🔎 HOMESCHOOL RESEARCH & NEWS for February

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 for the month, on homeschooling in Indonesia; homeschooling and community life; homeschool teacher identity; and homeschool sibling relationships:

(1) Evaluation of Homeschooling Programs Using the Metfessel-Michael Model Improving the Quality of Student Learning — A. Dewanti & E.Y. Wahidah (2026)

Abstract: Homeschooling education in Indonesia faces challenges such as dependence on parental quality, lack of regulation, and variation in learning outcomes, thus requiring systematic evaluation to improve the quality of student learning. The Metfessel-Michael model offers a comprehensive approach by evaluating context, input, process, and product, thereby supporting curriculum personalization and ongoing feedback. This research aims to integrate these models to overcome the gap between the ideals and realities of homeschooling. The study employed a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) adhering to PRISMA guidelines from 2020 to 2025. A total of 17 articles were selected after identification, screening, feasibility, and inclusion screening, followed by a qualitative analysis based on PRISMA diagrams. The application of the Metfessel-Michael Model enhances academic achievement, student engagement, and social-emotional development through a SWOT analysis, with strengths in flexible curriculum design and opportunities for Montessori integration and blended learning. The weaknesses include variations in outcomes due to parental limitations, while the threat of weak regulation can be addressed with continuous evaluation.

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(2) Homeschooling and the Social Life of Families and Communities — D. Sikkink (2026)

Abstract: Family social capital and parental involvement in the schooling of their children are considered essential to child flourishing, including educational achievement. Yet parental engagement in family, school, and community life has become more tenuous given social and cultural changes in American society, raising questions about whether and how parental involvement can contribute to thriving children and communities. This paper argues that traditional school-based parent engagement is less likely to generate the kind of family commitments and structures that could strengthen the relation of parental educational engagement and a thriving civic life. The relation of family, schooling, and community in homeschooling orientations and practices offers an alternative pathway to building family and civic life through children’s education — an approach that reduces inequalities related to parental engagement. Using 2019 data from the National Household Education Survey, which provides measures of various home-based educational activities with children as well as educational activities in the local community, the analysis supports claims that homeschooling instills families with purpose and, most importantly, reconstructs the parent role to foster parent–child educational activities that can strengthen children and civic life. It also reveals that educational activities in the home increase homeschoolers’ involvement in educational activities in the community.

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(3) Teacher Identity Beliefs Among Homeschool Parents — M. Williams-Johnson (2026)

Abstract: This research explores how Black homeschooling parents develop teacher identities through alternative educational pathways. Drawing on research in teacher identity development, parental involvement, and culturally responsive pedagogy, the study situates Black parents’ experiences within broader theoretical and social contexts. The study includes frameworks such as the Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler Model and employs concepts from Critical Parental Engagement and Critical Race Theory. Through analysis of existing studies the author demonstrates that Black homeschooling parents construct educator identities by expanding parental roles, fostering self-efficacy, and intentionally providing culturally affirming instruction. The findings highlight advocacy, asset-based pedagogies, and reflective practice as central to this teacher identity formation. The presentation will conclude with recommendations for supporting Black homeschooling families, insights on technology integration, and implications for educational policy and practice that honor the agency and expertise of Black parent-educators.

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(4) Sibling Relationship in Homeschooling Setting — Y. Xie (2025)

Abstract: Although homeschooling is still relatively uncommon for school-aged children, this educational phenomenon is becoming more and more popular around the world. The United Kingdom is one of the countries where homeschooling is most popular and homeschooling has become an important part of UK educational system. Because of different reasons, parents decide to unregister or deregister their children from school and take full responsibility of their education. Homeschooling can reconnect education and daily life, giving big change to family life including the members’ relationship. Previous studies have implied there is a connection between homeschooling and sibling relationship, yet little research has deeply explored how sibling interaction and relationship building take place in the context of homeschooling. Adopting an ethnographic case study method, the researcher in this study lived with a homeschooling family in the UK for three weeks to explore their education experience and family dynamic, with a specific focus of the siblings’ interaction and relationship. With data collected in the richly descriptive detail of a single case, the study supplements the general, non-particular descriptions of Bowen’s family system theory. After fieldwork, an ethnographic report was presented in a creative way to portray the authentic family life in homeschooling setting. The findings indicate that both homeschooling and sibling relationship are mutually embedded in the warp and weft of daily life and its emotions. The sibling relationship is shaped by homeschooling practice, yet at the same time education about sibling relationship is also part of daily life at home. This study further reflects on the changeable and negotiable nature of sibling relationship as such.

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What interesting homeschool news and academic research have you come across this Orion Term? 🎓

❡ 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 Kunzman & Gaither (2020), “Homeschooling: An Updated Comprehensive Survey of the Research.” 🔎

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