Scholarly Articles on Home Education

There are a lot of resources out there for homeschoolers! While doing research for my class, I came across resources that I had never encountered before. Academics have studied home education and published their findings in scholarly journals. People interested in homeschooling might find the articles below to be illuminating.

Annotated Bibliography

Davies, S. & Aurini, J. (2003). Homeschooling and Canadian educational politics: rights, pluralism and pedagogical individualism.  Evaluation and Research in Education, 17(2-3), 63-73.

Davies and Aurini are professors in the Department of Sociology at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. For this article they interviewed 75 various community members, including homeschoolers, school administrators and business people. They referred to about 30 scholarly sources which ranged in publication date from 1999 to 2003. The article retains a clear focus on the effect that government policies have on homeschooling. Davies and Aurini show that Canada’s government is embracing more pluralism in education. As a result, parents are choosing home education as one of several available options. The article gives a helpful overview of the homeschool climate in Canada and widens the lens of homeschool research, which usually seems to focus on the United States. This article aligns with others I have read, pointing out that homeschooling has recently grown quite a lot in a short period of time. The article makes a few assumptions: That homeschooling families have more time and money than others and that interviewing 75 people can explain the rise of homeschooling in Canada. A more in-depth study of Canadian homeschool families would be an illuminating next step. The authors note the highly individualized nature of homeschooling. This discussion mentions that Canadian home educators pick and choose information, which will shed light on the information behavior that I am researching. (Peer reviewed)

Geary, D. (2011). Trend and data analysis of homeschooling. Academic Leadership Journal, 9(4), 1-4.

The background of author Geary was not readily available, but after some online sleuthing I was able to determine that she is an instructor of Spanish at Georgia Tech and has done research on foreign language acquisition. She is on the editorial board of Academic Leadership Journal in Student Research. This article references about seven sources, including academic journals and government reports. It is an empirical look at the homeschool movement. The author begins with a history of homeschooling in the United States. She shows that the number of homeschoolers is growing and predicts that it will continue to grow. Geary assumes that the U.S. government reports that she cites can be applied across the country. This may or may not be a correct assumption. Homeschool law varies in each state, therefore the number of families who actually report that they are homeschooling will vary across the country. Also, regardless of the law, some families will not report. The article devotes one detailed paragraph to contrary views. While I do not disagree with the author’s findings, I think the article could have been stronger--either by narrowing the focus or by expanding the research. Geary’s work is consistent with other articles regarding the debates between critics and supporters of homeschooling. She brings up a new point--that homeschooling can relieve some of the burden experienced by public schools. The article’s line of research could go forward by studying college students who were homeschooled in the past. Observing college students would show some of the results of the current trends in homeschooling. (Peer reviewed).

Kleist-Tesch, J.M. (1998). Homeschoolers and the public library. Journal of youth services in libraries, 11(3), 231-241.

Kleist-Tesch writes as a reference librarian in the children’s department of the Orange County Library System in Orlando, Florida. Although not a scholarly work, this article was one of the most relevant to the information behavior of homeschoolers. It includes a “Works Cited” list containing ten various resources. Although the article is 16 years old, it is still useful. It provides a solid background of homeschooling and the ways it has evolved in the United States. The theme of the article is clearly and simply developed: Librarians can and should serve the homeschooling community. The author makes the assumption that Christian homeschoolers use traditional teaching methods and secular homeschoolers use an “unschooling” approach. This assumption also comes up in the other literature that I reviewed. It seems to be based on the period when homeschooling began to take hold (again) in the 1980’s. At that time, the two disparate strains of home educators joined forces to gain a voice in society. Since then, there is much more overlap of ideology and pedagogy. The author aims to give librarians an understanding of homeschoolers (and their information needs) so that the staff can reach out to the homeschooling community more effectively. Kleist-Tesch also presents many practical ideas and provides a list of resources for librarians. The internet has changed the way homeschoolers seek information. However, the motivation behind the author’s work is still relevant: Learn what homeschoolers need and figure out how to provide it. This concept of information needs will be helpful as I look at homeschoolers as an information community. An updated version of this article would be very useful. (Professional journal)

Kraftl, P. (2012). Towards geographies of ‘alternative’ education: a case study of UK home schooling families. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 2013(38), 436-450.

Peter Kraftl is Professor of Human Geography in the Department of Geography, University of Leicester, UK. He is interested in the geography of children and education. For this article he interviewed 30 homeschooling families in the U.K. in 2010. He refers to 40 sources which were published from 2007 to 2010. He clearly defines homeschooling and its geographical aspect. The article is concerned with the physical space in which education takes place. The location of home learning is touched on in the other literature, but this article takes a much closer look at it. Location is an important aspect of home education. By definition, homeschooling does not take place in a school building. Neither does it only take place in the home. Homeschoolers gain experience by being out in the community. In addition, this article provides a window into homeschooling in the U.K., whereas many other resources focus on the United States. The interviews related in the article mention specific ways that U.K. homeschoolers get information. For my research, it will be helpful to compare the information seeking behavior of homeschoolers in the two countries. The author assumes that homeschooling is an “alternate” form of education. He bases this assumption on homeschoolers’ perceptions. However, “alternate education” in the U.K. should be clearly defined before we can lump homeschooling with it. Kraftl makes the case that geographers should study and weigh in on alternate education spaces, in addition to mainstream school buildings. (Peer reviewed)

Lines, P. M. (2000). Home schooling is becoming more common. In C. Mur (Ed.), Home Schooling. (pp. 12-21). San Diego: Greenhaven Press.

This particular article was taken from the longer work “Homeschooling Comes of Age” which appeared in Public Interest in Summer 2000. At that time, Lines was a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute, which published opinions on politics, technology, economics, science, and culture. According to her website, Lines was a senior research analyst for the U.S. Department of Education. She also taught at University of Washington and Harvard University. Her writing is cited in other homeschooling literature that I reviewed. Therefore I was disappointed that this article did not furnish any references or resources. Like the other articles on the subject of homeschooling that I reviewed, this one lays down the recent history of homeschooling. Lines mentions the influence of John Holt. She refers to her findings as a Department of Education researcher and seems to want other government agencies to acknowledge the prevalence of homeschoolers. Just like with Geary’s article, the use of U.S. Government statistics on homeschooling is a weak point. I think it is difficult to rely on government reports since laws vary by state and homeschoolers may never tell the government that they are home educating. Lines acknowledges this drawback. She also refers to the distribution of curriculum purchases and numbers of support group members to arrive at a figure. She also acknowledges that homeschooling has detractors who mainly cite the issue of socialization. A list of references would make this article much stronger and more useful. This article broadly refers to information sources, such as homeschool support groups and the community at large, which could add to my inquiry into information behavior. An updated report is due, highlighting the extent and influence of homeschooling in the past 15 years since Lines wrote.

(Original publication Public Interest is peer reviewed.)

Marquant, T. & Parker, V. (2008). Fable and fact: serving the homeschool population in public libraries. Indiana Libraries, 27(1), 12-18.

Parker, who wrote the introduction to this article, has served as head of Children’s Services for 20 years at Westfield Washington Public Library in Westfield, Indiana. Her interest lies in developing lifetime library users via children’s librarianship. Her introduction shows specific ways that Marquant’s ideas have been applied at one library. Parker discusses structures that her library has set up to make information more accessible to home educators, including a designated Homeschool Liaison. Marquant has worked in Children’s Services at Westfield Washington Public Library for over seven years and is herself a home educator. She has served as the Homeschool Liaison at this library. According to the library’s website, this position still exists. Marquant uses 5 resources which include articles and government reports. Her resources were published between 2001 and 2007. Marquant addresses library staff members in order to educate them about homeschoolers and their information needs. She sets out to dispel common myths about how homeschoolers use the library. She clearly addresses 5 practical questions such as, why should public libraries serve homeschoolers? Marquant also provides a helpful definition of the homeschool laws in Indiana, which is relevant to the information needs of the particular library she is writing about. The author provides a useful list at the end of the article. It pairs curriculum resources with various homeschool pedagogies. One assumption the article makes is that since the ideas in question worked at one library, they will work at all libraries. Marquant and Parker’s methods may not be effective at every library, as libraries vary widely in budget, collection, staff and location. However, Marquant points out that homeschooling is legal in every state and therefore it is a viable educational option across the country. Her ideas are low-cost and use existing library materials, which makes them manageable for most libraries. This article discusses practical aspects of homeschool information seeking. As such, it is helpful in showing how homeschoolers actually use information. Surprisingly, Marquant does not mention internet use very much. Adding a discussion of how hormeschoolers use the internet would flesh out this article and make it even more useful. (Professional journal)

Mazama, A. & Lundy, G. (2013). African American homeschooling and the question of curricular cultural relevance. The Journal of Negro Education, 82(2), 123-138.

Mazama is Associate Professor of African American Studies at Temple University in Philadelphia. Lundy is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. Theirs is one of the more recent articles that I found on home education. The authors conducted 74 interviews in 2010 and 2011. They also cite 42 sources which range among historical background dating from 1925 to modern books and articles published in 2011. The authors address educators and present the case that African Americans tend to homeschool as a reaction to the curriculum taught in public schools. The authors provide a long background section on black education in the United States. They clearly define terms such as “human capital.” Although the line of reasoning is not always clear, the tables and charts are helpful. Overall, the article is convincing. The authors have done broad research. Unfortunately, grammar and punctuation errors in the article are distracting. The motivations expressed in the article are consistent with other research I have read--that is, parents’ desire to be in charge of what their children are taught. As the authors note, more research needs to be done on the African American homeschool experience. It would be illuminating to study the details of this experience. Also, looking into the college experiences of African American homeschoolers would teach us more about the implications of this educational choice. Mazama and Lundy uncover a source of information that is not mentioned in other articles. Parents interviewed said that they look to African traditions for material to pass along to their children. (Peer reviewed)

Neuman, A. & Aviram, A. (2003). Homeschooling as a fundamental change in lifestyle. Evaluation and Research in Education, 17(2-3), 132-143.

Neuman and Aviram are from The Centre for Futurism in Education, Department of Education, Ben Gurion University of the Negev in Israel. In particular, Aviram is interested in educational change, autonomy in education and children’s rights. The authors conducted in-depth interviews with eight homeschool families in Israel between the years 1997 and 2003. They also consult 28 sources which were published between 1980 and 2003. Neuman and Aviram use a deductive approach to address educators and the homeschooling community outside of the United States. The article is easy to follow, with helpful lists. The authors’ points can be understood based on the interview responses that are included. The article shows that homeschooling is gaining traction in Israel and that it represents a paradigmatic change for families who practice it. The authors seem to assume that their findings apply to all “Western” countries. This idea is a bit surprising since Israel, while a highly developed country, straddles west/east culture and geography. They base the generalisability of their results on stages of development. Neuman and Aviram identify five stages in the development of the homeschooling movement in the United States. Some of these stages are now evident in Israel. Thus the authors seem to imply that what is true in the United States will be true in Israel, and vice versa. The authors explain their research methods in detail. There were a few things about this research that I found noteworthy. One is that the whole homeschooling experience seemed quite different than that described in articles from the United States from the same time. It could be that, as the authors suggest, homeschooling in Israel is a few developmental stages behind homeschooling in the United States--in terms of its role in mainstream society. Part of this difference reveals itself in numbers. The authors reported there were only sixty families officially home educating in Israel. Compare that to 250,000 in the United States in 1990. Even allowing for differences in size, population, and lack of accurate reporting, that is a substantial difference in the amount of people homeschooling. Most of the pedagogy that the article describes sounds like “unschooling,” whereas in the United States that is just one of many approaches to home education. This leads to avenues for further research. It would be helpful to see where Israeli homeschooling is currently in the development process. Also, more inquiry can be done into different approaches to homeschooling. The article shows that there is a dearth of information resources for homeschoolers in Israel, which is an important facet of information seeking.

(Peer reviewed)

Rutkowski, K. M. (1998). Homeschool pioneers on the web. Multimedia Schools, 5(3), 76-80.

Rutkowski wrote as an educational consultant out of Virginia. She wrote a column called “Voices of the Web” in a professional journal which is now called Internet@Schools. Her article is geared toward educators and homeschooling families. It is a systemized review of various websites. The article is clearly written and the methodology defined. Websites are reviewed in five areas: Vision, originality, community, empowerment, and structure. Rutkowski is easy to follow as she explores the features of various websites for homeschoolers. The article includes color photos with captions, which would have been illuminating. However, the photos were not visible in the format that I used to read the article. Rutkowski makes the point that online resources are important for homeschoolers because the internet is a key tool for education in general. Rutkowski lumps homeschoolers with other educators. The publication is for teachers and school librarians. In some cases homeschoolers see themselves as distinct from the education system. However, Rutkowski treats homeschoolers as the educators that they are. She also hones in on the information needs of homeschoolers as a community, mentioning the need for legal information, curricular material and support groups. These points are relevant to my research on homeschoolers’ information behavior. This article is over sixteen years old, but some of the same information needs persist.The author is well-versed in website features, even though the internet was much newer at the time she wrote than it is now. This articles shows that even sixteen years ago the internet was a prevalent resource for homeschoolers. One weak point of this article is the lack of references. Another difficulty is the fast-changing nature of the internet. Several of the websites that the author lists are defunct. However, some are up-to-date, albeit with new names and formats. It is revealing that homeschool websites enjoy some longevity in such a mercurial medium.

(Professional journal)

Sherfinski, M. (2014). Contextualizing the tools of a classical and Christian homeschooling mother-teacher. The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto Curriculum Inquiry, 44(2), 169-203.

Sherfinski is Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction/Literacy Studies at West Virginia University. In relation to education, she has written on homeschooling, social class and universal Kindergarten. My research is bolstered by finding an article as recent and as relevant as Sherfinski’s. Published in 2014, it is the most up-to-date resource that I reviewed. She lists three pages of references--a broad range published between 1956 and 2013. She bases this article on interviews and observations of several U.S. homeschooling families. She uses statistics to define homeschooling and includes a section explaining classical curriculum. She highlights how classical education is experiencing a resurgence as it is being implemented by Christian homeschoolers. Although she studied several families, the article focuses heavily on one woman. Sherfinski seems to assume that her observations of one subject will apply to all homeschoolers. However, she conducted in-depth observations for one year. The author also suggests that since most homeschoolers are white and middle class, that most Christian-classical homeschoolers are white and middle class. She refers to the National Center for Educational Statistics. It is helpful to read a detailed observation of what really goes on in a homeschooling family. Sherfinski’s article is convincing, and lines up with findings from other articles. This article is different from other studies in that it focuses on one particular homeschool method (classical-Christian). It provides an insider’s look into homeschooling. The research could go even farther by examining the specific ways that homeschoolers adapt curriculum and by exploring the role of mothers in home education. Sherfinski’s article will be helpful in my research because information seeking came up in her observations of the particular family in question. (Peer reviewed)