Running head: HOMESCHOOLING EDUCATIONALLY AND SOCIALLY

Homeschooling Educationally and Socially

Autumn Holland
Wright State University
Professor Jane Blakelock
ENG 2100-31
14 March 2016

HOMESCHOOLING EDUCATIONALLY AND SOCIALLY

The number of U.S. children educated at home has nearly tripled in the last 10
years, as mainstream parents have embraced a movement once considered the domain of
aging and hippies and religious fundamentalists (Cox, 2003). As homeschooling
increases myths, opinions, beliefs, and facts make up each part of the debate between
whether homeschooling is educationally and socially beneficial to a student. Each new
line of observation helps stakeholders decide which facts of the debate resonate for them.
Homeschooling is an option for many parents and students with benefits and
disadvantages to weigh. Viewed by the public eye homeschooling has social and
educational repercussions on a child based around facts, opinions, and beliefs.
Many parents believe that it is their right to choose where their children receive
their education; some public schools find homeschooling as a competitor to them. There
are other public schools, which see homeschooling as a way to reach out to their
community and cooperate with them to provide extracurricular activities such as sports
and the arts to provide students with a well-rounded education. Along, with this
cooperation parents are given resources as an example a program [named] CommunityAssisted Schooling Alternatives parents can consult with staff members on their
homeschooling curriculums (Eley, 2002, p.1-2). This is an example of the way
homeschooling partnered with public schools can help a student educationally by
assisting their parents with the right materials and advice from a professional point of
view. By providing parents with advice from teachers, parents will be able to teach their
children in a way that will tailor to their needs in a more specialized way then the public
school could.

HOMESCHOOLING EDUCATIONALLY AND SOCIALLY

One main apposing opinion is that homeschooling will create socially awkward
children who will grow into adults who are socially awkward who will not be able to
function within the social environment created by our society. Their concern that
socialization defined by Lebeda as the process by which individuals learn to establish
and maintain relationships with others, become accepted members of society, regulate
their own behavior in accordance with societys codes and standards, and get along with
others (2007, p. 3). Socialization is a key aspect of education for a child. Within an
educational environment, students not only learn language arts, history, math, science,
and art, but also how to interact with each other in the social atmosphere of school, which
they will be able to relate back to the society around them. Some believe that unless
children are exposed to the social life found in public school on a daily basis, they will
lack the skills needed to successfully adapt to real life situations when they are older
(Romanowski, 2006, p. 1). Many think that children can only receive social skills by
interacting with peers within the public school environment which they will be able to
relate back to the way they interact with others outside of the educational environment.
On the other side of that argument, homeschooling does not mean a student does
not receive any social interaction with other children and adults. The counterargument
goes, homeschooled children receive social interaction, through churches and
communities [that] offer other activities, many of which focus more on healthy social
interaction than the school does (Lebeda, 2007, p.5). There are many ways for a child to
learn social skills through many different interactions outside of the public school system.
Many children that are homeschooled will play sports through the YMCA or the public
school extracurricular activities even though they do not attend a public school. Through

HOMESCHOOLING EDUCATIONALLY AND SOCIALLY

sports, the arts, and activities within the church and community children interact with
others in a more laid back feature of their life. Many times these interactions are a
positive social construction of a childs social skills, which will only be enhanced, as the
child becomes an adult.
Another aspect of the homeschooling debate is whether children have a more
beneficial learning environment in public school or the homeschooling environment.
Many children are over seen within the public school system and only seen as a number
to attain funds for their school and to be known as a school of excellence. On the flip
side, homeschool children are more likely than traditionally schooled children to
become independent and self-directed in learning their own values and skills, and to
avoid reliance on peer approval (Lebeda, 2007, p. 6). This gives the evidence that
children that are homeschooled learn to study on their own which help them
educationally especially when they arrive in college and are forced to study on their own.
This ability will help them within college, as they will already know how to study on
their own and to help themselves understand with a more tailored effect on themselves.
One of the most impressive strengths of the home education lies in the fact that,
in many cases, the entire process revolves around a childs intrinsic motivation to learn
(Riley, 2015, p. 5). The intrinsic motivation of a child is the internal reward system within
an individual that enhances their ability to learn on a more individual basis. This sense of
individualized learning helps a student to succeed educationally allowing for the student
to succeed further into college with already learned study habits. The homeschooling
environment allows for a child to learn his or hers own style of learning which will help

HOMESCHOOLING EDUCATIONALLY AND SOCIALLY

them to know how to study in college. The intrinsic motivation of success helps a student
to learn how to study on his or her own.
When understanding the homeschooling debate, one must figure in the fact that
children will react differently when placed in homeschooling or public school.
Homeschooling may be a better option for a student that has trouble within the public
school system either educationally or socially and it may benefit the child to be placed in
homeschooling for the time being. On the other hand, some students thrive within the
public school system and flourish educationally and socially. It all depends on the child.
According to the article entitled The Social and Educational Outcomes of
Homeschooling by Joseph Murphy, academic test results suggest that homeschooling
students are not disadvantaged by home-based education (11). This supports the belief
that a student can thrive within the homeschooling environment when he or she may
struggle within a public school system. On the other hand Murphy explains that
homeschooling may not influence the academic behavior of the student in any way (11).
Each child will react differently from being homeschooled or in public school there are
no definite facts that will sway ones belief that a child should be homeschooled or not; it
all depends on what is right for the child and the family.
My family is a real life testimony concerning how a child reacts to homeschooling
or public education. My brother and I were homeschooled for multiple years as we were
having difficulty learning within the public school system and private school system. Our
mother chose to homeschool us when my brother was starting 1st grade and I was starting
the 4th grade. We both reacted differently to being homeschooled. I caught on quickly on
how to get good grades and learn efficiently in my own mind. My brother on the other

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hand was very stubborn and aggressive toward my mother for bringing him home, which
resulted in him struggling to learn in this environment. As my mother had to deal with my
brother acting out against her, I would read and study my lessons on my own which
helped me to learn my own study habits that worked or didnt work for me. My
experience with homeschooling helped me when I was put back into the public school
system in 9th grade. I was able to study on my own and knew what worked for me and
continued to get good grades throughout my high school experience and now into my
college career.
My brother on the other hand fought with my mom when it came to doing his
schooling at home. He did not want to learn from her, which hindered his ability to
achieve academic success. After a couple of years of homeschooling, his attitude was
improved but still hard hearted toward homeschooling and finally my mother decided to
put him back into the public school system. Once he was in public school he flourished
academically and socially. He is now a 10th grader in all honors classes and participating
in Baseball within the high school. My testimony helps to prove the fact that
homeschooling really depends on the child. A student may struggle in homeschooling or
in public school it all depends on how the child will react to each education system.
According to Home Schooling Debate by Cox, a family who lives in the San
Francisco Bay Area chooses to homeschool their children as they live an hour away from
the closest school to them. They also chose to homeschool their children because they
have younger children whom they do not want to put on a school bus all by themselves
(2003). Many parents choose to homeschool their children based upon many facts and
opinions of the family. According to Figure 1: Parents Reason for Home Schooling,

HOMESCHOOLING EDUCATIONALLY AND SOCIALLY

some main reasons for parents to homeschool their children are religious reasons, to give
the child a better education at home, the learning environment at public school is poor,
family reasons, to enhance the development of character, dont agree with what is taught
at school, the child is not challenged, the behavior of the child, and the child has a
disability (Cox, 2003).

Figure 1: Parents Reasons for Home Schooling

Every parent who makes the decision to homeschool his or her children does not factor in
every reason stated in Figure 1. When they do factor in any reason the parents have to
make the decision based upon what is best for the child and whether he or she is thriving
educationally and socially within the public school system. If the child is not thriving the
parents will make the decision to enhance their childs education in any way possible.

HOMESCHOOLING EDUCATIONALLY AND SOCIALLY

Each family has their own opinions on homeschooling which factor into every decision
made for the family. The homeschooling debate is based upon myths, fact, and opinions,
which change every century as each generation changes as well. As the debate changes
with each new generation homeschooling will either increase or decrease based around
the facts, myths, and opinions of each generation.

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References
Cox, R. (2003, January 13). Home Schooling Debate. Retrieved March 9, 2016, from CQ
Researcher,http://library.cqpress.com.ezproxy.libraries.wright.edu/cqresearcher/do
cument.php?id=cqresrre2003011700&type=hitlist&num=1
Eley, M. G. (2002). Making the Homeschool Connection. Educational Leadership, 59(7),
54.
Lebeda, S. (2007). Homeschooling: Depriving Children of Social Development?. Journal
Of Contemporary Legal Issues, 16(1), 99-104.
Murphy, J. (2014). The social and educational outcomes of homeschooling. Sociological
Spectrum, 34(3), 244-272. doi:10.1080/02732173.2014.895640
Riley, Gina. "Differences In Competence, Autonomy, And Relatedness Between Home
Educated And Traditionally Educated Young Adults." International Social Science
Review 90.2 (2015): 1-27. Academic Search Complete. Web. 26 Jan. 2016.
Romanowski, M. H. (2006). Revisiting the Common Myths about Homeschooling.
Clearing House: A Journal Of Educational Strategies, Issues And Ideas, 79(3),
125-129.