• Education
• APR 17, 2024

Benefits and Disadvantages of Homeschooling: A Guide for Parents in 2024

by Imed Bouchrika, Phd

Co-Founder and Chief Data Scientist

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By convention, children go to school physically to attend classes. However, the emergence of COVID-19 popularized online education, and at the same time, more parents are homeschooling their kids, and they are not turning back. Although homeschooling has gained legal and public acceptance, there remain concerns about it. (Ray & Eagleson, 2008, as cited in Bennett et al., 2019) As opposed to that of traditional schooling, the benefits and disadvantages of homeschooling are things to ponder for parents.

This page will detail the benefits and disadvantages of homeschooling to aid in parents’ decisions regarding the format most applicable to their children.

Benefits and Disadvantages of Homeschooling Table of Contents

1. Homeschooling vs Traditional Schooling
2. Advantages of Homeschooling
3. Disadvantages of Homeschooling
4. Familiarity with Homeschooling

Homeschooling vs Traditional Schooling

According to Kuzman (2012), children may have different means to learn, including lectures, activities, and experiments. They may also opt to learn through experience with parents, friends, and other community members. Also, learning may be acquired informally. (Abuzandah, 2020)

In Boulter’s (2017) study comparing the academic achievements of homeschooled students to public school students, there appeared to be no obvious difference in overall academic achievement between the two groups. Both groups have average or above-average scores in reading, math, written language, and broad knowledge of science, social studies, and humanities. It seems that the academic benefits and drawbacks of homeschooling vs public schooling are highly significant.

Aside from academic achievement, schooling generally assesses learning outcomes based on social, emotional, and psychological development, and learners’ success later on as adults. Homeschooling, specifically, obtained notable gains in absolute numbers and percentages of the school-age population. In fact, according to Rothermel (2015), these gains were diversely seen in various nations, such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, Japan, Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Scotland, and Russia. (Ray, 2017)

In the study “Parents’ Voices: Virtual Classroom Bridging Homeschooling to Public Schools" publishes in the Journal of Educational Technology Development and Exchange, Norman et al. (2020) found that “ten out of ten participants provided positive feedback and were more likely to recommend a virtual learning classroom for their children to attend public school."

The education system is, therefore, evolving that Norman et al. (2020) suggest researchers and academic practitioners “further their knowledge in the operation, management, and integration of the virtual learning systems to both the traditional school setting system and home-based system." This suggestion became even more relevant when public and private schools alike closed down at the onset of the pandemic. Whereas the homeschool rate was steady at 3.3% since 2012, it surged, reaching 11.1% in the fall of 2021. (US Census Bureau, 2022)

Advantages of Homeschooling

Norman et al. (2020) found that the primary reasons for parents to choose homeschooling expressed are religion, socialization issues, other problems in public schools, better learning opportunities, and spending more time with their children. But is homeschooling better than other formats of learning? Here are the advantages of homeschooling.

Academic Flexibility

Parents want quality education that can improve their children’s abilities and moral values while making the learning process fun at the same time. With the known conditions of traditional schooling, they are increasingly aware of the need for learning alternatives. In homeschooling, parents administer their children’s education. (Icmi & Suryono, 2019)

Homeschooling also has a more pleasant atmosphere for teaching and learning, according to Icmi & Suryono (2019). It encourages freedom of expression and independence as teachers or parents simply guide and facilitate learning. Moreover, the learning approach is humanist, with the process depending and focusing on the needs of a child. It also shows flexibility in setting in terms of when and where to learn. (Icmi & Suryono, 2019).

In the same vein, Lei (2007) views humanistic education as an approach that focuses on the significance of the learner’s inner world and prioritizes all human development based on their thoughts, emotions, and feelings. It shifts away from behavioristic and mentalistic approaches and redefines the traditional roles of teachers and learners, where authoritarian teaching practices are replaced by learner-centered settings. (Khatib et al., 2013)

Involvement of Family and Community

In homeschooling, family interactions and expectations are among the most important components. (Jeynes 2005, 2007b, 2010, as cited in Jeynes, 2016) Family involvement, such as parents’ concern and interest in their children’s learning, contributes to better scholastic outcomes. Parents and kids can work together on activities or learn from fun and free educational websites for kids. Together with social diversity, family involvement becomes a key to developing competencies. (Sotés-Elizalde & Urpi, 2015)

Furthermore, homeschooled students and their parents tend to be very engaged in their communities in terms of sports activities, cooperative classes, church activities, and community services. Dr. Gary Knowles and Dr. James Muchmore stated that homeschooled adults did not exhibit characteristics implying that home education is disadvantageous for developing respect for individual differences and concern for others. Also, according to McCulloch et al. (2006), the more someone is educated at home, the less they are likely to become cynical.

Efficient and Meaningful Learning

As mentioned earlier, homeschooling prioritizes academic inputs and outcomes tailored to children’s learning needs. Structurally, Cogan (2010), Harding (2013), and Rudner (1999), all found homeschooling effective in improving academic success. Additionally, homeschooling works in three dimensions: a) to provide one-to-one aiming to support learning, b) to allow a safe and healthy learning environment, and c) to provide sufficient learning support for special-needs and gifted children.

In the same study, homeschooling was found to provide meaningful space and learning experiences. Kraftl (2013) concluded that learning at home has no learning restriction based on a textbook and standardized curriculum because it can take place inside and outside the house, covering academic and practical knowledge. Consequently, Ice and Hoover-Dempsey (2011) elucidated how homeschooling parents efficiently design and fabricate effective learning, attributing to their children’s success.

Social, Mental, and Physical Health Perks

School experiences play critical roles in shaping individuals’ developmental and well-being paths. In line with this, homeschooled adolescents were found to exhibit greater character strengths and fewer risky health behaviors later in life than peers who attended public schools. It was also revealed that they were more likely to volunteer, be forgiving, develop a sense of purpose, and engage in healthier behaviors. (Chen et al., 2021, as cited in Henderson, 2021)

As for adjusting to college, 185 students were surveyed from various private and public colleges and universities. Comparatively, the study showed that homeschooled students do not exhibit any significant differences in terms of self-esteem from traditionally educated students. They were also found to experience significantly lower levels of depression. Also, they tend to achieve higher academic success as college students and have a more positive perspective on their entire college experience. (Drenovsky & Cohen, 2012)

Tailored for Special Situations

Obeng (2010) found that children with extensive medical needs benefit from psychotherapy and other support systems when homeschooled. As such, differently-abled students with varying needs are often found to be homeschooled. Families whose children have severe disabilities are also of special concern for homeschooling. (Cook et al., 2013)

For instance, the 2007 National Household Education Surveys Program revealed that approximately 21% of homeschooling parents have chosen to homeschool for “other special needs," while 11% chose it for “physical or mental health problems." The results from these surveys revealed that homeschooling has gained increasing acceptance as an educational option for parents whose children have exceptional needs. (Cook et al., 2013)

Beneficial to Parents

Homeschooling is administered mostly by parents at different regulations. Despite the degree of the method of instruction’s structure, parents were found to enjoy the control they have over their children’s educational situation with homeschooling. Duffey (2002), Kidd and Kaczmarek (2010), and Rothermel (2011) showed that a majority of parents have satisfactory remarks regarding their children’s progress in homeschools. (Cook et al., 2013)

Moreover, homeschooling also answers parents’ concerns. One of which is their desire for their children to avoid social diseases, such as drug addiction, which are attributed to relationships in public schools. In the United States, for example, parents also choose homeschooling for their children for systematic and religious concerns.

In line with this, homeschoolers are generally placed under two categories—ideologues and pedagogues. These distinctions focus on the parents’ perceptions of traditional schooling. Ideologues claim that public schools are not taking religion seriously in their curriculum, while pedagogues simply believe that public schools teach ineptly. Homeschooling involves parents both in their child’s education and personal circumstances. (Romanowski, 2001)

Disadvantages of Homeschooling

Homeschooling also has some drawbacks. Vijayakumar and Lawrence (2021) stressed that since homeschoolers are mainly alone, they lack peers, a happy childhood, drive, healthy completion, and positive socializing. They may lack access to traditional school infrastructures like libraries, laboratories, and playgrounds.

Vijayakumar and Lawrence (2021) also pointed out that parents may also have many flaws. Since they must always be with their children, they may need to deal with psychological and behavioral issues as well. They must learn about children’s interests to motivate, teach, and educate them. They frequently face antagonistic relatives and must spend much time and money finding acceptable curricula, books, tutors, playgroups, and support groups.

Here are the commonly noted disadvantages of homeschooling.

Lack of Real-Life Socialization

The most common concern of people unfamiliar with homeschooling is socialization. Homeschooling is generally short in providing peer-to-peer interactions to children. It lacks in providing heterogeneous associations, promotes dependence on parents, and automatically delays a child’s personality. (Ray, 2009)

Homeschooled children tend to be more participative in other activities outside academics. However, these activities are often selective and include students who share similar values, backgrounds, and social classes. As such, these children need to be exposed to social life in public schools daily; otherwise, they will lack the skills necessary to adapt to real-life situations as adults. Consequently, homeschooling limits the diversity of beliefs and backgrounds that children may encounter in most public school settings. (Romanowski, 2001)

Diverse Curriculum and Pacing

Homeschooled students may lack instruments for assessing their knowledge, values, skills, and behaviors with respect to the objectives delivered in state institutional education systems. (Ray 2009) As homeschooling is specially tailored to children’s needs, it remains difficult, even for parents, to assess, diagnose, and determine the curriculum and instruction that would fit their children’s needs. (Romanowski, 2001)

Notably, Rudner (1999) determined standardized achievement tests as a limitation of homeschooling. Public and private schools have standardized tests closely aligned with their curriculum whereas homeschools choose tests depending on convenience. In other words, parents may not be following the institutional school curriculum that aims to help their children succeed in tests. (Ray, 2009)

Concerns for Resources and Facilities

Concerns about resources and facilities raise the question: Is homeschooling hard? In this context, it may seem that it is indeed so, especially from the perspective of mentors.

Instructors may not have sufficient resources or facilities to deliver appropriate instructions. Simmons (1994, 47) once stated that a home is simply not capable of providing numerous and diverse enrichment activities despite the sequence and integrated curriculum now available for homeschooling. Most homeschoolers even agree that such alternative curricula may not be of the same quality and depth as those practiced use by educational institutions. (Romanowski, 2001)

Romanowski (2001) also indicated that limited resources restrict homeschooling from providing adequate educational opportunities and equipment. Moreover, parents may also not have enough knowledge or expertise on the subject matter, thus the need for a tutor, which adds to the cost. Community homeschooling also charges for its activities. (Ray, 2009)

Legal Process for Homeschooling

For the survival of the homeschooling movement, it is dangerous to depend on legislative discretion. Legal scholars constantly call for greater restrictions on homeschooling, aiming to  “provide institutional schooling supporters with legal strategies for cracking down on the practice." The media also have a hand in rallying opposition to homeschooling. (Raley, 2017)

To date, homeschoolers still face legal challenges. For instance, in 2008, a California appellate panel ruled out that parents are not constitutionally allowed to homeschool their children. This case also appealed that non-credentialed parents must not homeschool their children under state law. There was a nationwide outcry following this, pushing the court to reverse the ruling. However, it demonstrated how homeschooling can quickly become under legal attack. (Raley, 2017)

Note, however, that despite the legal concerns, homeschooling rates increased in several states, with Massachusetts showing the greatest leap of 1.5% to 12.1%. (US Census Bureau, 2022) Whether this rate will drop post-pandemic is something educators and families will have to wait and see.

Load on Parents

Typically, homeschooling has teachers and online support groups to help with curriculum questions and assessments of students. (Abuzandah, 2020) However, parents have reported having difficulties with the lack of support from schools and communities. Many states also do not show support to students in homeschool settings. (Cook et al., 2013)

Parents are also led on to explain their reasons for homeschooling their children to other people. Aurora (2006) and Obeng (2010) said there were families whose outer core showed a lack of emotional, social, and moral support. As such, Aurora (2006) and Parsons and Lewis (2010) noted that support was more likely to be found from “other homeschool families and organized homeschool groups than from public schools." (Cook et al., 2013)

Aside from the support system, the responsibility of teaching lies with parents, who must be knowledgeable in higher levels of math, sciences, and other studies. The need of most students for a teacher with subject expertise is also an important concern in providing efficient instruction. (Romanowski, 2001)

Homeschooling demands commitment from parents to teach their children, but they also need to be knowledgeable of regulations and services available in their local areas. Parents carry the responsibility to explore both the strengths and limitations of homeschooling, especially for children with disabilities. (Cook et al., 2013)

Familiarity with Homeschooling

Before the American Revolutionary War, the responsibility of educating children was originally carried by parents. It changed in the mid-19th century. Back in 1852, Massachusetts enacted the first compulsory school attendance law in America, requiring children aged 8 to 14 to attend school. By 1918, most states subjected parents who did not send their children to school to criminal sanctions. (Robson et al., 2020)

Over time, the public became even more aware of homeschooling—from a place of almost complete ignorance to a perspective of extensiveness. The media is responsible for this conditioning since many articles about homeschooling were published and national radio and television broadcasts about it. Nevertheless, Patricia Lines, a Senior Fellow at the Discovery Institute, described homeschooling parents as the ones reinventing the nature of the school. (Basham, 2001)

At present, homeschooling is advocated by a significant number of people regardless of background or ethnicity. They are more diverse and very committed. Perhaps this is an impact of the pandemic, or perhaps it is the change that is bound to happen given the available technologies now.

Homeschooling on the Horizon

In 2020, parents became the “key learning agents" to help students with their learning process and digital solutions. One hundred thirty countries out of 193 completely closed schools and shifted to homeschooling. This is a drastic change to the education system that suddenly made homeschooling a general form of education where parents were viewed as “accidental homeschoolers." (English, 2021; Burke, 2020, as cited in Daniela et al., 2021)

While homeschooling is at a high rate now, parents, mentors, and the whole education system still need to review further how this platform of learning could be improved to benefit children and families that prefer this setup. The education statistics are bound to shift post-pandemic, but wherever it will shift remains unclear. What is clear, however, is the rise in education technologies that somehow makes homeschooling more viable now.

References:

• Abuzandah, S. (2020). History of Homeschooling. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/344755568
• Basham, P. (2001). Home Schooling: From the Extreme to the Mainstream. The Fraser Institute. Retrieved from https://www.fraserinstitute.org/sites/default/files/HomeSchooling.pdf
• Bennett, D. L., Edwards, E., & Ngai, C. (2019). Homeschooling, Time Use & Academic Performance at a Private Religious College. Educational Studies 45(3):305-325. Retrieved from DOI:10.1080/03055698.2018.1446332
• Boulter, L. T. (2017). A Comparison of the Academic Achievement of Home School and Public School Students. International Journal of Business and Social Research, Vol. 07, Issue 03. Retrieved from ISSN 2164-2559
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