On the third Tuesday of each month we post a quick roundup of some recent academic publications and news about homeschooling, offered for your interest. These are typically university research papers, and they may have a positive, negative, or neutral outlook on home education. The title links generally point to the full text of each publication, which is often a printable pdf file. In some cases, a paid subscription may be required to read the whole article. The article abstracts or introductions below are quoted in full whenever possible, without editing.
We have five items this month.
(1) Homeschooling Black Children in the U.S.: Theory, Practice, and Popular Culture [Book] — K. Ali-Coleman & C. Fields-Smith, eds. (2022)
Publisher’s summary: In 2021, the United States Census Bureau reported that in 2020, during the rise of the global health pandemic COVID-19, homeschooling among Black families increased five-fold. However, Black families had begun choosing to homeschool even before COVID-19 led to school closures and disrupted traditional school spaces. Homeschooling Black Children in the US: Theory, Practice and Popular Culture offers an insightful look at the growing practice of homeschooling by Black families through this timely collection of articles by education practitioners, researchers, homeschooling parents and homeschooled children. Homeschooling Black Children in the US: Theory, Practice and Popular Culture honestly presents how systemic racism and other factors influence the decision of Black families to homeschool. In addition, the book chapters illustrate in different ways how self-determination manifests within the homeschooling practice. Researchers Khadijah Ali-Coleman and Cheryl Fields-Smith have edited a compilation of work that explores the varied experiences of parents homeschooling Black children before, during and after COVID-19. From veteran homeschooling parents sharing their practice to researchers reporting their data collected pre-COVID, this anthology of work presents an overview that gives substantive insight into what the practice of homeschooling looks like for many Black families in the United States.
(2) Homeschooling by Choice and Homeschooling by Force — J. Dwyer (2022)
Abstract: Homeschooling was occasionally a subject of popular interest pre-COVID, when media reported horrific cases of child abuse under the guise of homeschooling, or when controversies erupted over efforts in state legislatures or local school boards to introduce very modest oversight measures. COVID made homeschooling something nearly every parent considered as a long-term educational option for their children, and something arguably – depending on one’s definition of homeschooling – nearly all experienced. This article extracts from the societal experience of forced remote learning, challenging theoretical questions about the distinction between homeschooling and “regular schooling”; the wisdom of traditional brick-and-mortar, multi-service schooling; and the appropriateness of state officials passing judgement on any private form of schooling.
(3) Parenthood in Crisis 2.0 – Motherhood in the Tension Between Homeschooling and Home Office: A Comparison After 1 Year of the Pandemic — B. Lange & H. Ohlbrecht (2022)
Abstract: The contact restrictions and closures of schools and childcare facilities in Germany in the course of the Covid 19 pandemic have presented families and parents with new challenges that have been accompanied by different (health) burdens and reinforce already existing gender differences in the division of tasks in families, especially with regard to care work. Women and mothers show themselves to be more burdened in the various dimensions of health in the course of the pandemic than men and fathers. In particular, the psychosocial dimensions of subjective health, especially the general experience of strain, stress, exhaustion and anxiety, increased again among women and mothers in the second lockdown. Reasons can be seen in a reinforcement of the unequal distribution of care work that already existed before the pandemic, as well as in a stronger mental load among women and mothers.
(4) Homeschool Program: An Alternative Choice of Education — B.A.A. Liwanag & B.A. Liwanag (2020)
Abstract: This qualitative study explores the perceptions towards Homeschool Program as an alternative for conventional education among parents. The study interviewed 20 sets of parents whose children are homeschooled. The findings of the study revealed the source of information about homeschooling. The family bonding and financial status is main reasons of parents for considering Homeschool Program. The study also showed the self-directed and individualized methods is likely to be performed during teaching learning process. Homeschool Program can be an effective educational tool for students. It provides parents with bonding time with their children while learning in a conducive home environment and a way that children are free to discover their learning styles. For further research, the following areas are recommended: a) perceptions of home schooled children, b) parents competency to teach at home, c) curriculum and the alignment to educational rules of the country and d) academic performance of home-schooled children.
(5) Homeschool: The New Way to Do School — M.G. Smith (2022)
Extract: Homeschooling can be a great option for families, especially during a pandemic. But it is also a great option at any point because of the customized curriculum, family time, and safer environment. Will the newfound interest in homeschooling survive the Pandemic? Maybe. There are positive characteristics that would be attractive to many families, including my own. Maybe I’ll end up being a schoolteacher like my mom and grandma, but teaching in the home, not the school.
What interesting homeschool news and academic research have you come across this Leo Term? 🎓
❡ See for yourself: If you’d like to investigate the current academic literature on homeschooling directly, the best place to start is Google Scholar, the special academic search engine from Google. Just enter a search term or phrase of interest (“homeschool,” “unschooling,” “classical homeschooling,” “deschooling,” etc.), and Google Scholar will return a list of academic publications that mention your topic. 🔍
❡ Explore more: For a comprehensive review of homeschooling research prior to 2020, see the paper by Kunzman & Gaither that is linked in our Research & News post for July 2020. 📖
❡ Stay in the loop: This is one of our regular Homeschool Research & News posts. Add your name to our weekly mailing list and get great homeschool teaching ideas delivered right to your mailbox all through the year. 🗞
