Use the following data to justify the amount of time that you expect to assign for weekly homework to classes in grades K–4 and grades 5–8. National Survey of Teachers Concerning the Amount of Homework Assigned per Week k-4 (percentages) 5–8 (percentages) 0–30 min 48 8 31–60 min 27 21 61–90 min 13 26 91–120 min 8 24 2–3 hr 3 17 More than 3 hr 1 5 b. How might the survey data be misused to justify assigning at least 2 hr of homework per week?
To justify the amount of time assigned for weekly homework to classes in grades K–4 and grades 5–8, we can analyze the given data from the National Survey of Teachers Concerning the Amount of Homework Assigned per Week. The data is presented in the form of percentages for different time ranges of homework assigned.
For grades K–4, the data shows that:
- 48% of teachers assign 0–30 minutes of homework per week
- 27% assign 31–60 minutes
- 13% assign 61–90 minutes
- 8% assign 91–120 minutes
- 3% assign 2-3 hours
- Only 1% assign more than 3 hours
For grades 5–8, the data shows that:
- 8% of teachers assign 0–30 minutes of homework per week
- 21% assign 31–60 minutes
- 26% assign 61–90 minutes
- 24% assign 91–120 minutes
- 17% assign 2-3 hours
- 5% assign more than 3 hours
Now, let's consider how the survey data could be misused to justify assigning at least 2 hours of homework per week:
Misusing the data might involve selectively focusing on the higher percentages in each time range for both grade levels. One could highlight that:
- 3% of K–4 teachers assign 2-3 hours of homework
- 17% of grades 5–8 teachers assign 2-3 hours
- 1% of K–4 teachers assign more than 3 hours
- 5% of grades 5–8 teachers assign more than 3 hours
By emphasizing these percentages, someone could argue that a significant number of teachers already assign 2 hours or more of homework per week. However, it is important to note that the majority of teachers assign less than 2 hours of homework in both grade levels.
To form a fair and unbiased justification for assigning homework, it is crucial to consider all the data and percentages, rather than selectively focusing on certain categories. The data shows that the majority of teachers assign less than 2 hours of homework, indicating that this is the norm. Misusing the data in this context could potentially lead to an unfair workload for students and negatively affect their overall well-being and academic performance.