½¿É«µ¼º½

The role and challenge of homework

Homework has long been contested in secondary education. Cooper et al. (2006) framed homework as a tool to consolidate learning. Dunatchik and Park (2022) highlight that time spent completing homework is rising, while Zhao et al. (2024) highlight that the associated academic gains come at the cost of wellbeing through reduced time spent on leisure. Our own research reflects this, with adolescents reporting that homework erodes autonomy and joy in their leisure (Blaszko, 2023). At the same time, teachers face unsustainable pressures: the 2018 TALIS survey found that teachers were spending over six hours a week marking (OECD, 2020), while in 2023/24, 90 per cent of teachers were considering leaving, citing workload as the main cause (NFER, 2025). Despite Department for Education (DfE, 2025) initiatives and Ofsted’s (2023) removal of homework from inspections in England, societal expectations for homework persist.

‘Despite Department for Education initiatives and Ofsted’s removal of homework from inspections in England, societal expectations for homework persist.’

Potential of AI to rebalance

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to alleviate teachers’ workload pressures by streamlining administrative and accountability-related tasks that often dominate the profession. Quickfall and Wood (2024) raise concerns about the increasing workload pressures faced by teachers. However, large-scale studies show automated writing evaluation can improve efficiency and learning outcomes: Weegar and Idestam-Almquist (2024) demonstrated that AI-assisted grading reduced marking time by up to 74 per cent; Huang et al. (2025) found measurable improvements in performance for more than 300,000 students; while Henkel et al. (2024) reported GPT-4 achieved near human-standard in marking. These findings suggest that AI can relieve the workload of marking, freeing teachers to focus on other meaningful tasks such as effective and engaging teaching material. However, human oversight remains essential, as some homework tasks are becoming standardised and are set in bulk, eroding homework tasks’ meaningfulness (Blaszko, 2024).

A caution and a call: Retain meaningfulness

While AI has the potential to ease teacher workload, it also sharpens the question of homework’s purpose, which has been to enhance learning (Cooper et al., 2006). If tasks become standardised and subject to automated marking, then their academic value risks being diminished. This is important because students are already reporting rising hours of homework under current homework practices (Dunatchik & Park, 2022). What is needed, then, is meaningful teacher intelligence: using AI selectively to support marking, while ensuring tasks remain authentic to classroom learning and feedback continues to drive progress (EEF, 2022). At the same time, the volume of homework must be managed carefully to protect students’ leisure and wellbeing. AI can assist in this balance, but it cannot replace teacher expertise, nor the human connection that makes feedback genuinely valuable.

References

Blaszko, A. (2023). Exploring the effects of homework on secondary school adolescents’ leisure. [PhD thesis, Nottingham Trent University].

Cooper, H., Robinson, J., & Patall, E. (2006). Does homework improve academic achievement? A synthesis of research, 1987-2003. Review of Educational Research, 76(1).

Department for Education [DfE]. (2025). Reducing school workload: Collection.

Dunatchik, A. & Park, H. (2022). Racial and ethnic differences in homework time among U.S. teens. Sociological Perspectives, 65(6), 1144–1168.

Education Endowment Foundation [EEF]. (2022). Teaching toolkit (updated 2025).

Henkel, O., Boxer, A., Hills, L. and Roberts, B., (2024). Can Large Language Models Make the Grade? Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).

Huang, Y., Wilson, J. ,& May, H. (2025). Exploring the long-term effects of the statewide implementation of an automated writing evaluation system on students’ state test ELA performance. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence Education, 35, 1528–1559.

Office for Standards in Education [Ofsted]. (2023). Education inspection framework.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD]. (2020). TALIS 2018 Results (Volume II). Teachers and school leaders as valued professionals.

Quickfall, A., & Wood, P. (2024). Transforming teacher work: Teacher recruitment and retention after the pandemic. Emerald Publishing Limited.

Weegar, R., & Idestam-Almquist, P. (2024). Reducing workload in short answer grading using machine learning. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence Education, 34, 247–273.

Zhao, L., Yuan, H., & Wang, X. (2024). Impact of homework time on adolescent mental health: Evidence from China. International Journal of Educational Development, 107, 103051.