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Jackson, Glenda Mary. Monash University. Faculty of Education; 2009. ‘More than one way to learn’ : home educated students’ transitions between home and school.

Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://arrow.monash.edu.au/hdl/1959.1/83110

Title

‘More than one way to learn’ : home educated students’ transitions between home and school

Creator

Jackson, Glenda Mary

Contributor

Principal Supervisor: Brown, Jillian R., Dr.

Subject

Home education

Subject

Home schooling

Subject

Alternative education

Subject

Transition

Subject

Student perspectives

Subject

Self concepts

Date

2009

Publisher

Monash University. Faculty of Education

Description

Home schooling is a growing phenomenon in many countries throughout the world. Despite this, little attention has been paid to the relationship between home schooling and mainstream educational institutions. In this study, parents and home educated children who had moved into and/or out of mainstream educational institutions, and educational professionals who had been involved in such transitions were interviewed. This data was analysed using perspectives from historical sociocultural, critical and identity theories. Participant groups discussed common experiences from different perspectives. Students fell into four ability groups – gifted, advanced learners, average and students with learning and/or health difficulties. Less than a quarter of the students interviewed in this study were identified as average students. Parents fell into two groups – those who moved children out of mainstream institutions and those who moved children from home education into mainstream institutions. Professionals, both administrators and teachers, described mostly positive academic and social transition experiences of home educated students. Children who had moved out of mainstream institutions in primary school frequently described their frustration with institutional practices they felt discriminated them from their peers. Students who entered or returned to secondary school appreciated access to expert knowledge, peer mediation, inclusive professionals and socialisation experiences with peers. Themes arising from the data included learning opportunities at home and in mainstream educational institutions, student autonomy, the development of student identity in the culturally different environments of home and mainstream educational institutions, socialisation, professional practices and institutional structures. Recommendations for future practice and policy direction, and areas for further research were identified. In conclusion, home educated students are moving into and out of mainstream educational institutions and benefiting academically, socially and through personal development from their transition experiences in both directions.

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Identifier

http://arrow.monash.edu.au/hdl/1959.1/83110

Identifier

ethesis-20090918-132317

Identifier

monash:12984

RM Identifier

$rmid

Publication Category

$pubCat

Language

eng

Rights

Open access: open access to thesis full text.

Rights

This thesis is protected by copyright. Copyright in the thesis remains with the author. The Monash University Arrow Repository has a non-exclusive licence to publish and communicate this thesis online.

Type

thesis

Type

PhdDoctorate

Description	Size	Format
‘More than one way to learn’ : home educated students’ transitions between home and school	5 KB	XML Document	View/Open
THESIS	953 KB	Adobe Acrobat PDF	View/Open

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