Volume of Assignments and Pupils’ Academic Performance in Private Primary Schools in Lagos State Education District V, Nigeria

Abstract

This study was motivated by the disagreement that has existed within the educational community on the benefit of homework, even as homework is assigned for academic and non-academic purposes. This research was carried out to determine the influence of the volume of assignments on pupils’ academic performance in private primary schools in Education District V of Lagos State, Nigeria. Descriptive research design was adopted to describe the influence of the volume of assignments, frequency, and time dedicated to homework on pupils’ academic performance. The study’s population comprised all approved private primary schools within the Education District V of Lagos State, while the study’s sample comprised 302 participants involving 173 pupils in primary 5 and 6, 75 of their parents and 54 of their teachers selected using a purposive sampling technique. The research instruments used were the Volume of Assignment Questionnaire for Pupils (VAQPx), Volume of Assignment Questionnaire for Parents (VAQPy), and Volume of Assignment Questionnaire for Teachers (VAQT), as well as the Promotional Examination Records (PER) of pupils in primary 5 and 6 transiting to the secondary level of education. The three hypotheses formulated for this study were tested using Pearson’s Product-Moment Correlation at a 0.05 level of significance. The results showed that there is no significant relationship between the volume of assignments and pupils’ academic performance in private primary schools (r = -0.095, p> 0.05); no significant influence of the frequency of homework on pupils’ academic performance in private primary schools (r = -0.093, p > 0.05); and no significant influence of time dedicated to homework on pupils’ academic performance in private primary schools (r = -0.114, p>0.05). The conclusion drawn in this study is that homework at primary school level does not influence positively the academic performance of the pupils and, as such, should be reduced to the bare minimum or abolished totally. It is then suggested that the kids should be allowed to be kids or given homework that is not only experimental but also fun activities, because at their level, they only want to play, have fun, and rest. The last thing a kid would want to do after "school work" is another "work" in the form of homework. Teachers are also encouraged to give assignments when necessary, like cooking, playing crossword puzzles, or watching educational television shows. These are activities that they would enjoy. Homework policies should also be formulated to guide schools on the frequency, volume, and time to be dedicated to homework.