Costa Rica News – Tico teens over the age of 15 spend just three hours a week on homework, whereas the international average is five hours per week.
This figure was found on a questionnaire known as the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA).
This assessment ranked Costa Rica as 55 out of 64 countries. Costa Rica had 87 academic units less than the average.
In China, there are extra classes that add up to 14 hours per week. Mexico and Uruguay spend the average six hours on extra classes.
60% of Costa Rican high schoolers showed mastery of levels 1 and 2 in math and 24% didn’t reach the minimum passing score. It was found that for every hour of additional study, one gets approximately 17 points higher on the PISA test, although that’s not the only factor.
Giving more homework or classes won’t necessarily make anyone get better grades. It comes down to the quality of the tasks assigned and the correcting of those tasks. Academic training for parents to help their kids with homework is another factor. The environment where the student studies plays a part too.
Those from disadvantaged backgrounds might not have time to study or have a quiet place, internet, a library, etc. Those with more resources spend more time studying, on average.
