Comparing the Effects of Homeschooling and Public Schooling on Children

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Abstract

In America, there are many modes of education. Homeschooling, public schools, private schools and charter schools are the four most widely used options in America. Homeschooling, a more popular option in the 21st century, has recently rivaled public schooling which has caused a decline in its popularity. Although the popularity of public schooling has declined as of late, the positive effects (along with the negative ones as well), are still vastly prevalent in today’s youth and their futures. Like public schooling, homeschooled children are affected in many positive and negative ways, possibly even more so than the publicly educated children.

The Effects of Homeschooling

Adjusting to public schooling is one of the major factors in a students’ overall social, cognitive, and educational development. School adjustment involves three factors: children’s interest and comfort in the school setting, school engagement, and school achievement, as set by Demirtaş-Zorbaz, S., & Ergene, T. (2019). These three categories of school adjustment are important, for the experience received can affect the student long term in a positive or negative manner. In contrast, the lack of introduction to the school environment can cause negative effects for homeschooled children. West (2009) categorizes these effects into political harm, educational harm, ethical harm, and economic harm.

Student relationships in a public school setting

Student comfort in the classroom is one of the three categories that Demirtaş-Zorbaz, S., & Ergene, T. (2019) identified as a key factor in the adjustment process. In the classroom, students are faced with two types of relationships: student-peer and student-teacher. However, students that are homeschooled are lacking both key relationships that publicly educated children receive. Student-teacher relationships are important in the aspects of safety/comfort, academic success, and interest in the teachings. The lack of this student-teacher relationship, however, can leave homeschooled students feeling disengaged, not included, and not regarded as an individual person rather than a son or daughter. Student-peer relationships are also important in these ways, but they also majorly influence the students ‘morals, values, interests, and overall life pathway. Poor student-peer relationships can result in bullying (possibly leading to mental health problems), pressuring into following social norms, self-isolation, lack of educational motivation, and a decline in academic performance. Positive student-peer relationships can lead to many beneficial relationships (which benefit the student both socially, educationally, and cognitively) and can promote academic success.

Student Relationships in a Homeschooled Environment

In comparison, homeschoolers are not in such a socially involved and highly exposed environment, which limits their peer influence and its positive/negative effects. This can lead to ethical harms for homeschooled students, as West (2009) categorizes. Homeschooled students are not as engaged with their peers and other adults as publicly educated children are. This can mean that homeschooled students may not know how to properly and appropriately interact with people, or may struggle with anxiety in more socially active situations, as they are not continuously involved in that type of environment unlike publicly educated children. However, the lack of exposure to student-peer relationships can help lower the possibility of bullying to occur for homeschooled children, which negates those negative effects possibly faced by publicly educated children.

The Relationship Between Engagement at School and Academic Achievement

Engagement at school is another category of school adjustment, which can be influenced by activities, clubs, and organizations that a student gets involved with at the school. Engagement in the school can also positively and negatively affect academic achievement. Academic achievement is the final factor that Demirtaş-Zorbaz, S., & Ergene, T. (2019) identify in the public school adjustment process. In a similar fashion, West (2009) identifies educational harm as one effect faced by homeschooled children. According to Demirtaş-Zorbaz, S., & Ergene, T. (2019), academic achievement is highly influenced by the student-teacher relationship and by parental involvement in their schooling. A positive, comfortable student-teacher relationship can contribute to academic achievement in a positive manner, by motivating the student to perform at a higher standard than with a teacher they had a conflicted relationship with. Additionally, parental involvement will also motivate the student to perform better for the appraisal of their parents, it will hold the student accountable for school-related activities and assignments, and it gives the student a feeling of acceptance/satisfaction both as a child at home, and as a student in school by their parents.

Gratification for Academic Achievements

Lastly, standardized testing and acknowledgement of high grades and good effort in school are other ways that publicly educated children can be left feeling satisfied and appreciated by both their teachers and parents. West (2009) also acknowledges the importance of academic achievement, parental involvement in school for students, and standardized testing. Although these are important factors, homeschooled children may not receive the same gratification as publicly educated children and they may not feel as appreciated as an individual. The reason for this being that homeschooled children may feel only acknowledged as a son or daughter, rather than an individual (and hardworking) student. Additionally, students’ lack of gratification from an outside individual (teacher), rather than just a parent may lead them to feel negatively affected. Homeschooled children do not have to complete standardized testing. This is acknowledged by West (2009) as a major flaw in unregulated homeschooling. On the contrary, however, regulated homeschooling students have been statistically proven to score higher on standardized testing compared to public and private school students, according to West (2009). This is a positive aspect of homeschooling, but only if it is regulated by the state.

The Risk of Unaddressed Child Abuse due to Homeschooling

Additionally, West (2009) acknowledges that the risk of the ongoing abuse for a longer amount of time is much higher for homeschooled children. West (2009) cites a statistic that “95% of referrals for child abuse come from public school teachers or officials”. So even though the risk of abuse at home is also faced by publicly educated children, they are more likely to be helped out of (or rescued from) the abusive situation as most public educational officials are the ones to first report it. By supporting his claim that publicly educated children are more likely to be recognized as victims of child abuse, the claim that due to their lack of exposure to other people (specifically in a school setting), homeschooled children are likely to face prolonged abuse at home is also supported. This prolonged risk of ongoing child abuse is a major concern as it is directly reflected in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, the second-lowest tier being “Safety and Security”. According to Abraham Maslow, if these needs are not met, it can lead to mental and physical health problems, which is something that is already a dominating issue at this time.

Conclusion

Even though the adjustment to public schooling is intense, it is one of the most impactful (and possibly rewarding) experiences they will ever receive. As Demirtaş-Zorbaz, S., & Ergene, T. (2019) discussed, the adjustment to public schooling can affect a student long-term and can affect them in several aspects. This adjustment, however, is one that not all students get to experience if they are homeschooled. Although homeschooling can be seen as a flexible and positive option for students, there must be a consideration of the negative effects (higher risk of abuse at home, a lack of feeling accepted, political harm, ethical harm, educational harm, and economic harm) that may impact many students, as West (2009) discussed. The drawbacks of this lack of experience can differ greatly, depending on the level of exposure and experience with other students their age and with adults.

References

Demirtaş-Zorbaz, S., & Ergene, T. (2019). School adjustment of first-grade primary school students: Effects of family involvement, externalizing behavior, teacher and peer relations. Children and Youth Services Review, 101, 307–316. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.04.019
Fu, R., Waasdorp, T. E., Paskewich, B., & Leff, S. S. (2020). Bullying perpetration among youth: The contributions of child disclosure and parent–teacher connection. Journal of Family Psychology. https://doi-org.zeus.tarleton.edu/10.1037/fam0000791.supp (Supplemental)
Ice, C. L., & Hoover-Dempsey, K. V. (2011). Linking parental motivations for involvement and student proximal achievement outcomes in homeschooling and public schooling settings. Education and Urban Society, 43(3), 339–369. https://doi-org.zeus.tarleton.edu/10.1177/0013124510380418
Johnson, D. M. (2013). Confrontation and cooperation: The complicated relationship between homeschoolers and public schools. Peabody Journal of Education, 88(3), 298–308. https://doi-org.zeus.tarleton.edu/10.1080/0161956X.2013.796832
West, R. L. (2009). The Harms of Homeschooling. Philosophy & Public Policy Quarterly, 29(3/4), 7–12. http://dx.doi.org/10.13021/G8pppq.292009.104

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