Considerations of Academically Talented Students’ Homeschooling Families for Returning to Traditional Schools

• Michael S. Matthews ^[1] ; Jennifer L. Jolly ^[3] ; Matthew C. Makel ^[2] ; Ahmed Almhawes ^[1] ; Kimberleigh S. Daniels ^[3] ; Julia H. Wojciechowski ^[1]
  1. [1] University of North Carolina at Charlotte

     University of North Carolina at Charlotte

     Estados Unidos

     
  2. [2] University of Calgary

     University of Calgary

     Canadá

     
  3. [3] The University of Alabama

  Mostrar afiliaciones +
• Localización: Gifted child quarterly, ISSN-e 1934-9041, ISSN 0016-9862, Vol. 68, Nº 2, 2024, págs. 137-153
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • Parent-led, home-based education, or homeschooling, has grown rapidly over recent decades with participation rates increasing more than 100-fold to now nearly one in 25 students nationwide in the United States. However, the research base has not grown correspondingly, and homeschoolers remain understudied. We systematically surveyed a population of homeschooling families (N = 881 responses) who had reported homeschooling a high-ability student to learn more about their characteristics and perceptions. Specifically, we report a mixed-methods analysis of the survey responses addressing whether and why these parents would or would not consider returning their child to a traditional school setting. Respondents were predominantly mothers who reported a high level of formal education and who were primarily responsible for implementing homeschooling with their child. Qualitative thematic analysis of open-ended responses yielded five main themes: preference, academics, concerns about future educational opportunities, satisfaction, and well-being. Findings both support and extend prior research with this population.