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 three items this month, on homeschool coverage in the Washington Post; comparative international homeschooling; and gifted homeschooling in Iran:
(1) WaPoβs Evenhanded Homeschooling AnalysisΒ β C.Β Hroncich (2023)
Summary: As a homeschooler, you donβt generally expect balanced coverage of homeschooling from mainstream media outlets. So my expectations for a recent Washington Post report on homeschooling were lowΒ β the bar was on the floor, as my daughter likes to say. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was actually pretty evenhanded. The report, βHome schoolingβs rise from fringe to fastestββgrowing form of education,β is the latest installment in the Postβs HomeββSchool Nation series. Itβs likely the most inββdepth analysis of homeschooling to date, and the big takeaway is that homeschooling is the fastest growing education model in the US. Homeschooling spiked during COVID-19 and then dipped a little, but the report estimates the number of children homeschooling was 45 percent higher in the 2022β23 school year than it was in 2017β18.
(2) Cultivating Educational Autonomy: A Comprehensive Examination of the Benefits and Challenges of Homeschooling from Parental PerspectivesΒ β M.Β Hamarsha & T.R.K.Β BsharatΒ (2023)
Abstract: Alternative educational strategies such as homeschooling have drawn a lot of interest because they give families the opportunity to foster educational autonomy. This study examines the advantages and difficulties of homeschooling from the viewpoints of parents in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States. Open-ended interviews were conducted with 10 participants from a variety of backgrounds in order to better understand their perspectives on homeschooling. In addition to the improved schedule and pacing flexibility, increased curriculum customization, and instructional techniques to meet individual requirements, homeschooling has a number of advantages. As well as strengthening parent-child relationships, parents mentioned the creation of a safe and encouraging learning environment. However, the article also mentions a few challenges faced by homeschooling families. Parents must invest substantial time and effort into their children, there are potential socialization difficulties, limited access to specialist resources, parents must continually adapt their educational approaches, and extracurricular activities are limited. By examining parental opinions in several nations, this study sheds light on how cultural and social conditions affect homeschooling experiences. Research results enhance our knowledge of the advantages and disadvantages of homeschooling, enabling families considering or already utilizing this educational strategy to make well-informed choices.
(3) Hybrid Homeschooling: A Missing Piece of the Gifted Education PuzzleΒ β S.Β Nejatifar et al. (2023)
Abstract: Hybrid homeschooling is still in its initial phase in the Iranian education system and is still a mystery to many educators and parents. This study aimed to explore the reasons for choosing the homeschooling approach for gifted students using a grounded theory method. The sample of this qualitative study included 15 parents of gifted children and 10 specialists in giftedness recruited through purposive sampling. Factors influencing the homeschooling approach were collected through semi-structured interviews with professionals and parents and analyzed by the coding method based on grounded theory (Strauss & Corbin, 1997). The data analysis revealed 143 open codes, 12 axial codes, and three selective codes, including educational challenges of gifted students in school and public education and the demands and expectations of parents and students. The results demonstrated that the Iranian educational system does not meet the needs and expectations of gifted students and their parents; therefore, educators and parents are recommended to use hybrid homeschooling for this group of students. While the participants in this study do not strictly follow a hybrid schooling model, the findings suggest that adopting elements of hybrid schooling could be advantageous for gifted students.
What interesting homeschool news and academic research have you come across this Cygnus Term?Β π
β‘β Explore more: If you’d like to investigate the academic literature on homeschooling more extensively, 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 research publications that mention your topic. In addition, for research prior to 2020 in particular, see the comprehensive bibliographic essay by KunzmanΒ & Gaither (2020), “Homeschooling: An Updated Comprehensive Survey of the Research.” π
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