DR. WALLACE: My daughter listens to punk rock music when she studies. She is an A and B student, but I keep telling her that she would be a straight-A student if she would turn off the music so she could concentrate better. She keeps telling me that she read in your column that listening to all kinds of music actually helps teens do better when they study.

Is this true? Or is my daughter just giving me a con job? I'm not sure if I can buy into this one. — Skeptical Mother, via email

SKEPTICAL MOTHER: Please don't get angry with me. I'm just the messenger. Researchers for years have given passing grades to music of all types when it comes to studying.

I've read various studies on this very topic over the years, and the one that stuck with me the most involved one group of university students who listened to loud music, such as rock and heavy metal, while they were studying. Another group listened to soft, mellow music, the type we have all heard in elevators, while the third group studied quietly with no music or ambient sound at all.

The results? Researchers found that there were no significant differences in the overall test scores of the students from each of the three control groups! Believe it or not, music doesn't seem to hurt concentration when studying — for those that enjoy it. I personally like to study in a quiet room, so I understand why you might be skeptical. My advice, however, is to let your daughter continue studying in the manner in which she is accustomed. It appears to me that she is a very good student.

TOO MUCH HOMEWORK CAN BE A PROBLEM

DR. WALLACE: I attend a private high school that has a good reputation when it comes to academics. Our school administrators are always bragging that 75% of our graduating seniors go on to attend college. I'm sure that is true. They also brag about the excellent teachers on our staff. That is also true. But it seems that teachers get the reputation of being "excellent" by the amount of homework they pile on their students!

I'm considered a good and conscientious student. I'm in the 11th grade and have maintained a B-plus average in my college prep courses. My problem is that many times, I can't complete all of my homework overnight because I'm overloaded with assignments. For example, one night last week, I studied an hour for math, an hour and a half for English and an hour and a half for history — and then I fell asleep across my bed studying for my chemistry class.

I realize it's important to have homework as a learning tool, but I question whether spending three or four hours every night on it is the ideal way to learn. Do you agree with me or with the teachers? - Overloaded Student, via email

OVERLOADED STUDENT: Some teachers do equate teaching excellence with the amount of homework they assign. They seem to get pleasure from having the reputation of a "hard teacher." They can also forget that their students must do homework from other classes as well as their class.

You might find this surprising, but as far as I'm concerned, the teacher who assigns an hour and a half's worth of homework every day for just one class is likely doing the student more harm than good. Homework should mainly be used for practicing the skills learned in class. Reading assignments are also important to produce an informed discussion the next day in class, but they should be limited to 30 minutes per evening in my opinion. Yes, there should be more time allocated for semester-long projects and studying for tests. But on a nightly basis, 90 minutes of homework for one class is too much. If a student has five classes, each with this same load of homework, it would take nearly an eight-hour workday to complete by the next morning!

School administrators should discuss effective homework procedures with the teaching staff so they are all in harmony. When students become overwhelmed by the amount of homework they have, education becomes not a challenge but a treadmill that seems to move faster and faster.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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