Education experts skeptical of government's homework survey
Experts question government running another survey on homework
Education experts are questioning the merits of a public survey issued by the provincial government on homework for students from Primary to Grade 12.
The results will be used by the Nova Scotia government to design a standard homework policy across the province later this year. It is open to anyone in the community including primary school students. Questions differ based on a respondent's role.
Paul Bennett, an independent education consultant, says there is "no need for more public consultation" on the matter of homework after the government collected nearly 19,000 responses on the province's education system last year in another survey.
Those results led to the province's "action plan" to modernize education, which spurred the homework survey.
Bennett says instead of another survey, the government should turn to existing research that already shows increasing levels of homework are "essential" to reinforce learning throughout grade school.
Meaningless homework?
Robert Bérard, an education professor at Mount Saint Vincent University, says the money spent on this survey "may be something of a waste" since it's unlikely to yield the insight needed to guide policy.
He takes issue with some of the questions and the limitations of the largely multiple choice format.
Parents are asked to rate on a scale whether they agree students should have homework every day, if homework should reinforce school learning and if "homework should only be assigned when it is meaningful."
As a parent himself, Bérard finds the answer to some of those questions obvious.
"Do you want us respond, 'No no, we want meaningless, mind-numbing homework?' Of course it should be meaningful," said Bérard.
Students are asked 17 different questions, which include if they feel they are given too much homework.
Education Minister Karen Casey says she believes students will give honest answers and the questions in the survey are fair.
"When you're asking a question and you want to be able set some policy as a result of the responses you get, then it has to be clear," she said.
Casey argues that the survey is necessary so the government can expand on the work they did last year and "dive deeper" into the issue of homework.
The survey closes June 10 and Casey expects a homework policy to be in place by September of this year.