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Although homeschooling is growing in prevalence, its educational outcomes remain unclear. The present study compared the academic achievements of homeschooled children with children attending traditional public school. When the homeschooled group was divided into those who were taught from organized lesson plans (structured homeschoolers) and those who were not (unstructured homeschoolers), the data showed that structured homeschooled children achieved higher standardized scores compared with children attending public school. Exploratory analyses also suggest that the unstructured homeschoolers are achieving the lowest standardized scores across the 3 groups.
Keywords: curriculum, education, homeschooling, reading, unschooling
The number of children being homeschooled in North America is growing at an unprecedented rate (Arai, 2000; Barwegen, Falciarli, Putman, Reamer, & Stair, 2004; Brady, 2005; Cai, Reeve, & Robinson, 2002; Jones & Gloeckner, 2004a, 2004b; Ray, 2010). In the United States, best estimates place the homeschooUng population above 1.5 million children (National Center for Education Statistics, 2008). Similarly, it has been suggested that homeschoolers account for almost 1% of all Canadian children (Davies & Aurini, 2003); however, it is likely that these estimates are too conservative (Basham, Merrifield, & Hepburn, 2007).
In addition to reUgious convictions, dissatisfaction with the pubUc school system is the most prominent factor in the decision to homeschool (Home School Legal Defence Association of Canada, 2006; Mayberry & Knowles, 1989; Van Galen, 1987; Welner, 2002). However, empirical research has not confirmed the pervasive belief that homeschooled elementary children are advancing beyond their pubUc school peers (Basham, 2001; see also Cogan, 2010, for college students). Recent attempts have been made to understand both the demographic characteristics and the ideological underpinnings of the homeschooUng community (Collum & Mitchell, 2005; Klein & Poplin, 2008; Merry & HoweU, 2009; Van Galen, 1987); yet, at present, very few independent (i.e., nonpartisan) studies have focused on the academic achievements associated with home education. The aim of the current investigation was to evaluate the efficacy of home-based education as measured by standardized achievement tests in a small Canadian sample of homeschooled and pubUc school children.
The notion that homeschooUng is superior to traditional methods of education can be traced back to a small number of highly touted reports funded by the Home School Legal Defence Association (see Ray & Wartes, 1991, for review). Rudner...