Why Do Parents Homeschool? A Systematic Examination of Parental Involvement

Although homeschooling is growing in popularity in the United States, little systematic research has focused on this population. Grounded in the parental involvement literature, this study examines why parents decide to home-school. Parents of 136 homeschooled elementary children completed questionnaires assessing constructs derived from the parental involvement literature and personal beliefs identified in the homeschooling literature as important to parents’ decisions to homeschool. Results suggest that home-schooling parents appear to be motivated by an active role construction, strong sense of efficacy for helping the child learn, and positive perceptions of life context. Homeschool parents’ beliefs about the values, content, adequacy, and methods of public school education appear to be implicated less strongly in their decisions. Findings are discussed with reference to the development of a systematic and theoretically grounded knowledge base on parents’ motivations for involvement in their children’s education.