There have been numerous attempts to determine the reasons why parents choose to home educate their children. A doctoral dissertation by Annora E. Gilliss contributes to the body of literature on this topic and attempts to answer this question utilizing an analytical
framework not heretofore utilized in the context of home education.
Rather than using the term “parents,” Dr. Gilliss uses a more encompassing term “caregivers,” which seems appropriate as one of her in-depth survey participants was, in fact, a grandparent home educator. She also uses “rationalizations” rather than “reasons” to elucidate the foundational purposes of the decision to home educate for this group of study
participants.
Methodology
The researcher purposefully selected home educating families that were members of a large social media group, the size of which contributed to her ability to ensure anonymity, as well as seek geographic and experiential diversity. She also assigned pseudonyms to interview participants for further protection of study participants. A total of 21 families completed a survey of predominately open-ended questions
intended to answer the following research questions:
…..
The third of the top three themes was the desire to pass on family values, which was predominantly described in terms of religion, but was also highlighted as a positive by one family with an atheistic worldview.
. . . . . [new study continues here] And please see comments below.
--Brian D. Ray, Ph.D.
National Home Education Research Institute
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