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Investigating Secondary Home Education Student Academic Preparation For Investigating Secondary Home Education Student Academic Preparation for Postsecondary Education: A Multiple-Case Study by Timothy George Eaton A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education Department of Secondary Education University of Alberta © Timothy George Eaton, 2018 ii Abstract This multiple-case study considered the experiences and perspectives offered by four postsecondary students who were home-educated during their secondary years of education in Alberta, Canada. I aimed to discover what secondary home education students do to help them prepare for postsecondary studies. I conducted two semi-structured interviews with each participant or case, analyzed transcription data for each individual case, and cross-analyzed the four cases before interpreting the findings. Important key findings from the four cases in this study include the following: 1. Home education appears to foster effective self-directed, independent learning, which could aid home education students with managing their time and studies as they transition to the postsecondary education setting. 2. The home education environment appears to lead students to desire to learn alone and to discourage collaborative learning. 3. Students who experience secondary home education without emphasizing grades and testing are not necessarily disadvantaged as they enter postsecondary education. 4. Home education students could be limited in what they know about how their academic progress compares with their peers, and they could experience less anxiety about their learning progress if they increase their exposure to students in other learning settings. 5. Home education students could benefit from improving communication with their parents about postsecondary academic preparation and planning for postsecondary life more deliberately, specifically by conducting more research on postsecondary institutions, learning more about admittance requirements and courses, and visiting iii campuses and classes. This study revealed that there are various ways to adequately prepare for postsecondary education through secondary home education. Also, learning from the views and perceptions of students who were home-educated in secondary education provided specific examples of how secondary education students might prepare academically for postsecondary studies. Home education parents, students, and families who are considering alternatives to traditional public schools could benefit from this study because it solicited the views and experiences of students who were home-educated during secondary education and gives readers an intimate look at specific situations where students’ education happened outside of traditional school. Additionally, this research could be relevant for postsecondary admissions officers and administrators because it could help increase their understanding of the needs of incoming home education students. iv Preface This thesis is an original work by Timothy George Eaton. The research projects, of which this thesis is a part, received research ethics approval from the University of Alberta Research Board: Project Name: “Investigating Preparation of Secondary Home Education Students for Postsecondary Academic Success: A Case Study,” No. Pro00073001, 04/26/2017. v Dedication I dedicate this work to my wife and children. They have patiently supported my efforts to further my education. When we made the decision together for me to pursue this degree, we weighed what it would mean for our family and the sacrifice involved. The goal was to complete the degree before our oldest of six children would start secondary education. We will have achieved our goal. My highest aspiration is to be a worthy, present husband and father. It was not easy for me to dedicate so many hours to this study when I knew that time could have been spent with them. However, we believe it was beneficial to reinforce the importance of pursuing education and learning, and we hope this work might bless the lives of others in some way. vi Acknowledgements I am extremely grateful for Dr. Cathy Adams. Every time I left her office, my confidence increased, and my motivation was strengthened. Although I am a novice researcher, she made me feel that my work was important and that my ideas had merit. I am also thankful for Dr. Jim Parsons and Dr. Bonnie Stelmach, my supervisory committee members. Their suggestions have given me clear direction about how to improve my research and writing. Dr. David Chorney, who chaired my candidacy examination, gave excellent counsel in my examination and I appreciate his kindness. I express my gratitude to Dr. Greg Thomas. I was fortunate to take several courses from Dr. Thomas, and I am thankful for his guidance and humor. Finally, I thank Debbie Feisst for helping me on multiple occasions and Kelly Parkatti for her help. vii Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... ii Preface ........................................................................................................................................... iv Dedication ...................................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................... vi Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................ vii Chapter I. Introduction ................................................................................................................ 1 History of Home Education.......................................................................................................... 3 Classifications of Home Educators ............................................................................................. 5 Parental Motivations for Choosing to Homeschool .................................................................... 6 Home Education in Alberta, Canada ........................................................................................... 8 Critiques of the Home Education Movement ........................................................................... 10 An Argument for Public Good .................................................................................................. 10 State or Parent Responsibility? ................................................................................................. 12 The Possible Harms of Homeschooling .................................................................................... 13 Growth of Home Education ....................................................................................................... 14 Growth of Home Education in Canada ..................................................................................... 15 The Influence of Technology on Home Education ................................................................... 17 Overcoming Opposition ............................................................................................................ 18 Gap in the Literature .................................................................................................................. 18 Research Question ...................................................................................................................... 19 Researcher Positionality ............................................................................................................. 20 Relevance of the Study................................................................................................................ 21 viii Student Perspective ................................................................................................................... 22 Intended Audience..................................................................................................................... 22 Research Tradition ..................................................................................................................... 24 Qualitative Research ................................................................................................................. 24 Hermeneutics ............................................................................................................................. 25 Research Paradigm .................................................................................................................... 26 Ontology and Epistemology ...................................................................................................... 28 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 29 Chapter II. Literature Review ................................................................................................... 30 Issues with Scholarly Research on Home Education ............................................................... 31 Lack of Scholarly Research Conducted on Home Education ................................................... 31 Critiques of the Scholarly Research of Home Education to Date ............................................. 33 Home Education Literature Emphasizes Academic Performance of Homeschooled Students 36 Homeschooled Student Academic
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