RETURNING TO THE FOLD: A STUDY OF HOMESCHOOLERS WHO RETURN TO THE PUBLIC SCHOOL by Carl M. Dennis A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of George Mason University In Partial Fulfillment of The Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Education Committee: _______________________________ Chair _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ Program Director _______________________________ Dean, College of Education and Human Development Date: __________________________ Spring Semester 2016 George Mason University Fairfax, VA Returning to the Fold: A Study of Homeschoolers Who Return to the Public School A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at George Mason University By Carl M. Dennis Master of Education George Mason University, 2005 Master of Religious Education Temple Baptist Theological Seminary, 1981 Bachelor of Religious Education Baptist Bible College of Pennsylvania, 1975 Director: Scott Bauer, Professor College of Education and Human Development Spring Semester 2016 George Mason University Fairfax, VA Dedication This is dedicated to my loving and patient wife Linda, my father Curtiss, and mother Shirley. Okay mom, now you have two doctors in the family! ii Acknowledgements There are so many to acknowledge as this has been a long journey. I would like to thank Dr. Scott Bauer for his extreme patience and salient advice during this process. Dr. Stephen White and Dr. Jim Upperman provided a great deal of encouragement and a listening ear when I had questions. Sally Evans, of George Mason University, was crucial in assisting with so many Microsoft Word problems. So many in my family were so understanding and probably thought this was something I would never finish: Dr. Larry Dennis, my oldest brother, who was a constant encouragement over the years; my two daughters, Jessica and Meredith, who would very patiently ask my progress and tell me that I would make it; my four daughters-in-law, Katrina, Heather, Pam, and Stephanie, who I am sure wondered many times why their mother would marry someone who would spend so much time at the library; my ten grandchildren: Anthony, Juliet, Charlotte, Lane, Ciara, Anna, Carmen, Tanner, Dylan, and Tori, who would always ask what I was doing on my laptop; and our four dogs, Smokey, Shannon, Emmarose, and Sparky, who spent countless hours sitting beside me as I typed. I also need to thank my close friend, Mark Gilliam, who helped carry my laptop all over Colombia, Peru, and many states, so that I could type when necessary, in between paragliding flights. Dr Jim Griffith, who gave great advice and direction…who knew that one thermal and a 12-mile flight over the Triangle of Doom, would result in a long-lasting friendship and assistance in this endeavor. Matthew Parry who listened for years as I bounced ideas and thoughts off of him as we made our rounds on the golf course. Most of all, I have to acknowledge my wife, who put up with me making so many trips to the library, and who endured me taking my laptop with us almost everywhere. More than anyone else, her patience helped me accomplish this. iii Table of Contents List of Tables ................................................................................................................... viii Abstract ............................................................................................................................ viii Chapter One ........................................................................................................................ 1 Statement of the Problem ................................................................................................ 1 Purpose ............................................................................................................................ 3 Significance..................................................................................................................... 4 Methodology ................................................................................................................... 7 Summary ......................................................................................................................... 8 Definition of Terms............................................................................................................. 9 Chapter Two...................................................................................................................... 11 Review of the Literature ............................................................................................... 11 An Overview of Research on Homeschooling .............................................................. 11 Number of homeschoolers. ....................................................................................... 14 Reasons for choosing homeschooling. ...................................................................... 15 Characteristics of homeschoolers. ............................................................................ 19 Why Parents Return Children to a Public School ......................................................... 22 Socialization. ............................................................................................................. 23 Parental options for secondary subjects .................................................................... 25 Family pressures. ...................................................................................................... 26 The “Best Interest” of the Student. ........................................................................... 27 Summary ....................................................................................................................... 27 Unique Challenges for School Leaders......................................................................... 28 Student perceptions. .................................................................................................. 29 Socialization. ............................................................................................................. 29 iv Parent expectations. .................................................................................................. 31 Content knowledge. .................................................................................................. 31 Pertinent school records. ........................................................................................... 32 Facilitating transitions. .............................................................................................. 33 Facilitating Return: A Challenge for School Leaders? ................................................. 35 Effective school leaders. ........................................................................................... 35 Setting directions. ..................................................................................................... 36 Developing people. ................................................................................................... 36 Redesigning the organization. ................................................................................... 37 Managing the instructional program. ........................................................................ 37 Four paths of leaderships. ......................................................................................... 38 Summary ....................................................................................................................... 40 Chapter Three.................................................................................................................... 42 Methodology ..................................................................................................................... 42 Research Design............................................................................................................ 43 Procedures ..................................................................................................................... 43 Participants .................................................................................................................... 46 Sampling procedures. ................................................................................................ 48 Instruments .................................................................................................................... 51 Interview questions for group one. ........................................................................... 51 The introductory survey. ........................................................................................... 53 Pilot testing the survey. ............................................................................................. 54 Interview questions for group two. ........................................................................... 55 Interview questions for group three .......................................................................... 56 Pilot testing the interview questions. ........................................................................ 57 Data Collection and Analysis........................................................................................ 58 Data analysis. ............................................................................................................ 60 Limitations ...................................................................................................................