The Decision to Homeschool: Factors Influencing Reactive Homeschooling Practices

The Decision to Homeschool: Potential Factors Influencing Reactive Homeschooling Practices

Authors and Affiliations

  • Sharon Green-Hennessy

    • Department of Psychology, Loyola University Maryland, Baltimore, MD, USA

  • Emily C. Mariotti

    • Department of Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA

Abstract

  • Homeschooling is a controversial practice internationally, yet it is prevalent in the U.S. educational system.

  • Families choose to homeschool for myriad reasons, resulting in a burgeoning framework distinguishing between reactive and proactive motivations.

  • Sample Context: Longitudinal data derived from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten (ECLS-K:11) examining 187 homeschooled children, their parents, and teachers thus reflects a reactive model of homeschooling, wherein all children initially enrolled in traditional schooling before transitioning to homeschooling prior to fifth grade.

  • Findings indicate that children who began homeschooling showed higher rates of absenteeism and parents were less satisfied with traditional schooling compared to those who remained in traditional settings, particularly raising concerns about bullying and special educational needs before the switch to homeschooling.

Article History

  • Received: 12 September 2020

  • Accepted: 18 June 2021

Keywords

  • Homeschool, framework, reactive, bullying

Introduction

  • Controversial Nature of Homeschooling: Seen with skepticism by educators and varies in legality across countries.

    • Countries:

    • Rare: Italy, Israel, Chile, Turkey

    • Illegal: Germany, Cuba, Brazil, China

  • Popularity in the West: Rapidly increasing in countries like the U.S., UK, Canada, and Australia.

U.S. Statistics on Homeschooling

  • 2016 NCES estimated about 1.7 million K-12 U.S. children were homeschooled, roughly 3% of all schoolchildren (McQuiggan et al., 2017).

  • 2020 Census Bureau survey showed 11.1% of U.S. households with school-age children were homeschooling (Eggleston & Fields, 2021).

Measuring Homeschooling

  • Covid-19 Impact: Experts pointed out difficulties distinguishing between traditional homeschooling and distance learning.

  • Debate over proper definitions of homeschooling arose, questioning the criteria that demarcate homeschooling from other educational options.

  • Key dimensions defining homeschooling include:

    • Determinants of curriculum

    • Funding

    • Availability of peer learning

    • Instructional format (online, asynchronous)

Methodological Issues

  • Prior studies often used cross-sectional designs, introducing challenges in capturing the fluidity of homeschooling as families transition between educational systems (Isenberg, 2007; Watson, 2018).

  • Reliability issues with small self-selected samples from homeschooling organizations compounded these challenges (Murphy, 2012).

  • Sample Concerns: Some states do not require registration for homeschooling, complicating representation accuracy (Lubienski et al., 2013;
    Watson, 2018).

Subtyping Homeschoolers

Frameworks for Understanding Homeschooling Motivations

  • Van Galen's (1988) ideologue vs. pedagogue classification states:

    • Ideologues: Parents opposed to traditional educational content, aiming for specific moral or religious instruction (21-22% cite this as primary reason; McQuiggan et al., 2017).

    • Pedagogues: Parents dissatisfied with traditional structures, seeking more individualized, intrinsic educational experiences (23-24% express dissatisfaction; McQuiggan et al., 2017).

Emergence of First-choice vs. Second-choice Homeschoolers

  • First-choice homeschoolers (proactive): Embrace homeschooling to align with their core beliefs, irrespective of traditional options.

    • Characteristics: Long-term engagement, ideological commitment (Morse & Bell, 2018).

  • Second-choice homeschoolers (reactive): Transition to homeschooling largely as a response to unsuitable circumstances.

    • Faced with non-fulfillment of education needs (e.g., bullying, lack of appropriate education; Heuer & Donovan, 2017;
      Parson & Lewis, 2010).

Purpose of This Study

  • Challenge previous studies showing an underrepresentation of second-choice homeschoolers.

  • Utilize the ECLS-K:11's longitudinal dataset to capture a clearer understanding of families opting for homeschooling in response to dissatisfaction with traditional schooling.

Methods

Sample and Participants

  • Data derived from ECLS-K:2011, a longitudinal study tracking U.S. students from kindergarten to fifth grade.

  • Featured 18,174 students initially enrolled in traditional schooling…

Measures
Demographic Information

  • Collected during kindergarten regarding children's sex, race, age at entry, etc.

  • Included questions about household composition, marital status, socioeconomic status.

Homeschooling Indicators

  • Unique ID codes assigned for homeschooled children at every data collection point.

Bullying Assessment

  • Items addressing various forms of bullying (teasing, exclusion, physical harm).

Attendance and Satisfaction Measures

  • Recorded child absences and parental satisfaction ratings over multiple academic years.

  • Absences categorized (0-4, 5-10, 11+ days).

Results Context
Prior to Homeschooling: Bullying

  • Findings indicated higher reports of bullying among parents of soon-to-be homeschool children compared to traditionally schooled peers.

Absenteeism Rates

  • Prior to transition to homeschooling, higher absentee rates observed in soon-to-be homeschoolers across all cohorts, statistically significant.

Parental Satisfaction

  • Parents of soon-to-be homeschoolers reported significantly lower satisfaction with traditional schools.

Comparative Analysis

  • Homeschooling sample compared demographically to overall ECLS-K:11 sample indicating notable differences in race/ethnicity and parental labor force participation.

  • Disability Rates: Notable finding that higher percentages of homeschooled children identified as having disabilities.

Discussion

Key Findings

  • ECLS-K:11 reveals considerable differences between homeschooling groups, reflective of reactive vs. proactive motivations.

  • Second-choice homeschoolers exhibit characteristics consistent with transitional studies, including concerns about educational inadequacies and emotional distress.

Implications and Applications

  • Understanding second-choice motivations could enhance support systems in schools, fostering better educational frameworks for families.

Limitations

  • Concerns surrounding definition of homeschooling within ECLS-K:11, lack of explicit inquiry regarding parent motivations.

Conclusion

  • The findings from this comprehensive, longitudinal dataset can provide critical insights for educators and policymakers in addressing trends in homeschooling and adapting educational frameworks accordingly.