Date of Award
1988
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
Department
Education
First Advisor
Wilhelm Fury [?]
First Committee Member
L. F. Fernandez
Second Committee Member
Dennis Brennan
Third Committee Member
W. H. Barr
Fourth Committee Member
Bobby R. Hopkins
Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of the study was to (1) investigate the reasons parents in Sacramento County choose home schooling for their child(ren); (2) describe selected characteristics of the parents; (3) describe selected characteristics of their child(ren); (4) describe the educational programs used in the home schools; (5) describe the perceptions home schooling parents have of local public school administrators; and (6) describe the commitment these parents have to home schooling. Method. A mailed questionnaire was used to collect data. The population used in this study was 117 families who either filed a private school affidavit with the Sacramento County Office of Education in the fall of 1986 or in the fall of 1987, or who are home schooling families living in Sacramento County that are members of one of three different "support groups". Findings. Analysis of the data collected indicates the following: (1) the three most frequently cited reasons for choosing home schooling are to provide greater opportunity for moral instruction, to have greater involvement in child's education and to provide a higher quality of education; (2) the majority of parents are high school graduates with two years of college who attended public schools and have no teaching credential; the religious affiliations of the families vary widely and the majority of families report incomes of less than $40,000; (3)~the majority of students in home school programs are between kindergarten and third grade; (4)~the majority of home school children spend 3 hours or less daily on academic subjects and 2 hours or less daily on related activities; (5)~the majority of the home schooling parents have not met with local public school administrators; and (6)~close to one-third of the parents possibly or definitely plan to home school their child(ren) through senior high school. Conclusions and recommendations. Home schooling families are willing to sacrifice to insure their children receive the type of education valued by the family. Further study is needed to compare the academic progress of home-schooled children with public school children; to determine the impact of religion on home schooling; and to track home schooling families.
Pages
128
Recommended Citation
Knopf, Elizabeth Louise. (1988). A study of the perceptions of parents in Sacramento County who choose home schooling for their children. University of the Pacific, Dissertation. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/3264
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