Homeschooling is a growing trend in America. Studies on homeschooling in the past three decades have focused on the reasons why parents choose to homeschool, the academic and social quality of homeschooling, and the perceptions of public and private school officials towards homeschooling, as well as homeschooling parents' perceptions of public and private schools. The literature on homeschool cooperatives is scarce. A homeschool cooperative (co-op) is a group of homeschooling parents who have gathered to collectively teach their children. Co-ops might teach core subjects, electives, athletics, or just serve as an opportunity for homeschooling families to gather for fellowship and social time. This dissertation is a study of a homeschool co-op in San Antonio, Texas. The researcher for this study attempted to answer two questions: 1) What is a history of the co-op, and 2) What are the daily operations of the co-op? This researcher observed the selected co-op in action, reviewed documents supplied by co-op members, and interviewed four members of the co-op who have varying degrees of participation in the co-op. Through triangulation of interviews, observations, and documents, this researcher has described a history of the selected co-op, including its founding and daily operations. The co-op, formed in 2005, is a large, Catholic-affiliated co-op that meets weekly for twelve weeks each semester. The teachers, all paid, are either parents of co-op students or individuals hired from outside the co-op. Students in the co-op have twenty to twenty-five courses from which to choose each semester. The participants in the study are satisfied with their experiences in the Quality Homeschool Co-op. The participants state that the co-op is providing quality academic classes that supplement the curricula used at home. The participants are also pleased with the positive socialization that their children receive while attending the co-op. This study adds to the literature on homeschooling cooperatives. Although further research on this study is possible based on different research questions, this researcher has presented a history of Quality Homeschool Co-op and has documented the co-op's daily operations.

Past studies have indicated that home-schooled children perform above average in measures of achievement but these studies failed to include an assessment of social skills and failed to include samples of both home-schooled and traditionally-schooled students preventing a direct comparison between these two groups. The purpose of this study was to fill this research gap by addressing the following research questions: (1) Are there significant differences in academic achievement of home-schooled and traditionally-schooled high school students? The Economic Theory of Public Administration of Schooling suggests that home-schoolers will perform academically at least as well as traditional-schoolers; and (2) Are there significant differences in social skills levels of home-schoolers and traditional-schoolers? Social Learning Theory suggests that children learn positive social interaction from other children. The participants were high school students drawn from an ethnically and socio-economically diverse suburban area in the Lancaster and Bakersfield, CA area. A MANOVA was conducted to compare academic achievement and social skills of home-schoolers and traditional-schoolers. Statistical results indicated that there were no significant differences between the two groups in academic achievement but did indicate that students who were home-schooled score significantly lower in social skills than students who are traditionally-schooled. The positive social change implications of this study center on the need to attend to the socialization opportunities for students who are home-schooled. Parents who home-school or are considering home schooling will be able to use this information in planning their children's education and social interactions with other students.

This applied dissertation study was designed to inform and advance knowledge by using a quantitative approach to determine if perceived parental stress in homeschooling parents varies as a function of age, income, education, and ethnicity. Previous research in the field of homeschooling has primarily been qualitative in nature, thus, leaving a gap in the research. Home schooling parents of K-6 grade children in South Florida districts were specified as the sample for the study. A perceived Stress Survey and demographic questionnaire were administered to 102 participants. Parental participants were male and female, all ethnicity, and ages 18 and older, who were homeschooling K-6th grade children in South Florida. Inferential statistics were used to draw conclusions from the sample tested. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 23.0 was used to code and tabulate scores collected from the survey and provide summarized values where applicable. Logistic regression analyses of variance (ANOVA) were used to evaluate the two Research Questions and hypotheses. Analysis of the primary data indicated that age, income, level of education, ethnicity and number of children homeschooled had no significant effect on perceived stress. Implication from findings suggests that behavioral characteristics of the child may mediate the relationship between stress and parental characteristics. The study is a valuable addition to the homeschooling research community as it aligns with and extends findings from previous research.

This qualitative study seeks to assess the effectiveness of homeschool collegiate preparation through the eyes of homeschool alumni. Four alumni who are current college students participated in the study. A triangulation of methods, which included surveys, open-ended questionnaires, and interviews, ensured reliability and validity. Although the students represented a wide range of varied homeschool experiences, the perceptions of all the students were that their environments prepared them for collegiate-level work at levels that are above average.

Homeschooling is becoming an increasingly popular education alternative in much of the developed world and the desire by parents to homeschool is slowly changing the perception of homeschooling and the laws that regulate and/or prohibit the practice. This paper examines the practice of homeschooling via a gendered lens and with clear recognition of the devaluation of reproductive labor within the modern, capitalist social context.

The Study & Sing curriculum is designed (1) to provide homeschooling high school students with a music resource that is easy to access and incorporate within their homeschool environment; (2) to facilitate meaningful and effective music instruction by designing a music class for a qualified music teacher to use within cooperative homeschool groups; (3) to offer homeschooling families a comprehensive music class that closely follows the National Core Arts Standards for music education; and (4) to provide a music class for homeschool co-op students that offers a comprehensive design and fosters collaborative music experiences by integrating a performance component that corresponds with the academic music material. This curriculum is an eight-week unit study that explores Early-to-Mid American Music ranging from the 17th century to the early-20th century. The course will be offered synchronously in person within a homeschool cooperative setting and aligns with national music standards by offering a comprehensive approach that incorporates academic music components (Study) with corresponding music performance elements (Sing). Class materials with be easily accessible, enabling students to download the course materials including listening examples, weekly presentations, and links for sheet music, and music teachers will be able to access and download weekly lesson plans with guided instruction and slide presentations. Student comprehension of the unit study material will be assessed through integrated activities and corresponding quizzes during weeks 2-7 and individual prepared presentations in week 7. In the final week of the class, students will sing together in a multi-part choral ensemble and will perform music arrangements adapted from original melodies that they learned and practiced together during the unit study.

The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of discourses on homeschool educators’ and homeschool learners’ perceptions of homeschooling and the embodiment thereof in their homeschool practices. The literature confirms the importance of an in-depth investigation to study homeschool educators’ and homeschool learners’ experiences, values, norms, perceptions and discourses with regard to teaching and learning as well as the outcomes set by the homeschool educators. The various systems that the homeschool educators and homeschool learners participate in influence one another. Only when the unique context with its underpinning viewpoints, values, perceptions and discourses is understood will it be possible to see whether the outcomes set by the homeschool educator(s) have been attained. Knowledge in this regard can contribute to an increased understanding of the unique and complex homeschool context and the implications for teaching and learning as well as policy development regarding homeschooling. The unique nature of each homeschool practice emphasizes the importance of an in-depth study regarding the context, which can be seen as a form of subculture, which should be investigated closely in order to gain a deeper and richer understanding of this form of education. The discourses that the homeschool educators and homeschool learners subscribe to are part of this subjective frame. Understanding the discourses can contribute to a better understanding which will enable professionals to provide adequate support to homeschools in a well grounded and responsible manner. A multiple case-study of four homeschools was conducted, each involving the educators, fathers and learners in unstructured interviews and responses on a single projection plate, and including three observation sessions of day-to-day homeschooling activities. The aim of the interviews was to learn about the homeschools from the participants’ perspective. The projection plate was administered to tap into the participants’ personal meanings, thus enhancing the truth value of the research. The observation sessions were intended to yield insight into participants’ behaviour. Finally, a reflective interview was conducted with the homeschool educator for clarification and verification of specific matters. The data analysis entailed a selective discourse analysis of the interview data to the model of discursive psychology, identifying the participants’ primary and secondary discourses, and analysing and discussing a selection of their discursive statements. The projection plates were interpreted and compared to the interview data. The observation data were reviewed to examine the homeschool educators’ and homeschool learners’ behaviours and establish the degree of congruency among their interviews, projections and behaviours. Results and findings were interpreted within the framework provided by the bio-ecological model of Bronfenbrenner. Findings: The discourses that the homeschool educators subscribe to originate from the macrosystemic level and directly influence their perceptions and practices in homeschooling. Therefore, each homeschool is unique; each homeschool practice and many of the perceptions can only be understood and explained through closer investigation of the discourses subscribed to in the microsystem of the family. The discourses form the context of the homeschool and homeschool practices are embedded in this context. The reasons for homeschooling and all aspects that form part of the day-to-day functioning of the homeschool are driven by the discourses. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted

During the past 40 years, the U.S. homeschooling population rose exponentially. The results of homeschooling need to be studied further so that parents, legislators, and higher education leaders can make prudent and well-informed decisions regarding homeschooled students. No studies have been completed that focus on the unique experiences of homeschooled women as they transition to college in terms of academics, forming new relationships, and individuating from their families. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore academic and relational processes during the transition to college. In this qualitative dissertation based on constructivist design and in the conceptual framework of feminist essentialism, 11 female second- and third-year college students who were homeschooled for all of high school were chosen using criterion sampling. NVivo software was employed for data analysis using Moustakas' modification of the Van Kaam method of data analysis. Findings for this study were, a) homeschooled women felt substantially similar to traditionally schooled students in terms of academics and relationships, and b) homeschooled women felt as though they were raised in a different culture, but they felt equally or slightly more capable academically, more self-directed in their studies, and closer to their families than their traditionally schooled peers did. The results of this study may contribute to positive social change by helping parents, legislators, and college professionals empower homeschooled college women by altering curriculum, by developing supportive programs and policies to help homeschooled women transition to college, and by understanding how to tailor college programs and classes to maximally benefit homeschooled women.

U.S. military members and their families relocate from one duty station to another on average once every 3 years. Children in military families change schools often, introducing potential problems such as struggling to make new friends, having trouble adjusting to new teaching styles, and losing academic credits due to the transition from one school to the next. Homeschooling that incorporates online resources can provide instructional continuity, social interaction opportunities, and submission of required periodic assessments. The primary purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the experiences of military parents involved in homeschooling their children using online resources. The research questions were designed to explore these experiences and to create recommendations for other military families. A conceptual framework based on a constructivist learning approach and change theory informed this study. Data were collected from 9 parents with many years of experience homeschooling. The parents were interviewed via phone, e-mail, and Skype. Data were analyzed using open coding, axial coding, and hierarchical coding. Parent participants chose homeschooling due to dissatisfaction with available schools, family location, and flexibility. Online resources were described as making it easier and more engaging for students to learn and as simplifying the parents' instructional and management tasks. These alternative methods replaced or augmented traditional educational methods. Parent participants encouraged other parents to reach out and seek help early in the process. This study promotes positive social change by providing resources for alternative ways children can be educated while one or more military parent is serving and defending the United States of America.

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