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 four items this month; the first one is a substantial collection of twelve different papers.
(1) This is Homeschooling: Stories of Unconventional Learning Practices On the Road and In Nature — K.R. Mathews, ed. (2022) [Edited collection]
Publisher’s summary: The number of homeschooling families has grown in recent years, along with the number of methods for learning at home. In this timely book, you’ll meet diverse families that are engaging in the day-to-day work of a variety of approaches, including self-directed learning, unschooling, nature-based education, farmschooling, wildschooling, and worldschooling.
Chapters and interludes are written by scholars and families engaged in this work, who show how their approaches take a balanced, slower-paced, and nature-minded approach to learning, nourishing the child’s heart and brain. They also address common critiques of homeschooling and show how it is something that can be normalized and encouraged as a positive educational tool, helping families bond and live life to the fullest. Each chapter includes practical applications you can use right away in your own journey.
Simultaneously inspirational and practical, this book will help guide and motivate those who are either considering or already homeschooling to see the possibilities of what learning and education can truly be.
(2) Home Away from Home: Exploring the Transitional Experiences Homeschooled Students Face when Attending University — A.A. Rodriguez (2022)
Abstract: This study aimed to explore the experiences of homeschooled students compared to non-homeschooled students through their transitional encounters of attending university. In the quantitative research design of this study, with a sample of 115 survey responses that were fully submitted, I examined the two transitional experiences. The transitional experiences explored included socio-emotional competence and classroom preparedness. For this study, research questions were as follows: (1) To what degree do homeschooled students experience socio-emotional competence during the transition to college compared to those who were not homeschooled? (2) To what degree do homeschooled students have classroom preparedness compared to those not homeschooled? Results indicated that homeschooled students scored slightly higher in comparison to non-homeschooled students
(3) Homeschool 101: Using Visual Media to Promote Awareness of Homeschooling — S.R. Sherlin (2022)
Abstract: Parents who are making decisions about the education of their children can benefit from a general awareness of the full range of schooling options available to them. Although the United States has seen its homeschooling population grow to all-time highs in recent years, many people are still unfamiliar with what homeschooling is actually like in practice. Some parents fail to recognize homeschooling as a viable option because of they are unfamiliar with its potential benefits, standard homeschooling methods, and resources for homeschooling families. This thesis reviews the homeschooling research literature and overviews relevant case studies to inform a visual solution to this problem. I developed a multifaceted information campaign to demonstrate how graphic design and visual media can be used to advance awareness of homeschooling as a viable option for education. The campaign provides general information about the homeschool movement and presents a picture of what contemporary homeschooling looks like.
(4) How Homeschooling Happens: A Phenomenological Study of Educational Practices in the Home Education Setting — B. Whitlow-Spurlock (2022)
Abstract: The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to examine the educational processes and expand the personalized education theory of gifted and twice-exceptional homeschooling through the lived experiences of home educators at the international level via internet communications. Two theories guided this study. The first was the personalized education theory of gifted and twice-exceptional homeschooling, as it is part of the central focus in expanding the theory to new populations and could provide insight into parents’ experiences in designing their children’s homeschool environment. Secondly, the social cognitive theory was integrated within the findings. The central question guiding this study was: What are the lived experiences of parents who choose to homeschool their children? This hermeneutic phenomenology study was conducted with 10 participants who were recruited using convenience and web-based respondent sampling. Data were collected through interviews, participant journals, and vignettes. Data analysis was conducted through thematic analysis and determination of the essential themes: personalization, augmentation, and research. Furthermore, the analysis revealed three types of transitions, homeschool groups, daily structures, and annual schedule types. The results of this study support the four educational processes. The data supported the expansion of the personalized education theory of gifted and twice-exceptional homeschooling to the general homeschool population with the suggestion to change the name to personalized home education theory.
What interesting homeschool news and academic research have you come across this Hercules 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. 🗞
