- Question
- Should homework be banned?
- Position1 of 2›
- Yes, homework should be banned
- Argument1 of 2›
Homework puts an undue amount of stress on students
Students are experiencing higher-than-ever levels of stress due to unprecedented amounts of homework. This can impact a child's attitude towards schooling and education overall.
The argument
Students are under great amounts of pressure to perform not only in class but outside of school. This stress does not help them perform or improve their studying abilities but rather increases the amount of anxiety and negative associations students have with education and information. Stress has many long-term impacts, so the skills like repetition and research that are gained from homework are often counteracted by the amount of anxiety it generates.
Premises
Counter-arguments
Stress prepares students for real-world situations, so excusing students from opportunities to practice handling stress under pressure does not prepare them for reality.
Rejecting the premises
[Rejecting P1] The premise asserts both halves of what it needs to show — that homework produces anxiety and that it does not aid learning — without evidence for either, and the research usually cited finds effects that vary sharply with the student's age and the quantity set, which points at how much homework rather than whether there is any. [Rejecting P2] Even granting the harm, the conclusion overshoots: showing that the current volume is excessive supports limiting or redesigning homework, while a ban would also remove the repetition and independent research the premise concedes it develops — a cost the argument acknowledges and then does not weigh.