The Hidden/Not-So-Hidden Fears of Middle School Students
Middle school age children face their own unique emotional challenges
Post published by Jeffrey Bernstein Ph.D. on Feb 20, 2014 in Liking the Child You Love
Tweens often feel torn by increasing academic and peer-related pressures. Short of keeping your
child in a plastic bubble (nice fantasy!) you have to face the realities of your middle schooler
having unique challenges. While you can't stop external pressures from impacting your child,
your mindfulness and empathy of his or her struggles can be a soothing comfort to your child.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, research shows that approximately ten
percent of all youth experience anxiety disorders and most go untreated. This statistic does not
account for the even higher number of children and teens who struggle with everyday fears and
yet do not actually have a mental health disorder. The more you are aware and continually
mindful of possible fears in your tween, the more you can help him or her. Below is a list of
representative fears of middle school students:
• Anxiety about their social status as perceived by peers.
• Anxiety about their social status as perceived by themselves.
• Struggling with body image insecurities (fear of not looking good enough or an aspect of their
physical self detracting from their overall looks).
• Concerns that “Nobody really understands me.”
• Fear of not pleasing their parents (for obvious reasons, this one is seldom admitted, yet it is
highly common.)
• Fear of not measuring up to their own expectations.
• Fear that their parents may find about negative behaviors they may have engaged in or are
tempted to engage in (e.g., drugs, casual sexual activities,)
• Hypervigilant concerns about the larger world community, they may also have global fears
such as a fear of war or violence.
Remember that you were young once. The more that you can put yourself in your child's shoes
and stay aware of his or her middle school challenges, the more you can offer nonjudgemental
listening and empathy. Always to remember to encourage your tween to know his or value. The
more you value him or her, the more he or she will feel empowered to successfully manage these
challenges.
Dr. Jeffrey Bernstein is a psychologist with over twenty-two years’ experience specializing in
child, adolescent, couples, and family therapy. He holds a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from
the State University of New York at Albany and completed his post doctoral internship at the
University of Pennsylvania Counseling Center. He has appeared twice on the Today Show,
Court TV as an expert advisor, CBS eyewitness news Philadelphia, 10! Philadelphia—NBC and
public radio. Dr. Bernstein has authored four books, including the highly popular 10 Days to a
Less Defiant Child(link is external) (Perseus Books, 2006), 10 Days to Less Distracted Child
(Perseus Books 2007), Liking the Child You Love (Perseus Books 2009) and Why Can’t You
Read My Mind? (Perseus Books 2003).
7th Grade Social Changes: What To Expect
The beginning of the teenage years is a confusing time for many adolescents—and for parents
trying to understand their behavior.
by Patti Ghezzi
To get an idea of the 7th grader’s mindset, take a look at his backpack, if you dare. Chances are
it’s a disorganized mess of papers, books, headphones, and half-eaten bags of chips.
“It’s all part of the 7th grade package,” says Susan Rakow, an assistant professor of education at
Cleveland State University and a veteran 7th grade teacher.
Grade 7 is a transitional time when kids are leaving their childhood behind and looking ahead to
high school. Their lives are changing, their bodies are changing, and keeping their math
homework in the correct folder just isn’t a priority.
“Seventh-graders, particularly boys, face significant challenges in organization and motivation,”
Rakow says. “It’s typical of adolescence. They’re asserting their uniqueness and facing new
challenges.”
Actions Have Consequences
Students in 7th grade often spend time and energy convincing their parents to go away, but in
reality kids at this age need clear limits, meaningful consequences, and parental support. Instead,
parents sometimes take a hands-off approach in hopes that their child will become more
independent.
For parents struggling with how much to hover during homework time, Rakow offers this
advice: Let the first half of the first marking period go by without intervening unless she asks for
help. Once you get initial feedback from the school, adjust the game plan accordingly. If her
grades in math are terrible, Rakow suggests, you can say “I need to see your math homework
every night before you put it in your backpack.”
If that doesn’t happen, “then have consequences,” she says. “Real ones.” For example, you could
take away your child’s video games until her grades come up or restrict access to television, the
computer, or her cell phone.
It’s important that parents make good on their threats of punishment. If you tell your 7th grader
you’re going to ground her if you get another report saying she isn’t doing her homework, then
you need to ground her.
“Our lives are so busy, we don’t follow through on consequences,” Rakow says. “The kids find
out we’re full of baloney.”
Another shift that continues from 5th and 6th grades is the need for kids to gain approval from
peers rather than adults. They are no longer motivated to do well in school because they want to
please their teachers or their parents. They want to gain favor among their peers. Girls who have
always been good at math may get the message that it’s cooler to be dumb in class than to be the
student who always has the right answer.
They are searching for meaning in their lives but often find school assignments void of meaning.
“They question us and say ‘Why do I have to do this?’ and we say ‘Because you’ll need to know
it later when you’re in the real world,’ ” Rakow says.
Like so many parental retorts, that doesn’t cut it. “They live in an immediate, self-involved
place,” she says. A 7th grader responds better to a reply such as “Because if you don’t learn it
and your grade drops, you are going to be grounded every Saturday night for a month.”
The hardest part about having a 7th grader is that their behavior can be confusing. One minute
you’re talking about current events and your child seems like an adult; the next, he’s stomping
away and throwing a temper tantrum, Rakow says. That’s why it’s so important for parents not to
let discipline issues slide: “It goes from being a stage to being their behavior.”
Time for Exploration
Another issue parents face with their 7th grader is conflict over activities. Your child may want
to play a sport as well as an instrument and remain active in a youth group, running her parents
ragged. Or she may want to drop piano lessons in favor of soccer.
“It’s a very exploratory time of life,” Rakow says. “In many cases, the child has a lot of
interests.”
Rakow recommends allowing your child to explore several activities if he wants to, knowing that
by high school his interests will have narrowed. “If you really think they’re making a poor
choice, you negotiate,” she says. For example, you may be able to convince your child to stick
with piano lessons for one more year if you promise to let him drop the activity without a guilt
trip if he still wants to at the end of that time.
Even as your child is busy juggling more activities and subjects than ever before, he may have
little to say. You ask how school was: “Fine.” You ask what he did: “Nothing.”
“Too often, the parents give up and don’t pursue it,” Rakow says. She prefers a play-by-play
approach: What did you do in first period? Second period? At lunch?
Once your child tires of this interrogation, he might just open up and give you a few more details
the first time you ask “How was school?”
The 7th grader can test a parent’s patience, but the key is to not surrender. Once they learn it’s
not OK to quit doing their homework, to stop working hard in school, to demand a cell phone
only to never answer it when a parent calls, and to mumble one-word responses to their parents,
they’ll realize it’s useless to push back.
And then, don’t be surprised if out of nowhere you get a glimpse of the fantastic teenager your
child is turning into. “When a child is well-parented in middle school,” Rakow says, “I find that
they rise to the occasion.”
For more information, read “7th Grade Academics: What To Expect”
Journalist Patti Ghezzi covered education and schools for 10 years for the Atlanta JournalConstitution. She lives in Avondale Estates, Ga., with her family, which includes husband Jason,
daughter Celia, and geriatric mutt Albany.
http://www.schoolfamily.com/school-family-articles/article/10627-seventh-grade-socialchanges-what-to-expect
Let Them Sleep: AAP Recommends Delaying Start Times of Middle and High Schools to
Combat Teen Sleep Deprivation
8/25/2014
For Release: August 25, 2014
Studies show that adolescents who don’t get enough sleep often suffer physical and mental
health problems, an increased risk of automobile accidents and a decline in academic
performance. But getting enough sleep each night can be hard for teens whose natural sleep
cycles make it difficult for them to fall asleep before 11 p.m. – and who face a first-period class
at 7:30 a.m. or earlier the next day.
In a new policy statement published online Aug. 25, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
recommends middle and high schools delay the start of class to 8:30 a.m. or later. Doing so will
align school schedules to the biological sleep rhythms of adolescents, whose sleep-wake cycles
begin to shift up to two hours later at the start of puberty.
“Chronic sleep loss in children and adolescents is one of the most common – and easily fixable –
public health issues in the U.S. today,” said pediatrician Judith Owens, MD, FAAP, lead author
of the policy statement, “School Start Times for Adolescents,” published in the September 2014
issue of Pediatrics.
“The research is clear that adolescents who get enough sleep have a reduced risk of being
overweight or suffering depression, are less likely to be involved in automobile accidents, and
have better grades, higher standardized test scores and an overall better quality of life,” Dr.
Owens said. “Studies have shown that delaying early school start times is one key factor that can
help adolescents get the sleep they need to grow and learn.”
Many studies have documented that the average adolescent in the U.S. is chronically sleepdeprived and pathologically sleepy. A National Sleep Foundation poll found 59 percent of 6th
through 8th graders and 87 percent of high school students in the U.S. were getting less than the
recommended 8.5 to 9.5 hours of sleep on school nights.
The policy statement is accompanied by a technical report, “Insufficient Sleep in Adolescents
and Young Adults: An Update on Causes and Consequences,” also published online Aug. 25.
The technical report updates a prior report on excessive sleepiness among adolescents that was
published in 2005.
The reasons for teens’ lack of sleep are complex, and include homework, extracurricular
activities, after-school jobs and use of technology that can keep them up late on week nights. The
AAP recommends pediatricians counsel teens and parents about healthy sleep habits, including
enforcing a media curfew. The AAP also advises health care professionals to educate parents,
educators, athletic coaches and other stakeholders about the biological and environmental factors
that contribute to insufficient sleep.
But the evidence strongly suggests that a too-early start to the school day is a critical contributor
to chronic sleep deprivation among American adolescents. An estimated 40 percent of high
schools in the U.S. currently have a start time before 8 a.m.; only 15 percent start at 8:30 a.m. or
later. The median middle school start time is 8 a.m., and more than 20 percent of middle schools
start at 7:45 a.m. or earlier.
Napping, extending sleep on weekends, and caffeine consumption can temporarily counteract
sleepiness, but they do not restore optimal alertness and are not a substitute for regular, sufficient
sleep, according to the AAP.
The AAP urges middle and high schools to aim for start times that allow students to receive 8.5
to 9.5 hours of sleep a night. In most cases, this will mean a school start time of 8:30 a.m. or
later, though schools should also consider average commuting times and other local factors.
“The AAP is making a definitive and powerful statement about the importance of sleep to the
health, safety, performance and well-being of our nation's youth,” Dr. Owens said. “By
advocating for later school start times for middle and high school students, the AAP is both
promoting the compelling scientific evidence that supports school start time delay as an
important public health measure, and providing support and encouragement to those school
districts around the country contemplating that change.”
###
The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 62,000 primary care pediatricians,
pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety
and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information,
visit www.aap.org.
Understanding Middle School Friendships
For many girls, middle school becomes a pressure cooker filled with power struggles,
conflicting impulses, physical growth and strong emotions. At the same time, middle school girls
develop deep and close friendships, separating from their families and forming their own
rewarding social universes. Here’s how one 15yearold remembers middle school: “In sixth grade
I went to a new school. I was really eager to make new friends but keep my old ones. But in a
matter of weeks, my former best friend was spreading rumors about me, having her friends pass
me notes saying she hated me — someone even wrote something mean in my locker. I didn’t tell
the teachers and I begged my parents not to say anything. Finally, after a few months we talked
about it and figured it out. But it was pretty weird for a long time.” Middle school can be
challenging, but that doesn’t mean it has to be. “One of the best things you can do for your
daughter is not to assume she or other girls are, by nature, overdramatic, mean, or gossipy,” says
Lyn Mikel Brown. “Expectations matter — ask any good educator. Avoid ‘girls will be girls’ or
‘girls are so mean to each other’ messages. Appreciate and support your daughter’s best
impulses, praise her when she takes risks, especially if they involve going against the social tide,
support her individuality, and downplay concerns about what other people think. Encourage her
to be friends with a wide spectrum of people (without forcing the issue), and always, always
assume the best — so will she.” There’s a lot that’s cool about middle school. While much is
written about mean girls, it’s important for parents to realize how much fun this time can be
socially for their daughters. “In sixth and seventh grades, girls get excited about becoming
preteens and having their own world,” says Catherine SteinerAdair. “It’s a time when they
develop their own set of interests and begin to think about the world around them.” The nature of
friendship changes in middle school. At this stage, when girls get together what they mostly do is
talk. They talk in person about music and clothes and boys — and then they talk online. “Parents
get frustrated because they don’t get to hear their daughters talk the way they did when they were
in elementary school,” notes Michael Thompson. “But we need to find ways to connect with our
children other than being part of their social lives.” The media set the tone for middle school.
Girls this age are thrilled that they are about to become teenagers. “There is a whole cultural
pulse that taps into what they are thinking and feeling, and (like it or not) it’s really irresistible,”
notes Steiner Adair. Girls live their lives online, doing homework, watching TV, and talking to
friends simultaneously. While they can use the Internet in wonderful ways, they can sometimes
use it to flame and shame each other, spread vicious rumors, and post malicious information
behind girls’ backs. Hormones can affect behavior in middle school. It’s hard to be a girl at this
age and stage. “Hormones make many girls feel edgy, crabby, cranky, and teary,” notes Steiner Adair. “Everyone’s bodies are developing and changing at different rates and this often makes
girls feel uncomfortable with their own.” Raging hormones and interest in boys can also disrupt
the existing social order. “When boys hit the scene it can be tough to sort out just how to interact
in the same old way with girlfriends,” adds Meg White. “By the time your daughter is 10 or 11,
it’s time to open a conversation about sex and boys, but I recommend parents back off from too
much boy talk. When your daughter mentions a boy, don’t immediately jump to the possible
attraction between them. It might or might not be there.” The social hierarchy intensifies in
middle school. Cliques get cliqueier, the need to be in power intensifies, and girls can get meaner
— and much of this behavior stems from the intense desire to belong, the need to feel powerful,
and the conditioning that many girls have to not express their feelings directly. Some girls
function as leaders, others as followers, and the rest live outside the groups. Some of these girls
don’t care, while others desperately want to belong. But there is hope: “By eighth grade, in a
certain sense, girls are done being mean to each other. They now are collectively ready to focus
their attention towards sex — even if they’re not ready to fully act upon it,” says Thompson.
3/9/2015 Understanding Middle School Friendships. School & Social Life. Raising Girls.
Parenting | PBS Parents http://www.pbs.org/parents/parenting/raisinggirls/friendssociallife/understandingmiddleschoolfriendships/ 3/6
What Stresses You Out About School?
A new school year is exciting. There's that wonderful feeling of making a fresh start, catching up
with old friends, and making progress by moving up a grade. But there's no denying that it can
be stressful too.
What's Worrying You
If you find yourself preparing for school by hoping for the best and imagining the worst, you're
not alone. Here's what we heard from 600 people who took our survey on back-to-school
worries.
One third said they worry most about schoolwork. No surprise there. You'll be studying more
advanced material, so it's natural to worry about whether you'll do OK.
But not everyone said schoolwork was their biggest worry. Just as many people said they
worry most about social issues like fitting in, having friends, being judged, or being
teased. Since social life is such a big part of school, it's not a shock that social issues are the
biggest worry for some people.
Besides schoolwork and social stuff, another category ranked high on the worry
list: appearance. One-fourth of the people who responded to our survey said appearance issues
worried them most of all. If this is you, you've got plenty of company.
Kimberly, 14, told us, "I'm happy about going back to school — I'm bored stiff here! But I'm
worried about reputation, teasing, failing, and being a nerd."
So we asked people to tell us how they plan to cope with the things that worry them most, and
whether they have advice for others. You can see what they said on the following pages.
Managing Worries About Schoolwork
Rachel, 15, told us, "I'm kinda hard on myself, like I feel really bad if I don't have a 4.0 grade
average."
Lots of people are hard on themselves, but worrying can just add to the pressure. Casey, 15,
offered this advice: "Stressing too much about it doesn't get you anywhere. It's good to be
concerned about your work, but you have to act on that."
Here are some of the plans you have for coping with schoolwork:
Zach, 18, said, "Better time management. I need to stop talking with the social butterflies and get
to work!"
Michael, 16, plans to "come home, take a quick break, and then get started on my work straight
away. Procrastination only brings frustration!"
Katie, 17, offered this advice: "To avoid trouble, do homework as soon as possible and at least
start projects the day you get them."
Finding the Right Balance — and Support
Fallon, 16, said, "Finding time for everything is going to be a challenge!"
Daniel, 14, agreed. "I play sports so I have to keep my grades up to play." How does he keep the
balance? "Work really hard and lean on my parents for lots of support. If you have parents
around that actually take an interest in you, take advantage of that and let them be there for you."
Relying on other people for support and advice can help balance all the pressures school can
bring.
Claire, 15, depends on her brother. "He is 18 and has been through it."
Dana, 14, advised, "Use the guidance counselor. That's why they are there."
Chelsea, 16, said her teachers were a big help when she was trying to catch up in school: "Since I
asked for help I've felt more relaxed and more normal so that now it doesn't bother me as much
as it did."
Balancing school with life's other demands means staying healthy. Lots of people told us their
goal for the school year is to eat well, get plenty of exercise, and lots of sleep so they'll be
primed to succeed.
Managing Social Pressures and Problems
When it comes to the social scene, making new friends is one of the biggest worries people
mentioned. Lots of people said that friends would be in different classes or even at different
schools.
Jessie, 15, said, "I'm going to try to make new friends and talk more. Don't worry about being
awkward because others are too. Lots of people are good at being cool, but they are insecure
too."
Finding a safe, welcoming group is a great foundation for dealing with the ups and downs of
school. Jessie's advice: "It's important to have your own little or big group that you can hang out
with."
Lolo, 14, explained how "My best friend left last year, and I'm worried about who I'll hang out
with." Her strategy is: "Don't hang out with anyone who has a good social image but who is
mean. Try to find someone who will really be your friend."
Lots of people are concerned about drifting apart from friends and breaking away from existing
friendships to start new ones.
Jen, 16, told us, "I have not talked to my best friends all summer. I don't want to be their friend
anymore, but they don't get that."
Leanna, 14, said, "I am stressed about the groups and who I am going to sit with because I have
different friends in different groups."
Tim, 14, worried about "making new friends without ex-friends spreading rumors."
Brittany, 15, who worried about dealing with "rude old friends" offered this advice: "Be nice to
everyone. You never know who you may need help from in the future."
And Amina, 14, said, "There are these really jealous girls and they are always stressing me out."
She found that just being nice to them can make a lot of difference: "They will be amazed at how
you treat them and maybe loosen up some."
Using kindness to stop meanness in its tracks is one good way to deal. Jessica, 16, has another
strategy for coping with rude people: "I just ignore them. It drives them crazy when you don't act
or seem like you care about anything they have to say."
Some of you worry that the things you did in the past will influence how people see you now.
Tina, 15, told us, "My best friend and I were in a car accident last year when we decided to go to
a party instead of school. So I am worried that my peers and teachers will think that I am
irresponsible because of that incident."
Amanda, 14, said her way of dealing with rumors and gossip is "to hold my head up high, smile,
and try to create a new reputation for myself. Change the negatives into positives!"
Looking Good
How we feel about the way we look is closely tied to social issues, feeling comfortable, and
being accepted.
Codi, 14, said, "I am not usually a shy person, but starting high school in a new school is scary. I
don't know anyone other than those on my soccer team. I am afraid that once they see me out of
my soccer clothes and in my skater cut-up clothes they won't want to talk to me."
"At my old school, I was the most popular girl," said Emily, 14. "Now I'm starting to get acne
and developing." Dealing with body changes is a big issue for lots of people.
It's natural to worry about appearance, but most people said they try to keep things in
perspective.
Casey, 14, said, "A year from now, will what you worried about really be a big deal? Other stuff
is going to happen."
Lots of you recommend getting the support of a friend, parent, or counselor when you're feeling
down about your appearance.
Keisha, 15, said, "Don't worry about it so much. And when your family and friends say you look
great, accept the compliment, because it's true!"
Mickie, 14, told us she has no worries about starting school, but she does have this advice for
looking good on the first day: "Wear clothes that fit your style. Don't wear something that makes
you look like a poser."
And Lia, 14, reminds us, "If you're worried about your clothes and how you look, just remember
that it's what's on the inside that matters."
We couldn't agree more.
http://kidshealth.org/PageManager.jsp?dn=KidsHealth&lic=1&ps=207&cat
Teens More Stressed-Out Than Adults, Survey Shows
BY JONEL ALECCIA
Forget the notion of carefree youth. America’s teens are every bit as stressed as the adults around
them — and sometimes even more — according to a new survey that offers a snapshot of
adolescent angst. Teens routinely say that their school year stress levels are far higher than they
think is healthy and their average reported stress exceeds that of adults, according to an annual
survey published by the American Psychological Association. The agency's Stress in America
survey found that 30 percent of teens reported feeling sad or depressed because of stress and 31
percent felt overwhelmed. Another 36 percent said that stress makes them tired and 23 percent
said they’ve skipped meals because of it. On average, teens reported their stress level was 5.8 on
10point scale, compared with 5.1 for adults. “It is alarming that the teen stress experience is so
similar to that of adults,” said Norman B. Anderson, the APA’s chief executive and senior vice
president. “In order to break this cycle of stress and unhealthy behaviors as a nation, we need to
provide teens with better support and health education, at school and at home, at the community
level and in their interactions with health care professionals.” That’s no surprise to experts who
work with teens. They say that the pressures of schoolwork, social life, sports or other activities
— combined with a relentless media culture — mean that young people may be more tense than
ever before. “You have to be able to perform at a much higher level than in the past, when I was
in high school,” said Dave Forrester, a counselor at Olympia High School in Olympia, Wash.
“We have so many choices for kids. They need to grow up a little faster about what they want to
do and how they’re going to do it.”
"What I’ve heard is without a doubt a huge increase in the number of our teens coming in with
anxiety and depression."
An increased emphasis on make-or-break school testing and sharp focus as early as middle
school on future college or career plans can be intense for some kids. Others find that the
ordinary struggles of adolescence — friendship, romance, fitting in — are magnified by social
media that doesn’t end when classes are over. “It follows them home,” said Tim Conway, who
directs the counseling department at Lakeland Regional High School in Wanaque, N.J. “There is
no escape anymore.”
Stress seems to be getting worse for some teens, according to the survey. About 31 percent of
kids said their stress level had increased in the past year, twice as many as those who said it
Survey: Teens really know how it feels to be stressed out today.
That makes sense to Bryce Goldsen, a junior at Bishop Blanchet, a Catholic high school near
Seattle. He carries a near4.0 grade point average, takes advanced placement history and language
arts classes, plays varsity tennis, participates in mock trial events and sits on the city's local
youth commission.
“Most of my stress comes from the pressure to perform well day in and day out,” he said.
Goldsen says he manages his stress well and uses it as a motivation to do even better. But
Conway, the New Jersey counselor, said that growing numbers of kids crack under the pressure.
“What I’ve heard is without a doubt a huge increase in the number of our teens coming in with
anxiety and depression,” he said. "Most of my stress comes from the pressure to perform well
day in and day out.
" Across the country, Elaine Leader, executive director of Teen Line, a hotline housed at Cedars
Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, reports a similar problem. Her 34yearold nonprofit agency
provides phone counseling and resources to stressed teens ages 13 through 19. Last year, they
fielded more than 4,600 phone calls, 4,100 emails and 15,000 texts from California and beyond.
“I’ve seen a lot of stress, particularly in the past few years,” said Leader. “I think it’s gotten
worse.” Despite the growing pressure, most teens reported they don’t believe that stress is a
problem in the agency’s Harris Interactive survey of 1,950 adults and 1,018 teens ages 13 to 17
conducted last August. About 54 percent of teens said that their stress level had slight or no
impact on their body or physical health, versus 39 percent of adults, and 52 percent said it had
little impact on their mental health, compared with 43 percent of adults who felt that way.
Parents, counselors and other adults can help young people resist stress and learn to manage it
better, said Forrester, the school counselor. They can set limits for reasonable sleep and screen
time and point their teens toward stress relieving activities, such as exercise. They can help kids
set realistic priorities for school and outside activities. “We talk to them about balance. How do
you balance what you have on your plate?” he said. “Maybe you don’t need to do three sports.”
Of course, that means that the adults have to take stress seriously, too. The new survey found that
42 percent of adults said their stress level has increased, and 36 percent said it held steady for the
past five years. And when it comes to managing their stress, 1 in 10 adults said they don’t do
anything about it at all.
First published February 11th 2014, 9:21 am
http://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/teens-more-stressed-out-adults-survey-showsn26921
Stanford Report, March 10, 2014
Stanford research shows pitfalls of homework
A Stanford researcher found that students in high-achieving communities who spend
too much time on homework experience more stress, physical health problems, a lack
of balance and even alienation from society. More than two hours of homework a night
may be counterproductive, according to the study.
By Clifton B. Parker
L.A. Cicero
Education scholar Denise Pope has found that too much homework has negative
effects on student well-being and behavioral engagement.
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 highperforming 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.
Denise Pope, Stanford Graduate School of Education: (650) 725-7412,
dpope@stanford.edu
Clifton B. Parker, Stanford News Service: (650) 725-0224, cbparker@stanford.edu