University of Windsor Scholarship at UWindsor Electronic Theses and Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, and Major Papers 10-5-2017 The Challenges, Tensions and Possibilities of Homeschooling: An Autoethnography of One Educator’s Homeschooled Journey Kathleen Ann Virban University of Windsor Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd Recommended Citation Virban, Kathleen Ann, "The Challenges, Tensions and Possibilities of Homeschooling: An Autoethnography of One Educator’s Homeschooled Journey" (2017). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 7304. https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/7304 This online database contains the full-text of PhD dissertations and Masters’ theses of University of Windsor students from 1954 forward. These documents are made available for personal study and research purposes only, in accordance with the Canadian Copyright Act and the Creative Commons license—CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivative Works). 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The Challenges, Tensions and Possibilities of Homeschooling: An Autoethnography of One Educator’s Homeschooled Journey By Kathleen Ann Virban A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies through the Faculty of Education in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Education at the University of Windsor Windsor, Ontario, Canada 2017 © 2017 Kathleen Ann Virban The Challenges, Tensions and Possibilities of Homeschooling: An Autoethnography of One Educator’s Homeschooled Journey by Kathleen Ann Virban APPROVED BY: ______________________________________________ B. Schuelke-Leech Department of Mechanical, Automotive and Materials Engineering ______________________________________________ G. Salinitri Faculty of Education ______________________________________________ F. Cherian, Advisor Faculty of Education July 20th, 2017 DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY I hereby certify that I am the sole author of this thesis and that no part of this thesis has been published or submitted for publication. I certify that, to the best of my knowledge, my thesis does not infringe upon anyone’s copyright nor violate any proprietary rights and that any ideas, techniques, quotations, or any other material from the work of other people included in my thesis, published or otherwise, are fully acknowledged in accordance with the standard referencing practices. Furthermore, to the extent that I have included copyrighted material that surpasses the bounds of fair dealing within the meaning of the Canada Copyright Act, I certify that I have obtained a written permission from the copyright owner(s) to include such material(s) in my thesis and have included copies of such copyright clearances to my appendix. I declare that this is a true copy of my thesis, including any final revisions, as approved by my thesis committee and the Graduate Studies office, and that this thesis has not been submitted for a higher degree to any other University or Institution. iii ABSTRACT The traditional method of acquiring and receiving an education in Canada is to send children to government run schools, funded by the public. The promise of education attained through traditional schooling remains on structured and formal learning. Concerned about the education and safety of their children, an increasing number of parents are seeking educational alternatives. My family, in particular, sought out a new reform: the promise of homeschooling. This thesis adopted a qualitative approach using autoethnography to examine my perceptions and my realities on the subject of homeschooling, while interrogating the promise of education along intellectual, social, and interpersonal dimensions. This qualitative inquiry is designed to discover more deeply the feelings and perceptions that emerge when homeschooling occurs while an essentialism educational philosophy and an authoritarian teaching style is dominant in the classroom. I will share my personal experience engaging in cultural, educational, and social pressures and will provide insights on these approaches from a homeschooled student’s perspective as a researcher. iv DEDICATION I dedicate this thesis to my parents, my siblings and my extended homeschooling family, through which stages of combined emotion and reflection were finally brought forward. To my siblings, I will never truly be able to express my sincere appreciation to the both of you who sat by my side at our kitchen table during our homeschooling years. To my parents, your love and guidance has inspired me to continue to be the best version of myself every day. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Finney Cherian, whose expertise, understanding, and patience, added considerably to my graduate experience. I appreciate his continuous support of my M.Ed. study and related research. I would like to thank the other members of my committee, Dr. Salinitri and Dr. Schuelke-Leech for the assistance they provided at all levels of the research project. I am grateful for their insightful comments and encouragements, but also for the hard questions which incented me to widen my research from various perspectives. I am also grateful to my fellow friends whom I met on the first day of orientation in the M.Ed. program. Thank you for the stimulating discussions, for the sleepless nights we were working together before deadlines, and the endless laughter and counseling the three of us continue to share. To Brendan, your consistent help has been invaluable to me and I do not know how I would have managed without your help and support. Thank you for your patience and confidence in me. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY .............................................................................. iii ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... iv DEDICATION .....................................................................................................................v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... vi CHAPTER 1: Introduction to the Study .........................................................................1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 Background of the problem ......................................................................................................... 5 Statement of the problem situation .............................................................................................. 6 Purpose statement ........................................................................................................................ 8 Researcher’s positionality ........................................................................................................... 9 Research question ...................................................................................................................... 10 Research objective(s) ................................................................................................................ 11 Importance of the study ............................................................................................................. 11 Theoretical framework .............................................................................................................. 11 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 14 CHAPTER 2: Review of the Literature .........................................................................16 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 16 History of Homeschooling ........................................................................................................ 17 Increase in home education ....................................................................................................... 19 Homeschooling law ................................................................................................................... 22 Philosophy of education ............................................................................................................ 25 Teaching styles .......................................................................................................................... 29 Traditional schooling ................................................................................................................. 32 Teacher centered classroom/method ......................................................................................... 33 Curriculum options .................................................................................................................... 35 Independent learning ................................................................................................................. 36 Presumptions