physical activity and screen-viewing as they progress to secondary school. A longitudinal qualitative design, gaining perspectives before and after the transition to secondary school, would provide greater insight into how expectations match the reality of this transition, and could provide useful information to inform future strategies to support children and parents during this time.

5. Conclusions

The present study highlights several individuals, social and school-based factors that parents feel will influence their child’s physical activity and screen-viewing during the transition to secondary school. These findings indicate a need for more community-based opportunities for secondary school children to be active after school, particularly in rural areas and strategies to help children establish relationships with secondary school peers as early as possible. All parents held the expectation that balancing physical activity, screen-viewing and homework during the transition was going to be challenging, and therefore, there is also a need for more family-based support during this time to ensure that healthy behavioural patterns are established.

Author Contributions

Collectively, all authors conceived the present paper in the following roles: Conceptualisation, S.J.S., J.L.T. and R.J.; Formal analysis, L.G.E.-C., S.L. and T.R.; Investigation, L.G.E.-C., J.M. and T.R.; Writing—original draft preparation, L.G.E.-C.; writing—review and editing; L.G.E.-C., S.L., T.R., J.M., S.J.S., J.L.T., R.S. and R.J.; project administration, L.G.E.-C.; funding acquisition, R.J., S.J.S. and J.L.T.

This research was funded by a grant from the British Heart Foundation (ref SP 14/4/31123). The funder had no involvement in data analysis, data interpretation or writing of the paper.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

• Featured Articles
• Report Card Comments
• Needs Improvement Comments
• Teacher's Lounge
• New Teachers
• Our Bloggers
• Article Library
• Featured Lessons
• Every-Day Edits
• Lesson Library
• Emergency Sub Plans
• Character Education
• Lesson of the Day
• 5-Minute Lessons
• Learning Games
• Lesson Planning
• Subjects Center
• Teaching Grammar
• Leadership Resources
• Parent Newsletter Resources
• Advice from School Leaders
• Programs, Strategies and Events
• Principal Toolbox
• Administrator's Desk
• Interview Questions
• Professional Learning Communities
• Teachers Observing Teachers
• Tech Lesson Plans
• Science, Math & Reading Games
• Tech in the Classroom
• Web Site Reviews
• Creating a WebQuest
• Digital Citizenship
• All Online PD Courses
• Child Development Courses
• Reading and Writing Courses
• Math & Science Courses
• Classroom Technology Courses
• A to Z Grant Writing Courses
• Spanish in the Classroom Course
• Classroom Management
• Responsive Classroom
• Dr. Ken Shore: Classroom Problem Solver
• Worksheet Library
• Highlights for Children
• Venn Diagram Templates
• Reading Games
• Word Search Puzzles
• Math Crossword Puzzles
• Geography A to Z
• Holidays & Special Days
• Internet Scavenger Hunts
• Student Certificates

Newsletter Sign Up

Search form

Homework or extracurricular activities why some families are choosing activities over homework.

Over the last few years, the effectiveness of homework in relation to child development has received significant scrutiny. On average, high school students are expected to complete approximately 3.5 hours of homework per day in addition to participating in extracurricular activities. This can raise questions about the balance between homework and extracurricular activities and whether students are being asked to do too much of either. 

Parents and their kids need to find a balance that allows the student to engage in academic and non-academic activities, as both can benefit their overall development. However, it can be challenging to determine the right balance and what is most important, as both homework and extracurricular activities can offer valuable experiences and benefits. 

Homework Pitfalls

Most parents seem to opt for extracurricular activities compared to homework, which can be attributed to various reasons. Homework can cause the following situations:

Homework Increases Stress Levels

Homework can be a source of stress for both children and parents. Most children may feel overwhelmed by the amount of homework they have to complete, particularly if they are struggling to understand the material or have other commitments such as extracurricular activities, leading to increased stress and anxiety levels, which can negatively affect their mental and physical health. Depending on the number of subjects they do, this can be extremely strenuous and stressful to both kids and parents. 

Homework Decreases Enjoyment of Learning

If children feel overwhelmed by homework, they may begin to see learning as a chore rather than something enjoyable, leading to decreased motivation and engagement. This attitude may result in a decline in academic performance, which may worry parents.

Homework Disrupts Family Time

Homework can also take up a significant amount of time, disrupting family time and other activities. This can be particularly challenging, especially for families with busy schedules or multiple children with different homework commitments.

Extracurricular Activities > Homework

On the other hand, families are beginning to see the benefits of allowing their kids to partake in extracurricular activities rather than focusing solely on homework. Some of these reasons families choose extracurricular activities over homework include the following:

Development of New Skills and Interests

Extracurricular activities allow children to learn and develop new skills and interests that may not be covered in their regular academic curriculum. For example, a child interested in music may take piano lessons or join a school choir, while a child interested in sports may join a soccer team or take martial arts classes. These activities can help children discover and pursue passions they may not have known they had and can also help them build confidence and self-esteem. 

Physical and Mental Health Benefits

Extracurricular activities can have numerous physical and mental health benefits for children. Physical activities, such as sports, can help children stay active and fit, while activities, such as music or art, can provide an outlet for creativity and expression. Coupled with the rigorous nature of classwork, participating in extracurricular activities can also help children reduce stress and improve their overall mental health by providing a break from academic work and allowing them to engage in activities they enjoy.

Socialization and Teamwork

Sociability is a critical aspect of a child's development. Extracurricular activities allow children to socialize with their peers and learn how to work effectively as part of a team, which can help children develop important social skills and improve their communication and collaboration abilities.

College and Career Preparation

Participating in extracurricular activities can also help children develop skills and experiences that may be valuable in preparing for college and future careers. For example, being a school club or team member may help a child develop leadership skills. Volunteering in the community may help a child learn about social issues and develop a sense of civic responsibility.

Parents are beginning to consider these passions as viable career options, and extracurricular activities help them assess their kid's potential. 

Final Thoughts

Overall, there are many benefits to enrolling children in extracurricular activities, and these activities can complement and enhance the skills and knowledge they learn in school. Ultimately, the importance of homework versus extracurricular activities may depend on the individual student, their needs and goals.

It is crucial for parents to carefully consider their child's interests and needs when deciding whether to enroll them in extracurricular activities and how that will effect the child's homework schedule.

EW Lesson Plans

EW Professional Development

Ew worksheets.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter and receive top education news, lesson ideas, teaching tips and more! No thanks, I don't need to stay current on what works in education! COPYRIGHT 1996-2016 BY EDUCATION WORLD, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. COPYRIGHT 1996 - 2024 BY EDUCATION WORLD, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. SchoolNotes.com The Educator's Network It’s naive to think college athletes have time for school Assistant Professor of Sociology, Ursinus College Disclosure statement Jasmine Harris does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. View all partners From my first day as a sociology professor at a university with a Division I football and men’s basketball team, education and athletics struck me as being inherently at odds. Student-athletes filled my courses to take advantage of the fact that the classes met early in the morning . The football and men’s basketball players – most of whom were black – quickly fell behind due to scheduling constraints. Only so much time was set aside for academics and, often, it wasn’t enough. Academic rigor and athletic success were simply incompatible goals. Now – as a researcher who is studying college athletes through the lens of race and class – I have compiled evidence to show just how much more time college athletes devote to sports over academics. Lopsided but ‘normal’ Early data from my ongoing research on the academic experiences of black Division I football and men’s basketball players shows that they spend three times as many hours per week on athletics as they do on academics. On average, the players spend more than 25 hours on sports-related activities other than games, such as practice, workouts, general team meetings, film sessions and travel. On the other hand, the player spend less than eight hours on academics outside of class, such as writing papers, studying, getting tutored or working on group projects. This imbalance is institutionally constructed and perpetuated. Perhaps most disturbingly, the student-athletes I surveyed perceive this lopsided situation as “normal.” Some may argue that the players should be satisfied with the fact that their scholarships enable them to reap the benefits of a college education. The problem with that argument is that college athletes aren’t able to fully actualize their identities as students to the same degree as their classmates. College sports is just too demanding, and universities do not make any special concessions for athletes’ additional time commitments. Money at stake It is important to distinguish the lives of college athletes who don’t generate money for their institutions, such as soccer and tennis players , versus those who are deeply intertwined with the generation of revenue for colleges, universities and the NCAA, which cleared US$1 billion in revenue in 2017 . That kind of money cannot be made without serious time commitments among the players. Every time I watch a college football or men’s basketball game on TV, I can’t help but wonder what the players on my screen missed in class that day. They are students such as Jalen (a pseudonym), a football player who requested a meeting with me mid-semester. He wanted to discuss how my office hours conflicted with the team practices and film sessions. For an hour we discussed what he understood as unfixable. Jalen wanted and needed to utilize the main academic support systems provided by the college, but literally didn’t have the time. Jalen was by no means alone. Rather, his plight was emblematic of untold numbers of college athletes who struggle to balance sports and academics. Workers or students? So, are college athletes workers who attend school part-time? Or are they students who play sports part-time? Players at schools across the country are speaking up about the fact that they generate revenue for the colleges they play for but not for themselves. They have attempted to unionize and filed lawsuits to get what they see as their fair share. Meanwhile, the NCAA claims that student-athlete balance is not only possible, but that most Division I players achieve it. Disparities persist The reality is most football and men’s basketball players underperform academically and routinely graduate at lower rates than “other student-athletes, black non-athletes and undergraduates in general.” Recent academic scandals – from fraudulent classes to inappropriate tutor support and administrative cover-ups – reveal that a sports-first mentality permeates college campuses. The NCAA continues to describe Division I football and basketball players as “regular students who happen to play sports.” However, the NCAA rarely details how this student-athlete balance is supposed to work. There are tournament time commercials that remind viewers how most college athletes “will go pro in something other than sports.” However, less mentioned, if at all, are what kind of practical routes exist to this theoretically “balanced” identity. Even the NCAA’s own surveys of college athletes show that athletics takes precedence over academics. Coaches and college staffers are getting rich in the name of higher education while their mostly black players are – in their own words – “broke.” And this despite the fact that student-athlete responsibilities have grown as the business of college sports grows. For instance, some of the games last longer , and the average hours that players spend per week on athletes continues to creep upward. Conflicts continue Recently, 2017 Heisman runner-up, Bryce Love, drew criticism for “ setting a bad precedent ” for choosing to attend summer classes instead of Stanford’s media day. Almost 60 percent of participants in my current national research study find it difficult or very difficult to balance sports and academics – from the moment they set foot on campus until graduation, if they graduate at all. Considering the fact that less than 2 percent of college football players get into the National Football League, and only 1.2 percent of college basketball players get drafted into the National Basketball Association, the reality is that many college athletes will never see a payoff in professional sports . But the real tragedy is that – having devoted so much time to sports instead of their studies – they won’t really get to see their college education pay off, either. Higher education US higher education National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Race on campus College athletics college football Student athletes College basketball Communications Director Associate Director, Post-Award, RGCF University Relations Manager 2024 Vice-Chancellor's Research Fellowships Community member RANZCO Education Committee (Volunteer) Hall Record Is homework too much. Liv Bonee , Sami Farber , Emma Friedman , and Jenna Surowiec | April 17, 2020  Do you like homework? Yeah, neither do we. Though we understand the importance of practicing material, homework can sometimes take up too much of students’ time. After a long day of school, coming home to hours of homework can be really stressful. With everything else students have going on such as sports, clubs, jobs, and other responsibilities, homework can become impossible to manage. When homework becomes too much, there are also negative health effects on students developing bodies and brains.  In the article, “Infographic: How Does Homework Actually Affect Students,” the author includes an important statistic, “ According to a study by Stanford University, 56 percent of students considered homework a primary source of stress.” This alarming number obviously means there is too much homework given. It can become difficult for students to balance homework because many are also involved in activities after school, or have responsibilities; sports, jobs, caring for siblings, and school clubs, all possibly affecting one’s homework schedule. Additionally, after these commitments are all done, homework must be completed leaving little to no time for oneself.  The result of this stress on students’ growing and developing bodies can be harmful. The article continues to point out, “Too much homework can result in lack of sleep, headaches, exhaustion and weight loss. Excessive homework can also result in poor eating habits, with families choosing fast food as a faster alternative.” When students begin to feel these symptoms as a result of their busy schedules, it becomes even harder to complete their day to day activities, resulting in a constant pattern of struggle. Where is it appropriate to draw the line on how much homework is healthy to complete? Homework can impact one’s social life by taking time away from being with friends and family. Students need interaction outside of school in order to have a healthy lifestyle. Managing time with sports and other extracurricular activities on top of hours of homework can lead many students to feel all types of pressures and anxiety. In the article “Infographic, How Does Homework Actually Affect Students?” published by Oxford Learning, the authors elaborate on the many factors that contribute to the problems associated with homework overload. They mention how “students who have large amounts of homework have less time to spend with their families and friends. This can leave them feeling isolated and without a support system.” Students who do not spend time with their friends and family often can lose those bonds, leading them to feel lonely.   Doing too much work and not having any social interaction can actually cause students to become increasingly unmotivated. The article explains, “Homework can affect students’ health, social life, and grades. The hours logged in class, and the hours logged on schoolwork can lead to students feeling overwhelmed and unmotivated.” Those hours taken to do homework are hours that take away from students being active and playing sports, which affects their physical health as well. Homework can be helpful to a certain extent, but having busy work piled on by teachers does not actually help students. It is hard to tell where the line needs to be drawn and leads us to ask ourselves if it will ever be found. We interviewed three students at Hall High School with diverse qualities. Marisa Ciafone is a female who is 18 years old and a senior. We also talked to another female named Abby Magendantz, who is a 14-year-old freshman student-athlete. Throughout the school year, she participates in three sports including soccer, basketball, and track. Kevin Tiernan also is a student-athlete at Hall. He plays football and lacrosse as a 17-year-old junior.  The two female students we interviewed both expressed how they feel that homework can sometimes occur as useful, but usually exists as mostly just busywork. Although, Kevin Tiernan felt he benefits from homework, and stated how “It helps give students examples of the content they’re learning in school to help them obtain the knowledge for quizzes and tests.” All of the students stated that they feel the workload can be too much and on multiple occasions, they have lost sleep because of the amount they received. Many times Marisa has had to stay awake until 2 am because of the work. She stated, “that means I got a total of 4 hours of sleep those nights, and that isn’t healthy.” Most teachers would say homework has beneficial learning value, however, the evidence shows that it should be limited in some way to compensate for extra-curricular activities. In an article written by Lauren Farrar, she explains that “. . . the National Education Association recommends the ten-minute rule,” which essentially outlines a system in which students receive ten minutes of additional homework according to their grade level. For example, a freshman (ninth grade) would receive ninety minutes of work, a sophomore (tenth grade) would receive one hundred minutes of work, and so on. This format seems mostly fair, however, some may argue that one hundred twenty minutes for seniors is still excessive. Overall, although the available solutions may not be perfect, it is comforting to know that some thought is being put into how we can lower stress on students. Hopefully, future students will have more manageable schedules that allow them to enjoy their time outside of school. Car Accidents In West Hartford— Traffic Chaos at Hall Highschool Small student servings. Here at Hall Highschool students have a long day when it comes to school to when they get back home. Students need food in their body to get throu... Learning How to Accept an Opposing Opinion Hall seniors and work overload. Students at Hall High School are being given too much work. It is a busy time for seniors with college applications and future plans. Seniors have... Comments (0) Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Monday, September 16, 2024 Juggling time: how student athletes balance academics and sports By Jedidah Antwi November 3, 2022 Balancing rigorous school work and intense physical activity in sports is tough even without any financial compensation, no doubt about it. Cabrini currently has 350 student athletes according to Laura Patton, associate athletic director. On average, college athletes spend two hours a day at practice, with one additional hour for prehab and rehab. College students study for 10 to 13 hours a week on average; to survive in a high-pressure college environment, student athletes must balance the two. The challenges of being a student athlete   Jaden Dickerson sophomore, health science major, third b aseman for Cabrini’s men’s baseball team and  shooting guard for Cabrini men’s basketball team, mentioned having excellent time management is one of the challenges student athletes face. Dickerson believes athletes must prioritize academic work above participation on a sports team. “Even though you come here to play sports, you are still a student first,” Dickerson said. Brendan VanBelle, Cabrini’s assistant coach for the men’s baseball team, said time management was a big challenge for him when he was in school as a student athlete. It can be daunting to find time for both school and sports.  Another challenge student athletes face is the GPA requirement to be eligible to play a sport. Cindy Ikeler, Cabrini’s head coach of the men’s and women’s swim teams, said the number of credits a student has taken will determine the minimum GPA an athlete must maintain. “The requirement for freshmen is not quite as high as you would see for a junior or a senior, and it kind of gives freshmen that little bit of acclimation time,” Ikeler said. According to Bylaw 14.01.2.1 in the Division III Manual for 2019–2022, a student athlete must maintain good academic standing as judged by the academic authorities. Ikeler said, along with maintaining a minimum GPA, most coaches likely have their own unique standards. An additional obstacle student athletes face is having the stamina necessary for class.  Rachel Hetrick, senior rowing team member, said, “It’s hard to focus because sports are draining.” Ikeler said, on the swim team, there is a report card system. In this system, professors check off students’ attendance, participation, and risk of receiving a poor letter grade (D or F). There are study halls for swimmers, which are mandatory for all freshmen and swimmers with a GPA of 2.5 and under.  Men’s baseball has a similar system. “If guys are falling behind, missing class, or not turning in assignments, they have dedicated time during practice where they won’t participate. They will just do the homework that they missed,” VanBelle said. “In addition to whatever the coaching staff has set up for their various teams, we do have an academic coordinator who works strictly with our athletes,” Ikeler said. Patton works with all Cabrini athletes, especially if they are on academic probation. Any athlete is welcome to contact her if they need a little extra structure or accountability. Ikeler receives updates from Patton regarding any warning notices, midterm results, and other such information.  Hetrick said, athletes also get support from Brittany Runyen, Cabrini’s athletic administrator. Advice to student athletes Dickerson advises student athletes to be open and honest with their coaches, and possess the maturity to discuss their grades. He said, “If you need help, go get it, don’t be ashamed.” Hetrick said, “If you’re struggling, talk to your coaches, your friends, people around your teammates because we have a lot of support here.” Ikeler believes it is possible to achieve athletic and academic goals, and have a terrific sporting experience, and social life. Athletes must remember while they are capable of doing all of these things, they occasionally must decline requests. To keep on track, they must pay attention to the advice from their coaches and teammates. “Being flexible and acclimating to things is important, and it can be done,” Ikeler said.  Leave a Comment Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Jedidah Antwi My name is Jedidah Antwi. I am a sophomore, double-majoring in political science and digital communication. In addition to my academic studies, I have been selected to serve on the Executive Board of the Cabrini University Chapter of the National Society of Leadership and Success. I am also a member of the Poetry Club and Cabrini on Immigration, a student organization that advocates for social justice and immigrants’ rights. I love history, politics, and fashion. My favorite things to do outside of class and the Loquitur are watching foreign films, going to church, and hanging out with friends. I want people to become engaged and aware of what is going on in their community. As a reporter for loquitur, I want to inform Cabrini students about the things that are happening on campus and around the world. I hope through the content I produce on the Loquitur that Cabrini students will become informed citizens. You May Also Like A proud day to be a Cavalier: Baseball’s home field opener Cabrini women’s swimming makes history, 5 cavaliers drop double-digits as men’s basketball tip off conference play 1-0. Click here to check out our latest edition! Perspectives A final reflection, growing up cabrini, eleven minds, one mission, special project, title ix redefined website, season 2, episode 3: celebrating cabrini and digging into its past. More Networks Student Athletes Login College Coaches Login Club & HS Coaches Login This Study Proves Just How Much Time College Athletes Spend On Their Sport 40-hour work weeks are the norm in most professions. On college campuses, amateur Division I student-athletes are expected to work much longer hours. The premier collegiate student-athletes essentially have two full-time jobs: student and athlete. To meet the demands of both, many Division I student-athletes end up committing nearly 60 hours to school and sports, leaving very little time for anything else. A recent exhaustive study of 44,058 student-athletes, 2,445 school administrators and 3,071 head coaches explored the time demands placed on Division I student-athletes and found a major conflict of interest. Division I student-athletes believe they are overworked while coaches, whose jobs depend on winning, think their players should dedicate more time to athletics. Here’s a breakdown of the topics covered and opinions of both parties: Limits of time demands for athletic activities Overview: The NCAA has explicit limits on the amount of time dedicated to games, practices and team meetings or countable athletically related activities. Student-athletes are only allowed to dedicate a maximum four hours per day, 20 hours per week during the season with one day off and eight hours per week in the offseason with two days off. Student-athletes: The majority seemed to be ok with the specific limits of athletically related activities in season, but they wanted to reduce their offseason workload. They also wanted to add three activities – travel time, compliance meetings and team promotional activities – without increasing their weekly time commitment. Student-athletes support a minimum of eight hours overnight between practices, games or team meetings as well. Coaches: Most wanted to remove the weekly limits on countable athletically related activities, but would support increasing the limit in order to accommodate those three other activities. Finally, they agreed with student-athletes about the mandatory overnight restrictions between athletic activities. More time off during and after the season Student-athletes: The majority supported a 1-3 day, in-season break from games and practices. In addition, student-athletes wanted to stop counting travel days as off days. They also were in favor of a stoppage of athletic activities during winter break. After the end of the season, student-athletes are very much in favor of a mandatory break from their sport, preferably for two weeks. Coaches: Fewer than one in five supported any type of midseason break from athletic activities and most opposed changing the status of travel days. They also do not support a longer winter break, but coaches are open to an end of the season break, just not a two-week one. Academics and career education take precedence The only consensus between Division I student-athletes and their coaches was about education. Both supported the limiting of sports related activities during exam periods as well as the ability for student-athletes to pursue educational or career development opportunity. Despite saying that they support the education of their student-athletes, coaches clearly have a conflict of interest. By demanding more and more practice time, coaches are doing their student-athletes a disservice and taking them away from their studies. Since Division I coaches are financial incentivized to get the most out of their players, the NCAA needs to step up in order to ensure student-athletes have enough time to be successful in the classroom. Instagram link TikTok link Facebook link All in Award Press and Media How to Get Recruited Recruiting Guide for Parents NCAA Recruiting Rules Managing Your Recruiting IMG Academy+ Mental Performance & Nutrition Athletic Recruiting Athlete Memberships Football Camps Emailing Coaches D1 Colleges September 9 Eleven courses added to Bellaire August 15 Mighty Cardinal Band attends summer camp to practice show July 17 International Thespian Festival June 15 Future Problem Solvers place second in Texas with community project May 28 Engi-near the finish line Three Penny Press Students spend three times longer on homework than average, survey reveals Sonya Kulkarni and Pallavi Gorantla | Jan 9, 2022 Graphic by Sonya Kulkarni The National Education Association and the National Parent Teacher Association have suggested that a healthy number of hours that students should be spending can be determined by the “10-minute rule.” This means that each grade level should have a maximum homework time incrementing by 10 minutes depending on their grade level (for instance, ninth-graders would have 90 minutes of homework, 10th-graders should have 100 minutes, and so on). As ‘finals week’ rapidly approaches, students not only devote effort to attaining their desired exam scores but make a last attempt to keep or change the grade they have for semester one by making up homework assignments. High schoolers reported doing an average of 2.7 hours of homework per weeknight, according to a study by the Washington Post from 2018 to 2020 of over 50,000 individuals. A survey of approximately 200 Bellaire High School students revealed that some students spend over three times this number. The demographics of this survey included 34 freshmen, 43 sophomores, 54 juniors and 54 seniors on average. When asked how many hours students spent on homework in a day on average, answers ranged from zero to more than nine with an average of about four hours. In contrast, polled students said that about one hour of homework would constitute a healthy number of hours. Junior Claire Zhang said she feels academically pressured in her AP schedule, but not necessarily by the classes. “The class environment in AP classes can feel pressuring because everyone is always working hard and it makes it difficult to keep up sometimes.” Zhang said. A total of 93 students reported that the minimum grade they would be satisfied with receiving in a class would be an A. This was followed by 81 students, who responded that a B would be the minimum acceptable grade. 19 students responded with a C and four responded with a D. “I am happy with the classes I take, but sometimes it can be very stressful to try to keep up,” freshman Allyson Nguyen said. “I feel academically pressured to keep an A in my classes.” Up to 152 students said that grades are extremely important to them, while 32 said they generally are more apathetic about their academic performance. Last year, nine valedictorians graduated from Bellaire. They each achieved a grade point average of 5.0. HISD has never seen this amount of valedictorians in one school, and as of now there are 14 valedictorians. “I feel that it does degrade the title of valedictorian because as long as a student knows how to plan their schedule accordingly and make good grades in the classes, then anyone can be valedictorian,” Zhang said. Bellaire offers classes like physical education and health in the summer. These summer classes allow students to skip the 4.0 class and not put it on their transcript. Some electives also have a 5.0 grade point average like debate. Close to 200 students were polled about Bellaire having multiple valedictorians. They primarily answered that they were in favor of Bellaire having multiple valedictorians, which has recently attracted significant acclaim . Senior Katherine Chen is one of the 14 valedictorians graduating this year and said that she views the class of 2022 as having an extraordinary amount of extremely hardworking individuals. “I think it was expected since freshman year since most of us knew about the others and were just focused on doing our personal best,” Chen said. Chen said that each valedictorian achieved the honor on their own and deserves it. “I’m honestly very happy for the other valedictorians and happy that Bellaire is such a good school,” Chen said. “I don’t feel any less special with 13 other valedictorians.” Nguyen said that having multiple valedictorians shows just how competitive the school is. “It’s impressive, yet scary to think about competing against my classmates,” Nguyen said. Offering 30 AP classes and boasting a significant number of merit-based scholars Bellaire can be considered a competitive school. “I feel academically challenged but not pressured,” Chen said. “Every class I take helps push me beyond my comfort zone but is not too much to handle.” Students have the opportunity to have off-periods if they’ve met all their credits and are able to maintain a high level of academic performance. But for freshmen like Nguyen, off periods are considered a privilege. Nguyen said she usually has an hour to five hours worth of work everyday. “Depending on the day, there can be a lot of work, especially with extra curriculars,” Nguyen said. “Although, I am a freshman, so I feel like it’s not as bad in comparison to higher grades.” According to the survey of Bellaire students, when asked to evaluate their agreement with the statement “students who get better grades tend to be smarter overall than students who get worse grades,” responders largely disagreed. Zhang said that for students on the cusp of applying to college, it can sometimes be hard to ignore the mental pressure to attain good grades. “As a junior, it’s really easy to get extremely anxious about your GPA,” Zhang said. “It’s also a very common but toxic practice to determine your self-worth through your grades but I think that we just need to remember that our mental health should also come first. Sometimes, it’s just not the right day for everyone and one test doesn’t determine our smartness.” Your donation will support the student journalists of Bellaire High School. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs. ‘A cathartic experience’ A Reagan rollercoaster Do what you love HUMANS OF BELLAIRE – Cydney Tinsley Walking through time Eleven courses added to Bellaire Mighty Cardinal Band attends summer camp to practice show International Thespian Festival Future Problem Solvers place second in Texas with community project Engi-near the finish line Comments (8). Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Anonymous • Jul 16, 2024 at 3:27 pm didnt realy help Anonymous • Nov 21, 2023 at 10:32 am It’s not really helping me understand how much. josh • May 9, 2023 at 9:58 am Kassie • May 6, 2022 at 12:29 pm Im using this for an English report. This is great because on of my sources needed to be from another student. Homework drives me insane. Im glad this is very updated too!! Kaylee Swaim • Jan 25, 2023 at 9:21 pm I am also using this for an English report. I have to do an argumentative essay about banning homework in schools and this helps sooo much! Izzy McAvaney • Mar 15, 2023 at 6:43 pm I am ALSO using this for an English report on cutting down school days, homework drives me insane!! E. Elliott • Apr 25, 2022 at 6:42 pm I’m from Louisiana and am actually using this for an English Essay thanks for the information it was very informative. Nabila Wilson • Jan 10, 2022 at 6:56 pm Interesting with the polls! I didn’t realize about 14 valedictorians, that’s crazy. Balancing Homework and After-School Sports Most afternoons my children come home from school with their backpacks loaded with homework assignments. They both play multiple sports, and it’s always an ongoing struggle to find a way to balance homework and after-school sports before bedtime. More often than not, it’s a losing battle. As a result, the kids are up late into the night, trying to finish those last math equations or study their spelling words. In the morning they wake up tired, only to start the cycle all over again. Many Kids Today Juggle Homework and Sports Most other families we know are struggling with the same problem. As our kids get older, their homework increases, while at the same time their coaches often start demanding longer and more frequent practices and training sessions. The Experts Weigh In on the Value Factor To help my children better navigate the co-existing demands of school and sports, I recently decided to do some research on this issue. What I discovered surprised me. I found lots of articles and blogs written by psychologists and guidance counselors addressing this very topic. Although I expected that many experts would frown upon letting kids take on so many commitments, what I found was the reverse. Many of these experts saw real value in allowing children to apply themselves to athletics and other extracurricular activities. In addition to the many health benefits of being active, there is also much to be learned on the golf course, football field, and gymnastics floor that supplements what happens in the classroom. For instance, young athletes can get a crash course in the importance of working as a team, training to master new skills, developing effective strategies, and setting goals. Better yet, all of these lessons can actually help improve kids’ grades and study habits. Parents Also Play a Role In order to get these benefits, your children need to be able to handle the pressure involved. That’s where parents can help. They can play an important role in helping children manage their athletic commitments and homework and keep a clear head throughout the process. Here is a rundown of some of the best tips I found for parents of busy kids: Sit down with your child and make a schedule of all of your after-school commitments and figure out where homework will fit. Be creative. If time is short, it’s okay to have your child study in the car or bus on the way to a practice or to start homework during lunch or study hall. By planning ahead to fit it all in, your child won’t feel so overwhelmed. Keep in close contact with your child to be sure he is thriving in the situation. Ask him how he feels and what he is enjoying or not enjoying. By talking with your child, you’ll get a sense of when he is in control, or when he is in over his head and may need to pare things down. Stay on top of your child’s grades on homework and tests so you can be sure the quality of work isn’t suffering as a result of him being stretched too thin. If you find that grades are slipping, this can be a sign that it’s time to cut back for a bit. Be sure to allocate family time for everyone to come together and bond. If evenings are too busy, you can sneak in some time on the weekend or even in the mornings. There is no rule about when you need to come together, but it’s important that school and sports don’t replace your family’s connection. When life feels too rushed, figure out other activities your child can pass on to free up his schedule a little. Maybe he won’t be able to make it to a weekend party or special event; it’s a good lesson to learn that it’s okay not to do everything. By leaving some free time, he’ll be able to spend more quality time with family or friends and he’ll approach his sports and homework feeling refreshed. The Need to Prioritize School Over Sports While these tips can help you to find that precious balance between doing enough and doing too much, always keep in mind that you have to look at your individual situation. If despite your efforts your child seems to be struggling with homework and after-school sports, don’t feel compelled to have it do it all. Your children are more likely to go on to college than they are to become a professional athlete, so if you need to make some choices of where your child should focus his attention, remember that school should always be the priority. RECENT POSTS ACT and SAT Score Comparison: Score Conversions and Chart ACT Test Dates 2024: Upcoming Test Dates & Deadlines for the ACT Exam How To Check Your SAT Score: A Step-By-Step Guide Sign Up For the Latest News 60 Chelsea Piers Ste 6020, New York, NY 10011 [email protected] 844 663 9484 Is it time to get rid of homework? Mental health experts weigh in. It's no secret that kids hate homework. And as students grapple with an ongoing pandemic that has had a wide range of mental health impacts, is it time schools start listening to their pleas about workloads? Some teachers are turning to social media to take a stand against homework.  Tiktok user @misguided.teacher says he doesn't assign it because the "whole premise of homework is flawed." For starters, he says, he can't grade work on "even playing fields" when students' home environments can be vastly different. "Even students who go home to a peaceful house, do they really want to spend their time on busy work? Because typically that's what a lot of homework is, it's busy work," he says in the video that has garnered 1.6 million likes. "You only get one year to be 7, you only got one year to be 10, you only get one year to be 16, 18." Mental health experts agree heavy workloads have the potential do more harm than good for students, especially when taking into account the impacts of the pandemic. But they also say the answer may not be to eliminate homework altogether. Emmy Kang, mental health counselor at Humantold , says studies have shown heavy workloads can be "detrimental" for students and cause a "big impact on their mental, physical and emotional health." "More than half of students say that homework is their primary source of stress, and we know what stress can do on our bodies," she says, adding that staying up late to finish assignments also leads to disrupted sleep and exhaustion. Cynthia Catchings, a licensed clinical social worker and therapist at Talkspace , says heavy workloads can also cause serious mental health problems in the long run, like anxiety and depression.  And for all the distress homework  can cause, it's not as useful as many may think, says Dr. Nicholas Kardaras, a psychologist and CEO of Omega Recovery treatment center. "The research shows that there's really limited benefit of homework for elementary age students, that really the school work should be contained in the classroom," he says. For older students, Kang says, homework benefits plateau at about two hours per night.  "Most students, especially at these high achieving schools, they're doing a minimum of three hours, and it's taking away time from their friends, from their families, their extracurricular activities. And these are all very important things for a person's mental and emotional health." Catchings, who also taught third to 12th graders for 12 years, says she's seen the positive effects of a no-homework policy while working with students abroad. "Not having homework was something that I always admired from the French students (and) the French schools, because that was helping the students to really have the time off and really disconnect from school," she says. The answer may not be to eliminate homework completely but to be more mindful of the type of work students take home, suggests Kang, who was a high school teacher for 10 years. "I don't think (we) should scrap homework; I think we should scrap meaningless, purposeless busy work-type homework. That's something that needs to be scrapped entirely," she says, encouraging teachers to be thoughtful and consider the amount of time it would take for students to complete assignments. The pandemic made the conversation around homework more crucial  Mindfulness surrounding homework is especially important in the context of the past two years. Many students will be struggling with mental health issues that were brought on or worsened by the pandemic , making heavy workloads even harder to balance. "COVID was just a disaster in terms of the lack of structure. Everything just deteriorated," Kardaras says, pointing to an increase in cognitive issues and decrease in attention spans among students. "School acts as an anchor for a lot of children, as a stabilizing force, and that disappeared." But even if students transition back to the structure of in-person classes, Kardaras suspects students may still struggle after two school years of shifted schedules and disrupted sleeping habits. "We've seen adults struggling to go back to in-person work environments from remote work environments. That effect is amplified with children because children have less resources to be able to cope with those transitions than adults do," he explains. 'Get organized' ahead of back-to-school In order to make the transition back to in-person school easier, Kang encourages students to "get good sleep, exercise regularly (and) eat a healthy diet." To help manage workloads, she suggests students "get organized." "There's so much mental clutter up there when you're disorganized. ... Sitting down and planning out their study schedules can really help manage their time," she says. Breaking up assignments can also make things easier to tackle. "I know that heavy workloads can be stressful, but if you sit down and you break down that studying into smaller chunks, they're much more manageable." If workloads are still too much, Kang encourages students to advocate for themselves. "They should tell their teachers when a homework assignment just took too much time or if it was too difficult for them to do on their own," she says. "It's good to speak up and ask those questions. Respectfully, of course, because these are your teachers. But still, I think sometimes teachers themselves need this feedback from their students." More: Some teachers let their students sleep in class. Here's what mental health experts say. More: Some parents are slipping young kids in for the COVID-19 vaccine, but doctors discourage the move as 'risky' About the Hub Announcements Faculty Experts Guide Subscribe to the newsletter Explore by Topic Arts+Culture Politics+Society Science+Technology Student Life University News Voices+Opinion About Hub at Work Gazette Archive Benefits+Perks Health+Well-Being Current Issue About the Magazine Past Issues Support Johns Hopkins Magazine Subscribe to the Magazine You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience. Credit: August de Richelieu Does homework still have value? A Johns Hopkins education expert weighs in Joyce epstein, co-director of the center on school, family, and community partnerships, discusses why homework is essential, how to maximize its benefit to learners, and what the 'no-homework' approach gets wrong. By Vicky Hallett The necessity of homework has been a subject of debate since at least as far back as the 1890s, according to Joyce L. Epstein , co-director of the Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships at Johns Hopkins University. "It's always been the case that parents, kids—and sometimes teachers, too—wonder if this is just busy work," Epstein says. But after decades of researching how to improve schools, the professor in the Johns Hopkins School of Education remains certain that homework is essential—as long as the teachers have done their homework, too. The National Network of Partnership Schools , which she founded in 1995 to advise schools and districts on ways to improve comprehensive programs of family engagement, has developed hundreds of improved homework ideas through its Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork program. For an English class, a student might interview a parent on popular hairstyles from their youth and write about the differences between then and now. Or for science class, a family could identify forms of matter over the dinner table, labeling foods as liquids or solids. These innovative and interactive assignments not only reinforce concepts from the classroom but also foster creativity, spark discussions, and boost student motivation. "We're not trying to eliminate homework procedures, but expand and enrich them," says Epstein, who is packing this research into a forthcoming book on the purposes and designs of homework. In the meantime, the Hub couldn't wait to ask her some questions: What kind of homework training do teachers typically get? Future teachers and administrators really have little formal training on how to design homework before they assign it. This means that most just repeat what their teachers did, or they follow textbook suggestions at the end of units. For example, future teachers are well prepared to teach reading and literacy skills at each grade level, and they continue to learn to improve their teaching of reading in ongoing in-service education. By contrast, most receive little or no training on the purposes and designs of homework in reading or other subjects. It is really important for future teachers to receive systematic training to understand that they have the power, opportunity, and obligation to design homework with a purpose. Why do students need more interactive homework? If homework assignments are always the same—10 math problems, six sentences with spelling words—homework can get boring and some kids just stop doing their assignments, especially in the middle and high school years. When we've asked teachers what's the best homework you've ever had or designed, invariably we hear examples of talking with a parent or grandparent or peer to share ideas. To be clear, parents should never be asked to "teach" seventh grade science or any other subject. Rather, teachers set up the homework assignments so that the student is in charge. It's always the student's homework. But a good activity can engage parents in a fun, collaborative way. Our data show that with "good" assignments, more kids finish their work, more kids interact with a family partner, and more parents say, "I learned what's happening in the curriculum." It all works around what the youngsters are learning. Is family engagement really that important? At Hopkins, I am part of the Center for Social Organization of Schools , a research center that studies how to improve many aspects of education to help all students do their best in school. One thing my colleagues and I realized was that we needed to look deeply into family and community engagement. There were so few references to this topic when we started that we had to build the field of study. When children go to school, their families "attend" with them whether a teacher can "see" the parents or not. So, family engagement is ever-present in the life of a school. My daughter's elementary school doesn't assign homework until third grade. What's your take on "no homework" policies? There are some parents, writers, and commentators who have argued against homework, especially for very young children. They suggest that children should have time to play after school. This, of course is true, but many kindergarten kids are excited to have homework like their older siblings. If they give homework, most teachers of young children make assignments very short—often following an informal rule of 10 minutes per grade level. "No homework" does not guarantee that all students will spend their free time in productive and imaginative play. Some researchers and critics have consistently misinterpreted research findings. They have argued that homework should be assigned only at the high school level where data point to a strong connection of doing assignments with higher student achievement . However, as we discussed, some students stop doing homework. This leads, statistically, to results showing that doing homework or spending more minutes on homework is linked to higher student achievement. If slow or struggling students are not doing their assignments, they contribute to—or cause—this "result." Teachers need to design homework that even struggling students want to do because it is interesting. Just about all students at any age level react positively to good assignments and will tell you so. Did COVID change how schools and parents view homework? Within 24 hours of the day school doors closed in March 2020, just about every school and district in the country figured out that teachers had to talk to and work with students' parents. This was not the same as homeschooling—teachers were still working hard to provide daily lessons. But if a child was learning at home in the living room, parents were more aware of what they were doing in school. One of the silver linings of COVID was that teachers reported that they gained a better understanding of their students' families. We collected wonderfully creative examples of activities from members of the National Network of Partnership Schools. I'm thinking of one art activity where every child talked with a parent about something that made their family unique. Then they drew their finding on a snowflake and returned it to share in class. In math, students talked with a parent about something the family liked so much that they could represent it 100 times. Conversations about schoolwork at home was the point. How did you create so many homework activities via the Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork program? We had several projects with educators to help them design interactive assignments, not just "do the next three examples on page 38." Teachers worked in teams to create TIPS activities, and then we turned their work into a standard TIPS format in math, reading/language arts, and science for grades K-8. Any teacher can use or adapt our prototypes to match their curricula. Overall, we know that if future teachers and practicing educators were prepared to design homework assignments to meet specific purposes—including but not limited to interactive activities—more students would benefit from the important experience of doing their homework. And more parents would, indeed, be partners in education. Posted in Voices+Opinion You might also like News network. Johns Hopkins Magazine Get Email Updates Submit an Announcement Submit an Event Privacy Statement Accessibility Discover JHU About the University Schools & Divisions Academic Programs Plan a Visit my.JohnsHopkins.edu © 2024 Johns Hopkins University . All rights reserved. University Communications 3910 Keswick Rd., Suite N2600, Baltimore, MD X Facebook LinkedIn YouTube Instagram Watch CBS News Do College Athletes Have Time to Be Students? By Lynn O'Shaughnessy Updated on: February 18, 2011 / 10:56 AM EST / MoneyWatch Athletes in some sports are spending more time in uniform than they are attending classes and studying. According to the survey, the most demanding sport is Division I and II baseball , which has the longest season of any collegiate sport. Division I baseball players devote 42.1 hours a week to the sport during their season, which is 10.4 hours more than they spend on academics. Division I basketball and football players also spend more time on their sports than they do on their school work. Clearly collegiate sports is a full-time or nearly full-time job for many athletes during their seasons. Here is a run down of how much time athletes are spending on various sports each week in season: Division I Men Baseball 42.1 Basketball 39.2 Football (FBS) 43.3 Football (FCS) 41.6 Other sports 32.0 Division II Men Baseball 39.0 Basketball 37.7 Football 37.5 Other sports 31.3 Division III Men Baseball 34.8 Basketball 30.8 Football 33.1 Other sports 29.2 Division I Women Basketball 37.6 Other sports 33.3 Division II Women Basketball 34.2 Other sports 31.7 Division III Women Basketball 29.8 Other sports 28.9 Enough is Enough Among Division I men, FBS football players (23%) were the most likely to wish they could get a break from their sports. Strangely enough, the vast majority of male baseball players and basketball players don't seem unhappy with the long hours. Only 18% of Division I baseball players and 10% of Division II baseball players wish they didn't have to spend so much time on the diamond. Athletes in Division III , which are generally smaller private schools, expressed the most satisfaction with their athletic load. Bottom Line: If you really want your child to win an athletic scholarship, maybe you should rethink this dream. Do you want your son or daughter to be a college student or an employee of the athletic department? Lynn O'Shaughnessy is the author of The College Solution and she also writes for TheCollegeSolutionBlog . College athletes image by ohad. CC 2.0. More on CBS MoneyWatch: View all articles by Lynn O'Shaughnessy on CBS MoneyWatch» Lynn O'Shaughnessy is a best-selling author, consultant and speaker on issues that parents with college-bound teenagers face. She explains how families can make college more affordable through her website TheCollegeSolution.com ; her financial workbook, Shrinking the Cost of College ; and the new second edition of her Amazon best-selling book, The College Solution: A Guide for Everyone Looking for the Right School at the Right Price . More from CBS News Along with Stanford news and stories, show me: Student information Faculty/Staff information We want to provide announcements, events, leadership messages and resources that are relevant to you. Your selection is stored in a browser cookie which you can remove at any time using “Clear all personalization” below. Education scholar Denise Pope has found that too much homework has negative effects on student well-being and behavioral engagement. (Image credit: L.A. Cicero) A Stanford researcher found that too much homework can negatively affect kids, especially their lives away from school, where family, friends and activities matter. “Our findings on the effects of homework challenge the traditional assumption that homework is inherently good,” wrote Denise Pope , a senior lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Education and a co-author of a study published in the Journal of Experimental Education . The researchers used survey data to examine perceptions about homework, student well-being and behavioral engagement in a sample of 4,317 students from 10 high-performing high schools in upper-middle-class California communities. Along with the survey data, Pope and her colleagues used open-ended answers to explore the students’ views on homework. Median household income exceeded $90,000 in these communities, and 93 percent of the students went on to college, either two-year or four-year. Students in these schools average about 3.1 hours of homework each night. “The findings address how current homework practices in privileged, high-performing schools sustain students’ advantage in competitive climates yet hinder learning, full engagement and well-being,” Pope wrote. Pope and her colleagues found that too much homework can diminish its effectiveness and even be counterproductive. They cite prior research indicating that homework benefits plateau at about two hours per night, and that 90 minutes to two and a half hours is optimal for high school. Their study found that too much homework is associated with: * Greater stress: 56 percent of the students considered homework a primary source of stress, according to the survey data. Forty-three percent viewed tests as a primary stressor, while 33 percent put the pressure to get good grades in that category. Less than 1 percent of the students said homework was not a stressor. * Reductions in health: In their open-ended answers, many students said their homework load led to sleep deprivation and other health problems. The researchers asked students whether they experienced health issues such as headaches, exhaustion, sleep deprivation, weight loss and stomach problems. * Less time for friends, family and extracurricular pursuits: Both the survey data and student responses indicate that spending too much time on homework meant that students were “not meeting their developmental needs or cultivating other critical life skills,” according to the researchers. Students were more likely to drop activities, not see friends or family, and not pursue hobbies they enjoy. A balancing act The results offer empirical evidence that many students struggle to find balance between homework, extracurricular activities and social time, the researchers said. Many students felt forced or obligated to choose homework over developing other talents or skills. Also, there was no relationship between the time spent on homework and how much the student enjoyed it. The research quoted students as saying they often do homework they see as “pointless” or “mindless” in order to keep their grades up. “This kind of busy work, by its very nature, discourages learning and instead promotes doing homework simply to get points,” Pope said. She said the research calls into question the value of assigning large amounts of homework in high-performing schools. Homework should not be simply assigned as a routine practice, she said. “Rather, any homework assigned should have a purpose and benefit, and it should be designed to cultivate learning and development,” wrote Pope. High-performing paradox In places where students attend high-performing schools, too much homework can reduce their time to foster skills in the area of personal responsibility, the researchers concluded. “Young people are spending more time alone,” they wrote, “which means less time for family and fewer opportunities to engage in their communities.” Student perspectives The researchers say that while their open-ended or “self-reporting” methodology to gauge student concerns about homework may have limitations – some might regard it as an opportunity for “typical adolescent complaining” – it was important to learn firsthand what the students believe. The paper was co-authored by Mollie Galloway from Lewis and Clark College and Jerusha Conner from Villanova University. Media Contacts Denise Pope, Stanford Graduate School of Education: (650) 725-7412, [email protected] Clifton B. Parker, Stanford News Service: (650) 725-0224, [email protected] Homework Is Invading Our Free Time Lili Stevens , Arts & Entertainment Editor | November 21, 2019 When I came up with the idea of writing this article, I was hoping to hear about the fun and exciting things my peers do during their off periods. What I really found out was that most kids just do homework. This raises the question: are students procrastinating their homework and waiting to do it during their off periods, or do they simply have too much homework and too little time?  I’d like to bring to light the homework issue present in high schools across the nation. If you ask any high schooler about their homework situation, it’s likely that you’ll receive an exasperated sigh and maybe an eye roll. They’re over it. It feels like teachers don’t understand that students have five or six other classes with teachers that all assign around the same amount of homework each night. This leads to students being responsible for up to five hours of homework a night. This doesn’t even take into account the time consumed by students’ extracurriculars, jobs, and family responsibilities. When you add u p all of these commitments, it’s understandable that students feel overworked. America seems to have one of the biggest problems surrounding homework when compared with other nations. On average, U.S. students spend 6.1 hours doing homework each week, according to the World Atlas. Tied to that, America’s mental health crisis has become an epidemic. According to a study by Stanford University, 56 percent of students consider homework a primary source of stress. Students also reported that their homework levels resulted in sleep deprivation and other health problems. The study also reported that “students were not meeting their developmental needs…  and were more likely to drop activities” among other negative consequences. Overall, it seems that homework is leading to an increase in stress and anxiety, more time alone and less physical activities among young Americans How do we solve this? To combat workload stress, some countries, such as Finland, have cut down on homework amounts and added time for recess, while other countries, such as Italy, end school at lunchtime, according to Oxfordlearning.com. I can’t claim to have found one perfect solution. However, I do see a concerning rise  in the amount of homework and general school work American students have been given, and a fall in the amount of time they are allotted to complete them  Potentially, teachers could hand out surveys similar to the beginning-of-the-year surveys some use to learn more about their student’s learning styles halfway through the semester to learn about the amount of time students are taking with all of their homework combined and make adjustments based on this feedback. mental health student survey Comments (18) Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * No name • Jul 15, 2024 at 2:28 am the disadvantage of homework is that the homework will take away a child’s free time at home. Students will receive more homework when they advance to higher levels of studies. If this happens, students must finish the homework and hand it in before the deadline. If there is a deadline, it will the students to stress about finishing the homework before the deadline, which will result in them losing quality time at home. Jay • Apr 14, 2023 at 6:18 am homework should be ban for all students in the U.S Its really annoying and takes up our time Boston • Sep 20, 2023 at 6:13 am Mason • May 10, 2024 at 7:42 am MORGZ • Jan 17, 2023 at 7:34 pm i hate homework Rocha • Jan 10, 2023 at 1:01 pm I’m doing an argument that kids should have less homework. I.P freely • Aug 11, 2022 at 9:45 pm doing a debate on this topic waaaaa onions have layers Hugh • May 18, 2022 at 11:54 pm Funny I’m doing homework about banning homework Inleak • Mar 9, 2022 at 12:51 pm I hate homework 🙁 🙁 🙁 Bridget • Feb 2, 2022 at 5:04 pm funny im doing a thing to say homework is bad for homework Tea' richardson • Feb 12, 2022 at 2:51 pm D Hill on • Mar 9, 2022 at 12:47 pm mountain lakes Gabriel Ramirez • May 2, 2022 at 11:46 am collin • Jan 13, 2022 at 10:20 am homework is stupid and i think it should be banned from the U.S Eleni • May 13, 2021 at 9:00 am I HATE HOMEWORK Boston • Sep 20, 2023 at 6:12 am Asit • Apr 14, 2021 at 8:30 am Give. Me homework. gauge • Apr 8, 2022 at 1:23 pm September 15 Summer 2024 in review September 14 For the long run September 13 Stereotyping ethnicities is counterproductive September 12 Future and Metro Boomin’s ‘We Don’t Trust You’ tour proves the duo deserve their flowers September 10 MVHS hosts Back to School Night September 9 Girls Volleyball defeats Piedmont Hills High School 3-0 September 8 Varsity Football defeats James Lick 41-0 September 4 ‘CRAZY’ falls flat with a tepid, tame delivery September 3 The rise of Vallco September 3 Are you proud of yourself? September 2 Raising the rally bar September 2 Football dominates Andrew Hill High School 40-0 in its first game of the season September 1 Cupertino residents rally behind “We deserve better” September 1 Mandatory implementation of Ethnic Studies delayed until 2025-2026 August 31 Chartreuse is the new red, white and blue Using homework as an excuse to avoid family time H omework: it’s accepted as an integral part of school life, going as far back as kindergarten for many people. Piles of papers stacked on students’ desks, keyboards poised underneath their fingertips, hours worth of assignments waiting for them — under these circumstances, g etting fewer than five hours of sleep per night isn’t unusual. A 2014 Stanford University survey of 4,317 students from 10 high-performing high schools in California revealed that the average student is assigned over three hours of homework on a typical night. It also showed increased amounts of homework led to greater stress and less family time. While it’s obvious that more homework means less time to do other things, the interesting aspect isn’t the survey results — it’s the reasoning behind it. Homework is used as a reason and an excuse. Students with too much homework take what little family time they have and further lessen it. Because of homework, students have less time to spend with their families and yet,the excuse “I can’t, I have too much homework” is commonly used to avoid family time. In a part of the country where high tech companies such as Apple and Google flourish, expectations rise each year for the students in Bay Area schools. Because of outside perception of the Bay Area’s reputation and parents wanting their children to lead privileged lives, academics have taken over much of the family life. “Before high school,whenever [my parents] talked to me, it was mainly about what I dreamed of doing,” senior Christine Chyu said. “But the moment I entered high school, everything was about GPA and standardized tests.” Chyu feels like her relationship with her parents has become more distant.   “My mom comes home at around 6 p.m.,” Chyu said, “and then we talk about stuff like ‘what do you want to eat for dinner tonight?’ but then she also asks about how I’m doing in my classes, and ‘how do you think you did on your ACT?’” The discussion then shifts to college applications. These questions continue until it’s time for Chyu to go to bed. While Chyu uses homework as an excuse to stop these conversations, freshman Rukmini Banerjee uses homework as an excuse to procrastinate, choosing to spend more time with her family. Banerjee knows that it can be exhausting to answer questions about grades and the like. Though she brushes off school-related questions and ignores her parents’ urging her to manage her time more efficiently, Banerjee takes every opportunity that her family offers to get out of doing her homework, choosing instead to go hiking with them or out to dinner. Other times, her dad will sit by her and they’ll watch the news. It is natural for parents to ask about school because it takes up so much of their children’s lives, but it takes away from the quality of conversations when academics become the only topic. “When parents interfere with their children’s homework activities… or are over-controlling,” said Richard Walker, an associate professor of educational psychology at the University of Sydney. “Parental involvement in homework can have detrimental effects on achievement outcomes.” Chyu and Banerjee just reply with generic answers to their parents’ questions instead of initiating more practical conversations because they know the topic will eventually shift to academics. Cathy Vatterott, an education professor at the University of Missouri, St. Louis, says that homework has become so ingrained into lives beyond the classroom that teachers have more control over a student’s free time than parents do. The reasoning for this is that homework teaches responsibility, and that “intellectual pursuits hold an implied superiority over unintellectual tasks such as throwing a ball, walking a dog, riding a bike, or just hanging out.”This statement dismisses the value of leisure activity, which is just as crucial in child development as academics are. While homework may facilitate learning, seven to eight hours of a child’s day is already dedicated to learning — this is more than enough time spent on intellectual pursuits, rather than time socializing. Junior Daniel Hong doesn’t spend much time with dad, who comes home late after work, but when his dad makes an effort to spend time with his family on weekends, Hong frequently chooses not to, citing homework and sports injuries. “I have a little regret, maybe I should have been closer to my family,” Hong said. “[When we don’t go out on weekends], [he gets] really disappointed.” Hong’s mom frequently requests that he finish his homework earlier so that  he doesn’t have to tell his dad ‘I have homework so I can’t hang out with you.’ Homework has become so predominant in student’s lives that although it is meant to help them do well in school, it instead has taken over family life to an extent at which it’s hurting students’ relationships with their parents. But despite the pressure students have from homework, it cannot be fully blamed in this situation because there are some who consciously choose not to spend time with family. Parents may mean well by realizing the importance of school and turning it into the most discussed topic in the household. Even so, discussing about academics has become a way for parents to keep in check with their kids’ lives. Unfortunately, their intentions are often misunderstood. Once parents bring up the topic of homework, students close themselves off for fear of being reprimanded for being unfocused or simply because it’s a redundant talk. . “If we joke around, then I’m closer with my mom,” said Chyu. “But if I ever bring up my own thoughts, she’d probably shut it down, saying that it’s useless to think about other stuff, just do what you’re told and you’ll be fine.” Although spending time with family is important, its purpose is defeated it continues to revolve around school, or worse — cause as much stress as school does. Conversing with family may be stressful, but the majority of the time, family members are only concerned about our well-being and want the best for us. Using homework as an excuse not to participate in family time would mean losing out on these valuable experiences. Additional reporting by Krishna Sunder. 108 IMAGES Infographic: Time spent on homework Why Athletes Shouldn't Have as Much Homework by Greg Carpenter on Prezi Homework Does Not Teach Responsibility Athletes should be given more flexibility with homework deadlines How Much Homework Should Kids Have? 10 Homework Benefits (Purpose & Facts) VIDEO How To Take Time Away From Your Opponent (Tennis Strategy Explained) Take time away from social media and spend time with god it’s healthy to take time away from the everything and focus on what’s going benefit you Johnny Does Homework With Anthony/Grounded Life's Too Short by Austins Bridge How Professional And High School Programs Keep Athletes Safe In Extreme Heat COMMENTS Student athletes can't escape homework struggle. Does it matter? Less than 15 percent of students had what was deemed heavy daily homework, even as 17-year-olds. His own daughter is a student athlete — better organized than he ever was, Pondiscio says. George Laase, baseball coach at Robert E. Lee High School, isn't sure that athletes are dealing with any more assignments at home than previous generations. Homework or Personal Lives? At Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, 16 out of 19 of the students in Fire Stream agreed that homework adds extra stress onto them or takes time away from other things that they're encouraged to do, such as sports, extra classes, extracurricular activities, family time, etc. This means that just over 84% of students in Fire Stream ... How are Student Athletes affected by homework? Even though homework is not going away anytime soon, the incontestable role of a student athlete will only strengthen over time. Yet, the next time Air Academy students begin their homework, they should take a moment and understand that while this is a demanding task, it ultimately can make athletes be brighter individuals once they graduate. Athletes should be given more flexibility with homework deadlines This issue could be fixed if athletes had more time allowance for homework. Even with one extra day, students would be able to split their homework, and do half one night and half the next. It's a win-win situation: participate in sports, get good grades, and get a full eight hours of sleep. A lot of students participate in sports. Student-athletes balancing sports and homework: Which comes first? "If I have 45 minutes before practice to do my homework then that is when I am going to do my homework. If anything sports helps me to manage my time better," Mignogna said. Some students can find that niche between balancing academics and a sport. Some find it difficult to balance both, especially when there is a heavy workload. More than two hours of homework may be counterproductive, research A Stanford education researcher found that too much homework can negatively affect kids, especially their lives away from school, where family, friends and activities matter. "Our findings on the effects of homework challenge the traditional assumption that homework is inherently good," wrote Denise Pope, a senior lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Education and a Striking a Balance: Physical Activity, Screen-Viewing and Homework Technological developments result in an increasing proportion of homework being completed on a computer or tablet, thus, inherently increasing screen-time, with evidence indicating that during the transition to secondary school, homework time and computer use both increases [57,58]. Parents did distinguish between recreational and educational ... Homework or Extracurricular Activities? Why Some ... Homework Disrupts Family Time. Homework can also take up a significant amount of time, disrupting family time and other activities. This can be particularly challenging, especially for families with busy schedules or multiple children with different homework commitments. ... Physical activities, such as sports, can help children stay active and ... It's naive to think college athletes have time for school Early data from my ongoing research on the academic experiences of black Division I football and men's basketball players shows that they spend three times as many hours per week on athletics as ... Is Homework Too Much? Homework can impact one's social life by taking time away from being with friends and family. Students need interaction outside of school in order to have a healthy lifestyle. Managing time with sports and other extracurricular activities on top of hours of homework can lead many students to feel all types of pressures and anxiety. Juggling time: how student athletes balance academics and sports Balancing rigorous school work and intense physical activity in sports is tough even without any financial compensation, no doubt about it. Cabrini currently has 350 student athletes according to Laura Patton, associate athletic director. On average, college athletes spend two hours a day at practice, with one additional hour for prehab and rehab. Study: Time demands of D1 student-athletes are excessive The premier collegiate student-athletes essentially have two full-time jobs: student and athlete. To meet the demands of both, many Division I student-athletes end up committing nearly 60 hours to school and sports, leaving very little time for anything else. A recent exhaustive study of 44,058 student-athletes, 2,445 school administrators and ... Students spend three times longer on homework than average, survey High schoolers reported doing an average of 2.7 hours of homework per weeknight, according to a study by the Washington Post from 2018 to 2020 of over 50,000 individuals. A survey of approximately 200 Bellaire High School students revealed that some students spend over three times this number. The demographics of this survey included 34 ... Are You Down With or Done With Homework? Some schools and districts have adapted time limits rather than nix homework completely, with the 10-minute per grade rule being the standard — 10 minutes a night for first-graders, 30 minutes for third-graders, and so on. (This remedy, however, is often met with mixed results since not all students work at the same pace.) Balancing Homework and After-School Sports Here is a rundown of some of the best tips I found for parents of busy kids: Sit down with your child and make a schedule of all of your after-school commitments and figure out where homework will fit. Be creative. If time is short, it's okay to have your child study in the car or bus on the way to a practice or to start homework during lunch ... Is it time to get rid of homework? Mental health experts weigh in Emmy Kang, mental health counselor at Humantold, says studies have shown heavy workloads can be "detrimental" for students and cause a "big impact on their mental, physical and emotional health ... Does homework still have value? A Johns Hopkins education ... The necessity of homework has been a subject of debate since at least as far back as the 1890s, according to Joyce L. Epstein, co-director of the Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships at Johns Hopkins University. "It's always been the case that parents, kids—and sometimes teachers, too—wonder if this is just busy work ... Do College Athletes Have Time to Be Students? Division I basketball and football players also spend more time on their sports than they do on their school work. Clearly collegiate sports is a full-time or nearly full-time job for many ... Work and play take school time away? The impact of extracurricular and 21 Table 4 showed that extracurricular participation (not sports participation specifically) decreases homework time by 16 min while it does not affect class time. 22 The MSB is 0.9 and 1.2 for class and homework time, respectively. Stanford research shows pitfalls of homework A Stanford researcher found that too much homework can negatively affect kids, especially their lives away from school, where family, friends and activities matter. "Our findings on the effects ... Will athletics take away from my academics? Any demanding activity requiring 20 or more hours per week of your time will take away from academics. This doesn't mean your academics will suffer; it means you have to work harder, stay organized, and sacrifice sleep or other activities in order to get it all done. To encourage this, most college athletic teams have daily or weekly study ... Homework Is Invading Our Free Time Tied to that, America's mental health crisis has become an epidemic. According to a study by Stanford University, 56 percent of students consider homework a primary source of stress. Students also reported that their homework levels resulted in sleep deprivation and other health problems. The study also reported that "students were not ... Using homework as an excuse to avoid family time A 2014 Stanford University survey of 4,317 students from 10 high-performing high schools in California revealed that the average student is assigned over three hours of homework on a typical night. It also showed increased amounts of homework led to greater stress and less family time. While it's obvious that more homework means less time to ... assignment essay homework paper phd report resume review speech thesis