The Cycle of Transformation in Home School Families Over Time

The purpose of this study was to examine from an insider's perspective the goals, motivations, and curricular implementation of home school families. This 23 month naturalistic, multi-site study was conducted with 17 families in central Ohio. Data collected included interviews, case studies, participant observation, and document analysis. All participants had been home schooling for a minimum of three years. Three major themes emerged from an interpretative analysis of the data (Erickson, 1986) as primary to the underlying structure of home school families: family relationships, curriculum implementation, and the parental role. The transformation over time of each of these themes was traced and documented. Initially there was often an adjustment period with family relationships as families got used to being families and schools. The second year parents reported operating as a cooperative unit and participating in many extracurricular activities together. By the third year families were active in their communities by participating in meaningful ways including volunteering, apprenticeships, and work. After year three families had adapted to this new living and learning life style and no longer had thoughts of sending their children back to school. Curricular implementation changed dramatically as parents became accustomed to teaching. Parents adapted curriculum to meet academic needs and weaknesses the second year. Year three parents chose curriculum based on their childrens' strengths and interests. The parental role also changed over time. Year one parents were learning to be parent and teacher; year two was marked by explicit teaching; year three and beyond parents became facilitators and partners. Components of a sociocultural model of living and learning were evident in each of the three case study homes. They included response and interaction, a relaxed structure, curriculum choice, blocks of time, and community involvement. The concluding chapter discusses implications for further research in education and school reform.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

EDU Teaching and Learning

Grantor dc:publisher

The Ohio State University

Year dc:date

1999

Author dc:creator

• Holinga, Karen Rodgers

Contributors dc:contributor

• Zutell, Jerome
• Kirschner, Becky

• Education
• Teaching

Statement dc:rights

• unrestricted
• This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws.

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1363866731

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:etd.ohiolink.edu:osu1363866731