Abstract
Opting to homeschool children is a growing trend worldwide. However, surprisingly, there is a dearth of research on understanding how digital technologies are used by learners who opt for homeschooling. Thus, in the present study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten homeschoolers in the United States to examine: (1) how digital technologies are being used; (2) why these technologies are being used to support learning; and (3) what digital technologies are being used. Thematic analysis revealed that homeschooled children used a wide array of digital technologies to support their learning. Children’s learning projects commonly stemmed from their interaction with the real world, and a good portion of their learning was self-directed. Digital technologies afforded children access to specific materials and enabled them to collaborate with other learners. Perhaps most importantly, the homeschoolers reported a love for (self-directed) lifelong learning. They tended to learn in a self-directed and autonomous manner, and they commonly used digital technologies constructively and productively.
Résumé
L’école à la maison à l’ère du numérique : comment les technologies numériques peuvent aider les enfants à nourrir le goût de l’apprentissage (autodirigé) tout au long de la vie – Choisir l’école à la maison pour ses enfants est une tendance en plein essor dans le monde entier. Étonnamment toutefois, on manque de recherches sur la façon dont les parents qui ont choisi l’école à la maison utilisent ces techniques. Par conséquent, dans le cadre de cette étude, des interviews semi-structurées ont été menées auprès de dix de ces parents aux États-Unis pour examiner : (1) leur façon d’utiliser les technologies numériques ; (2) pourquoi ils utilisent ces techniques en soutien à l’apprentissage et (3) quelles sont les technologies numériques utilisées. L’analyse thématique a révélé que les enfants qui sont scolarisés à domicile s’appuient dans leur apprentissage sur une large palette de technologies numériques. Les projets éducatifs des enfants découlent souvent de leur interaction avec le monde extérieur, et leur apprentissage est en grande partie autodirigé. Les technologies numériques leur ouvrent l’accès à des matériels spécifiques et leur permettent de collaborer avec d’autres apprenants. Mais ce qui est peut-être le plus important, ces enfants scolarisés à la maison déclarent avoir le goût de l’apprentissage (autodirigé) tout au long de la vie. Ils ont tendance à apprendre de façon autodirigée et autonome et font généralement un usage constructif et productif des technologies numériques.
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Notes
Virtual homeschooling refers to online programmes, co-op homeschooling involves a group of families who meet together regularly and unschooling is an informal, learner-driven process.
Flipped instruction refers to an emerging form of blended learning, where students individually watch online lectures prior to class and then utilise class time to engage in learning activities with peers and instructors (Lee et al. 2017).
Snowball sampling utilises the network of a small number of originally selected study participants to increase the size of the sample.
According to My Homeschool, homeschooling is legal in all 50 federal states of the US, but there is “no set curriculum … The main requirement is that a child educated at home should be taught well and regularly – at least as well as they would be taught if in a registered school” (My Homeschool n.d.).
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Morris, T.H., Pannone, S.J. Homeschooling in a digital age: How digital technologies can help children foster a love for (self-directed) lifelong learning. Int Rev Educ 70, 29–50 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-023-10041-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-023-10041-x