The Information Behavior of Homeschoolers
The homeschooling community seems to operate on the ecological model described by Veinot & Williams (2012). Homeschooling families use information to nurture their learning environments. They freely share information. Material about laws and lessons is put toward the general growth of homeschooling. Based on my research so far, home educators are mainly looking for their state’s homeschool laws and actual content for teaching. There seems to be a preference for online resources and picking up information in person while interacting with other homeschoolers. These two methods constitute “a set of tools used by a population” (Veinot & Williams, 2012, p.7).
I had the opportunity to interview five homeschooling parents by email. Here is the questionnaire that I sent to them:
Interview Questions
Fine print: All answers will be kept anonymous. Parts of this assignment will be posted on my blog at www.smartmomblog.blogspot.com. My research and interviews are part of a graduate class that I am taking called LIBR 200: Information Communities. I am working toward a Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science through San Jose State University in California. For this class, I chose to study the homeschooling community as an “information community.”
Please answer to the extent that you are comfortable. Use as little or as much detail as you wish. Thank you for playing!
What sort of information do you need in order to carry out your home educating?
List the resources that you use to get the information that you need.
Do you ever encounter information serendipitously--when you are not really looking for it? Please describe.
How often do you consult these resources?
What are your favorite one or two resources? Why?
What are your least favorite resources? Why?
While homeschooling is legal in all fifty states, each state develops its own legislation surrounding home education. The homeschoolers that I interviewed said that they need to stay informed about these laws. The only information need that Penelope expressed was: “I needed to know what my state’s requirements were for home educating.” Beatrice, who has home educated several children, said, “I need homeschooling laws.” Sheila, who is a relatively new homeschooler, responded, “I also need info on state requirements for testing, etc. for homeschooled children.”
Amy, who recently moved to a new state, said, “I need to know what the laws are where I live.” The research in the book edited by Mur (2003) concurs, pointing out that homeschool groups “run conferences on legal...issues” and produce “books, magazines and newsletters. . . .[with] legal issues” among the topics (pp.16-17).
The concern about homeschool law shows one way that homeschoolers “collectively adapt to their environments to meet sustenance needs” (Veinot & Williams, 2012, p.6). Homeschoolers inform themselves about state law and adjust their activities in order to be in accordance with it. The homeschoolers that I interviewed do not want to run afoul of the law and thereby jeopardize their opportunity to homeschool. Being aligned with state law helps sustain the homeschool community.
Another way that homeschoolers “collectively adapt to their environments to meet sustenance needs” (Veinot & Williams, 2012, p.6). is by collecting the actual information that they will teach to their children. In this way, the teaching continues and the lifestyle is sustained. Beatrice points out that she uses information in order “to advance my children beyond my scope of intelligence with the knowledge [from]...computer-led, on-line courses, and/or co-ops [that] are available to the homeschooling communities.” Sheila bolsters her teaching with extra information whenever the need arises: “I need on-the-fly info for those times when a good question crops up.” To get ideas about content for her own child, Amy stays informed about what is being taught in a different school setting. She says, “I try to have at least a glimpse of what kids in public school are studying.” Mur’s (2003) book also reports that “parents plan and implement the learning program,” in which case, they need the material that makes up the learning program (p.16). Homeschoolers ensure that their community continues by supplying themselves with the material that they need for on-going teaching.
How do home educators get the information that they need to keep their community viable? Not surprisingly, the internet. As Veinot & Williams (2012) tell us about the Evolutionary Paradigm: “Technologies also facilitate functional integration of a community--primarily by facilitating its environmental adaptation” (p.8). The parents that I interviewed all use similar online technologies. Anna uses “internet access to searches, blogs, and stores, Facebook groups designated for homeschooling. iCONN.” iCONN.org is an online library catalog that allows patrons to search every library in the state. Beatrice also uses the internet, but focuses on certain trusted websites. She lists “various websites such as HSLDA, Landry Academy, criticalthinking.com, rainbowresource.com, timberdoodle.com, A Beka on-line learning, and Facebook groups for homeschoolers.” Sheila uses similar technology, and has also arranged for information to be sent to her: “Blogs, Google, (National Geographic for Kids website, subject-specific sites, and Wikipedia), and Facebook groups. I also get a homeschool freebies email daily with deals and resources.” Amy sums it up well: “Internet, mostly.”
Mur’s (2003) book bears out this use of technology: “Electronic homeschool discussion groups abound” (p.16). The research in the book Home Schooling also aptly identifies the prevalence of internet use. “The rapid expansion and growth in use of the Internet also has meant plenty of inexpensive resources for homeschoolers” (Mur, 2003, p.23).
On the other side of the coin, homeschoolers take full advantage of old-fashioned communication. In the ecological community model, “communication is posited to maintain communities as functional units” (Veinot & Williams, 2012, p.8). Indeed, homeschoolers gather information while communicating with each other. As Veinot & Williams (2012) describe, communication facilitates “access and exchange among interdependent populations” (p.8). Penelope lists among her resources, “The homeschool community itself. I loved learning from those parents whose children were older than mine.” Anna describes another form of in-person verbal communication: “I've gone to conferences to listen to speakers.” Beatrice has encountered information while interacting with other homeschoolers. She says that she finds information “frequently when talking to other homeschoolers...convention is also very helpful because you get to look at the actual curriculum. I really prefer hearing about what other people think of a website or curriculum so I can weed out from the information.” Likewise, Sheila has picked up information “when...talking with another homeschooler or on Facebook.” Amy utilizes another form of person-to-person communication, namely, Home School Legal Defense Fund’s “staff consultants to help with special needs kids, high schoolers, and others. Not only do they have lots of useful helps, they’re also very encouraging.” Mur’s (2003) collection of research describes similar information-sharing behavior: “Shared lessons with other homeschoolers….Local support groups share experiences, meet for common activities, help newcomers get started” (p.16). Regarding parents who don’t feel equipped, one homeschool group leader explained, “that’s what the support group is for, so you don’t have to do it on your own” (Mur, 2003, p.23).
Homeschoolers do not compete for information, but rather share it freely so that other families can benefit. This sharing strengthens the community as a whole and in return strengthens the individuals within the home educating community. This behavior aligns with the Evolutionary Model, which says, “by restricting the competition of individuals, society achieves equilibrium in a process of collective adaptation” (Veinot & Williams, 2012, p. 7).
The above examples also show that homeschoolers are a “‘community of interest…[and] connect based on shared needs and benefits” (Veinot & Williams, 2012, p. 7). Homeschoolers are distinct individuals, but they share the common interest of home education. This brings them together to express their questions and, in turn, to share information that can benefit other members of the homeschooling community.
For homeschoolers, “information is a form of help” (Veinot & Williams, 2012, p. 7), as opposed to a form of power or a source of conflict, as it is in other paradigms. Homeschoolers use technology and communication to access legal requirements and lesson content. Not only are they helped by this information, but they exchange it freely with others in the homeschooling community. Sharing the information helps individuals carry out their home educating and provides the homeschooling information community with longevity. As a result of more information, members are able to continue forward with the homeschooling lifestyle. As Veinot & Williams (2012) summarize it, “this model positions the individual at the center of an immediate context that includes personal networks, mass media, and institutions--and then within a wider context, including values and physical environments” (p. 7).
References
Mur, C. (Ed.). (2003). Home schooling. San Diego: Greenhaven Press.
Veinot, T. C., & Williams, K. (2012). Following the “community” thread from sociology to information behavior and informatics: Uncovering theoretical continuities and research opportunities. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 63(5), (847-864).
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