‬Although,‭ ‬reflective of the attitudes in the 1960s, homework fell out of favour with the belief that it put too much pressure on students‭ (‬Cooper‭, ‬1989‭). Yet, fast forward to 1957, the year Russia launched Sputnik‭, and ‬society became concerned that students were not ready for the advanced technologies that were creeping into modern life, leading many to start favouring homework again‭. ‬However‭, ‬come the 1940s‭ ‬where emphasis shifted from drills to problem solving‭, ‬people started to view homework negatively‭ (‬Cooper‭, ‬1989‭).

‬For example‭,‬‭ ‬in the 20th century the mind was seen as a muscle that would benefit from memorisation‭, and since this could be done at home‭, ‬homework was perceived as valuable‭. ‬ The Homework DebateĪttitudes towards the value and purpose of homework are usually reflective of the current societal stance and general sentiment towards education‭. ‬In spite of this‭, ‬attitudes towards homework are constantly changing‭, ‬culminating in‭ ‬the age old homework debate.

The setting of homework is regarded highly by many with Epstein‭ ‬&‭ ‬Van Voorhis stating that it not only reflects on the success of the student‭, ‬but also the success of the school‭ (‬2001‭). This can take many forms and is sometimes given a different name like 'home learning' or 'Independent study', but the concept of completing work outside of the classroom remains the same. At secondary level, schools set regular homework via a whole-school homework policy. Homework as a concept has been around for hundreds of years, and today is considered the norm for modern schools.

Why do we need homework