From: Technotranscendence <neptune@mars.superlink.net>
>What we should really look for is whether homeschooled kids are better
>in social interaction than non-homeschooled kids. The socialization
>issue always comes up with homeschooling, yet I've seen no evidence --
>just anecdotes -- about whether kids are better or worse off with home-
>schooling.
>
>My gut feeling is that they are better or no different in this area, but
I'd
>like
>to see some studies done.
Below are some research papers that have been done. I got this from the FAQ
of the US Home-Ed Mailing List. Listed are articles showing that they are
academically the same (or better), that their parents don't need to be
qualified teachers and that socializtion isn't an issue and that they go on
to university or work without difficulty. Anything else ?
Grant Sparks
grant@sparks.to
Research that supports the claim that homeschoolers do as well as or better
than their schooled peers academically:
Greene, S. (1985)
Home study in Alaska: A profile of K-12 students enrolled in the Alaska
Centralized Correspondence Study. Resources in Education. (ERIC document
Reproduction Service No. ED 255 494)
Rakestraw, J. (1987)
An Analysis of Home Schooling for Elementary School-age Children in Alabama.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL.
Ray, B.D. & Wartes, J. (1991)
Academic Task and Socializing.
In J. Van Galen and M.A Pittman (Eds.)
Home Schooling: Political, Historical, and Pedagogical Perspectives.
Norwood, NJ: Ablex. Richman, Howard. (1988)
Homeschoolers Score Higher - A Replicable Result. (available from
Pennsylvania Homeschoolers, RD 2, Box 117, Kittanning PA 16201)
Wartes, J. (1990).
The Relationship of Selected Input Variables to Academic Achievement Among
Washington's Homeschoolers, [16109 NE 169th Place,] Woodinville, WA:
Washington Homeschool Research Project.
Research that supports the claim that homeschoolers are not deprived of
social skills or experiences:
Delahooke, M.M. (1986).
Home educated children's social/emotional adjustment and academic
achievement: a comparative study. Doctoral dissertation, California School
of Professional Psychology, Los Angeles. Dissertation Abstracts
International, 47 475A.
Montgomery, L. (1989).
The effect of home schooling on the leadership skills of home schooled
students. Home School Researcher, Vol. 5 (1), 1-10.
Taylor, J.W. (1986)
Self-concept in home-schooling children. Doctoral dissertation, Andrews
University, Berrien Springs, MI.
Research that supports the claim that homeschooling parents do not need to
be certified teachers to help their children learn:
Rakestraw, J. (1987).
An Analysis of Home Schooling for Elementary School- age Children in
Alabama. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL.
Ray, B. (1990)
A Nationwide Study of Home Education: Family Characteristics, Legal Matters,
and Student Achievement. The National Home Education Research Institute. 25
W. Cremona St. Seattle, WA 98119
Wartes, J. (1990).
The Relationship of Selected Input Variables to Academic Achievement Among
Washington's Homeschoolers, [16109 NE 169th Place,] Woodinville, WA:
Washington Homeschool Research Project.
Research that supports the claim that the number of homeschoolers is
increasing in the United States:
Lines, P. (1987).
An Overview of Home Instruction. Phi Delta Kappan, March 1987.
Lines, P. (1990).
Home Instruction: Characteristics, Size and Growth. In Home Schooling:
Political, Historical, and Pedagogical Perspectives. Norwood, NJ: Ablex
Publishing.
Research that supports the claim that homeschoolers encounter no special
difficulty in getting into college or finding employment:
Barnaby, L.(1984)
American university admission requirements for home schooled applicants, in
1984. Doctoral dissertation, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT.
Dissertation Abstracts International, 47(3), 798A.
Webb, J. (1989)
The Outcomes of Home-based Edcation: Employment and Other Issues.
Educational Review, 41(2).
Sources for more research information:
The Moore Foundation
Box 1,
Camas WA 98607
(Dr. Raymond Moore)
The National Home Education Research Institute,
25 W. Cremona St.
Seattle, WA 98119
(Dr. Brian Ray)
Articles in academic journals about homeschooling can be accessed using the
ERIC database (available in many public and university libraries);
When searching in ERIC be sure to look at all the forms of the word
"homeschooling" (i.e. home school, home-school, home education, etc.) in
order to get the largest number of references. You can also write to the
National Home Education Research Institute (see above) for details on how to
obtain their current bibliography of home-schooling articles.
To obtain a copy of a dissertation, be sure to get correct reference numbers
from the University Microfilms International (UMI) Dissertation Abstracts
database or books (according to their literature they are "the only central
source of accessing almost every doctoral dissertation accepted in North
America since 1861").
Contact UMI at 300 N. Zeeb Rd.,
Ann Arbor MI 48106;
800-521-0600.