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What is a good thesis statement for Homeschooling

Homeschooling refers to a type of education in which children are taught at home, usually by their parents or guardians, instead of attending a traditional public or private school. Homeschooling has been a controversial topic for many years, with some people advocating for it as a viable alternative to traditional education, and others opposing it on the grounds that it can lead to social and academic isolation. In order to develop a good thesis statement for homeschooling, it is important to consider the advantages and disadvantages of this type of education, as well as the reasons why parents might choose to homeschool their children.

One potential advantage of homeschooling is the ability to tailor the educational experience to the individual needs and interests of each child. In a traditional school setting, it can be difficult for teachers to give individualized attention to each student, due to the large class sizes and limited resources. Homeschooling, on the other hand, allows parents to create a customized curriculum that is specifically designed to meet the needs and interests of their children. This can result in a more engaged and motivated student, as well as a more meaningful and fulfilling educational experience.

Another advantage of homeschooling is the ability to create a safe and supportive learning environment. In many traditional schools, students may be exposed to bullying, peer pressure, and other negative influences that can harm their self-esteem and academic performance. By homeschooling, parents can provide their children with a safe and supportive environment in which they can focus on their education without the distractions and disruptions that are often present in traditional schools.

However, homeschooling also has its disadvantages. One of the most significant drawbacks is the lack of socialization opportunities for homeschooled children. Children who are homeschooled are not exposed to the same types of social experiences that they would encounter in a traditional school setting, such as group projects, class trips, and extracurricular activities. This can lead to a sense of isolation and a lack of exposure to diverse perspectives and cultures, which can be critical components of personal and academic growth.

In addition, homeschooling can also be challenging for parents who are not trained educators. Homeschooling parents are often responsible for creating lesson plans, grading assignments, and providing feedback on their children’s progress. This can be a significant time commitment and may be overwhelming for parents who are not prepared for the demands of teaching. Additionally, homeschooling parents may not have access to the same resources and support that traditional schools provide, such as access to specialized teachers and programs.

Finally, homeschooling may also raise concerns about the quality of education that children receive. In a traditional school setting, teachers are required to be certified and trained in their subject areas, and the curriculum is standardized and reviewed by educational authorities. Homeschooling parents, on the other hand, may not have the same level of expertise or access to resources, which can raise concerns about the quality and rigor of the education that their children are receiving.

A good thesis statement for homeschooling could be: “While homeschooling offers many advantages, such as personalized attention and a safe learning environment, it also presents challenges such as a lack of socialization and the potential for lower quality education. Ultimately, the decision to homeschool should be based on a careful consideration of the advantages and disadvantages, as well as the individual needs and circumstances of the family.”

Homeschooling is a complex and multifaceted issue that raises a number of questions about the benefits and drawbacks of this type of education. While it offers many advantages, such as personalized attention and a safe learning environment, it also presents challenges such as a lack of socialization and the potential for lower quality education. Ultimately, the decision to homeschool should be based on a careful consideration of the family’s individual needs and circumstances, and an understanding of the potential advantages and disadvantages of this type of education. In order to develop a well-rounded and informed perspective on homeschooling, it is important to consider a variety of sources and viewpoints, including academic research, first-hand accounts from homeschooling families, and the opinions of educators and other experts in the field of education. With a thoughtful and informed approach, it is possible to make an informed decision about whether homeschooling is the right choice for your family.

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Home Schooling Essay Sample

Home Schooling is not for everyone, but it can be a perfect fit for some families. For many parents, the decision to home school their children is based on lifestyle choices or religious beliefs. Others may have concerns about safety, bullying, discipline issues, and socialization.

Essay Sample On Home Schooling

• Thesis Statement – Home Schooling
• Introduction – Home Schooling

Is It Better To Give Education To The Children By homeschooling?

Pros and cons of home schooling, problems with the structure of school-based education, how to improve education institution, conclusion – home schooling.

Thesis Statement – Home Schooling Homeschooling is giving a new dimension to education for those children who are not comfortable going to school due to multiple reasons. At the same time, it limits the life of a student within four walls of the home. Introduction – Home Schooling If we observe a global scale this is very obvious that many students are inclined towards homeschooling due to their comfort in doing so. But at the same time, many still want to go with traditional schooling in the schools. The reason why homeschooling is getting its sheen is the number of students that can gain an education by coming out of the social stigma like women should not read by going outside their home and all. Here we are going to discuss every aspect of homeschooling with the help of relevant data accumulated from the best authentic sources. Main Body – Home Schooling Have a look at the following essay that is written on homeschooling its pros and cons as well. You will be able to get a good idea of the topic by going through this essay meticulously. View: Explanatory Essay Example On “Homeschooling Essay Introduction Writing Tips”

Homeschooling is not a good option for those students who are good enough to go outside and can attend the classes. But at the same time, some students cannot afford to keep a step outside their door because of the manacles of tradition that restrict them to remains in the four walls of their home. Under such conditions, it is good for such people to get a good education through homeschooling from quality teachers. It can save both the comfort of the students and at the same time, they can manage to get quality education from the home tutors.

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The main pro that is discussed in the above paragraph of the essay is the equal opportunity for the study to the students by homeschooling. More those people who are differently-abled and find it hard to make it possible for the school can also make their career by getting homeschooling. At the same time, there are very cons of school education at home like limited exposure, lack of friends and loneliness as well. The childhood of the students gets snatched by the homeschooling in this way as they feel secluded many times.

School-based education is considered as superior as compared to any other form of educating people. But at the same time, there are so many problems that are associated with the school structures like many students bully around the students who are shy in nature, and that is why these shy students get dropped from the school. A similar scenario could happen with the glitches that arise due to the unlatching financial backgrounds of the students. But students get a calm and tension-free environment at home through homeschooling in such cases.

The educational institution could be improved by subjecting them to the major changes that hinder the development of a child to the core. The malpractices like bullying around the shy students and limiting people to entire in the classrooms based on their sex, class, and nature must be improved. This is how we can bring revolution in the structure of our school system. Those who are running a homeschooling system can also improve it by providing external exposure to the students by taking them on a tour for educational purposes.

The above discourse on homeschooling shows that it allows those who are secluded from education to continue their school. More the cost and time could also be saved in homeschooling by the students. Those who are kept limited to their home for this purpose of education get the negative impacts as well like shy nature and inferiority complex as well.

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93 Homeschooling Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best homeschooling topic ideas & essay examples, ⭐ good research topics about homeschooling, 📝 simple & easy homeschooling essay titles, ❓ homeschooling research questions.

• Home School Versus Public School These two types of schools are also similar in that most of the subjects taught in public schools and home schools are the same.
• Advantages and Disadvantages of Homeschooling According to Lyman, the continuous rise in the number of home schooled students is a clear indication of the amount of dissatisfaction with the quality of education delivered at schools. We will write a custom essay specifically for you by our professional experts 808 writers online Learn More
• Homeschooling is a Viable Alternative to Public School General information: In public discourse, homeschooling can be seen as inferior to mainstream education and criticized as unregulated and ineffective from the standpoint of socialization.
• Is Homeschooling Better? The points forwarded by the proponents of homeschooling like flexibility, excellent performance and individualized learning should be disregarded since it is not in conformity with government’s policy on education.
• Home Schooling From the Nursing Perspective Much to the credit of both sides, one must admit that the proponents of homeschooling and the supporters of the traditional teaching approach act on behalf of the child and in the latter’s interests.
• Sociology: Home School Environment Homeschooling may also cause stress in a child because when the contents get tough, the child may have no peer to talk to, and the guardian is not suitable for such talks.
• Homeschooling Is Changing in America Such a publication seems to be relevant for the ongoing study because it sheds light on the diversity of homeschooling in the United States to a great extent.
• The Success of Homeschooling and How the Program Can Be Increased One of the first steps to undertake is to develop a proper assessment framework in order to identify the strengths and weaknesses of current homeschooling methods.
• Homeschooling Growth in the United States and Its Legalization In a recent study in America, it was found that eighty-five percent of parents enrolled their children in home schools because of fear about the environment of other schools.
• Selection of Literature on Homeschooling The main achievement is the explanation of the very essence of the term homeschooling. The current culture is fighting for the fulfilment of the educational standards.
• Home Schooling and Children’s Social Development Going back in time, the victory of the 13-years old Rebecca Sealfon in the contest Scripps National Spelling Bee in 1997, brought the attention of the country to the phenomenon that is called homeschooling.
• Homeschooled Kids in the U.S. The increase in the amount of interest is due to the increased number of homeschoolers in America. This paper aims to understand this growing trend in the US and the reason behind the increasing popularity […]
• Advantages Arguments of Homeschooling According to the Education Resource Centre, Home schooling is providing education to children based at home as opposed to public and private schools.
• Home Schooling and Public Schooling Comparison Before the introduction of compulsory education laws in the 19th century, education of children was conducted mainly in their homes and families.
• After-School Program and Homeschooling: Comparison Visits to cultural sites and memorials to encourage the knowledge of history and the education of spirituality an hour and a half.
• Public School Access for Homeschoolers First of all, there should be enough space for homeschool students in the class, and a teacher should be able to provide them all with the necessary materials.
• Homeschooling, Its Advantages and Disadvantages Nowadays, education is extremely important because it provides the representatives of the general public to receive the knowledge needed to live an independent life to the fullest.
• Homeschooling as a Valid Alternative to Formal Education One of the main questions that should be examined is the academic performance of children who were educated in this way.
• The Significance of Home Schooling This article examines the concept of home schooling. 4, 2002, p.197.
• The Arguments and Debates of the Home Schooling System The learner and the facilitator are able to twist or manipulate the learning times in a way that satisfies their comfort and schedule.
• Positive Development: Home School vs. Public School The decision on whether to home school or take a child to a public school is vital to the future of the child.
• Homeschooling Factors in America A number of people fathom that the only way to restore the value of education in reference to the requirements of Christianity is when people home school their children.
• Homeschooling as an Option for Formal Education This is because of some of the disadvantages that come with homeschooling. This is because of the challenges that come with it.
• Homeschooling and Depriving Children of Social Development
• Homeschooling vs. Public School: Which Is More Beneficial
• High School Kids and Homeschooling: Stereotypes and Perks
• Social Factors That Affect Homeschooling
• The Misconception About Homeschooling and the Benefits of Learning at Home
• Preference for Homeschooling Over Traditional Schooling
• Homeschooling: Alternative Education and Independent Study
• Compelling Reasons for Homeschooling
• Homeschooling: Left Behind, Jumping Ahead
• The Benefits of Homeschooling – Education and Public College
• Homeschooling: Academics, Socialization and College
• Homeschooling: Education and Supervision
• Ethical Questions Regarding Homeschooling
• Homeschooling Versus Public Schooling
• Reasons Why Parents Are Choosing Homeschooling
• Differences Between Homeschooling and Public Education
• Homeschooling Prepares Students for College
• Homeschooling and the Community
• Homeschooling and Family Education
• Technology Business Opportunity for Homeschooling
• Homeschooling and Saving Children From Destruction
• Homeschooling and Its Effect on Children
• The Benefits and Factors of Homeschooling
• The Legitimacy and Advantages of Homeschooling
• Good Homeschooling and Public School in the United States
• Homeschooling and Childhood Socialization
• Should Homeschooling Replace Regular Schooling
• Homeschooling: Are Parents Really Helping Their Children
• Homeschooling and Traditional Education: Advantages and Disadvantages
• Public Education and Homeschooling: The Best Known Techniques
• Homeschooling Advantages and Disadvantages
• Public Schools Should Take Ideas From Homeschooling
• Homeschooling Laws What You Should Know
• Tips for Successful Homeschooling
• What Homeschooling Can Do for Public Schooling
• Homeschooling Pros and Cons
• Positive and Negative Aspects of Homeschooling
• Homeschooling: Solution for Educating Girls in Afghanistan
• The Homeschooling: Mom Needs to Socialise Too
• Homeschooling – Not the Better Choice
• Does Homeschooling Deprive Children of Social Development?
• How Can Homeschooling Get You Into a Lot of Trouble?
• What Does Homeschooling Mean to Me?
• Homeschooling: Yes, No, Maybe So?
• What Are the Pros and Cons of Being Homeschooled?
• What Are the Disadvantages of Homeschooling?
• Is It a Good Idea to Be Homeschooled?
• What Is Homeschooling, and How Does It Work?
• Is Homeschool Expensive?
• Is Homeschooling Free?
• Why Shouldn’t You Homeschool Your Child?
• What Do Psychologists Say About Homeschooling?
• Are Homeschoolers Socially Awkward?
• Are Homeschooled Kids More Confident?
• Is Homeschooling Better for Mental Health?
• Are Homeschoolers Happier?
• Are Homeschoolers More Successful?
• Is It Too Late to Start Homeschooling?
• Is Homeschooling Difficult?
• What Are the Five Benefits of Homeschooling?
• Is Homeschool Better Than Public School?
• What Is the Biggest Challenge of Homeschooling?
• Are Homeschoolers Brighter Than Public Schoolers?
• Can You Go to Harvard if You Were Homeschooled?
• Do Colleges Prefer Homeschooled Students?
• Is Homeschooling Good for Anxiety?
• Why Is Homeschooling a Controversial Issue?
• Are Homeschoolers More Likely to Be Abused?
• Why Does Germany Not Allow Homeschooling?
• Why Do Parents Choose to Homeschool?
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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Home — Essay Samples — Education — Educational System — Homeschooling

Essays on Homeschooling

When it comes to homeschooling, essay writing can be a valuable tool for students to develop critical thinking and communication skills. However, choosing the right topic is crucial to ensure that the essay is engaging, informative, and relevant to the homeschooling experience. In this article, we will discuss the importance of selecting appropriate homeschooling essay topics and provide a detailed list of recommended topics for students to consider.

Choosing the right homeschooling essay topic is essential for several reasons. Firstly, it allows students to explore and express their thoughts and opinions on relevant homeschooling issues, which can contribute to their personal and academic growth. Secondly, a well-chosen topic can make the writing process more enjoyable and meaningful for the student, leading to a higher quality of work. Lastly, the chosen topic should be relevant and engaging for the intended audience, whether it's the student's teacher, classmates, or the wider homeschooling community.

When selecting a homeschooling essay topic, students should consider their personal interests, experiences, and knowledge. It is essential to choose a topic that is meaningful and relevant to the student's homeschooling experience. Additionally, students should consider the audience and purpose of the essay, as well as the availability of credible sources and research materials. By carefully considering these factors, students can choose a topic that will allow them to showcase their critical thinking, writing, and research skills.

Recommended Homeschooling Essay Topics

If you are looking for some interesting homeschooling essay topics, you have come to the right place. Below is a list of 30 different topics structured by categories, to help you find the perfect topic for your essay.

Educational Benefits of Homeschooling

• The impact of individualized learning on homeschooling students
• The role of parents as educators in the homeschooling environment
• The benefits of homeschooling for students with special needs
• Comparing the academic achievements of homeschooled students to traditional school students
• The effectiveness of homeschooling in fostering creativity and critical thinking

Social and Emotional Development in Homeschooling

• The socialization of homeschooling students in comparison to traditional school students
• The impact of homeschooling on the development of social skills and emotional intelligence
• Addressing the misconceptions and stereotypes surrounding homeschooled students
• The role of extracurricular activities and community involvement in homeschooling
• The influence of the homeschooling environment on mental health and well-being

Homeschooling Curriculum and Methods

• Comparing different homeschooling curriculum options
• The benefits and challenges of online homeschooling programs
• The impact of technology on homeschooling education
• Exploring alternative teaching and learning methods in the homeschooling environment
• The role of field trips and hands-on learning in homeschooling

Homeschooling and Legal/Social Issues

• The legal requirements and regulations for homeschooling in different states
• The impact of homeschooling on the public education system
• The influence of cultural and societal attitudes towards homeschooling
• The rights and responsibilities of homeschooling parents and students
• The role of homeschooling advocacy and support groups

Personal Experiences and Reflections on Homeschooling

• The impact of homeschooling on family dynamics and relationships
• Challenges and successes of transitioning from traditional school to homeschooling
• The role of self-motivation and discipline in homeschooling education
• Personal growth and development through the homeschooling experience
• Addressing misconceptions and stereotypes about homeschooling through personal narratives

Global Perspectives on Homeschooling

• The prevalence and acceptance of homeschooling in different countries
• Comparing homeschooling practices and policies in different cultural and social contexts
• The impact of globalization and technology on homeschooling education
• Exploring the role of homeschooling in addressing educational inequality and access to quality education
• The influence of international trends and movements on the homeschooling community

Parental Involvement

• The role of parents as educators in homeschooling
• Challenges and benefits of homeschooling for parents
• Effective communication between parents and children in homeschooling
• Parental support for extracurricular activities in homeschooling
• Balancing work and homeschooling as a parent

Cultural and Diversity Perspectives

• Homeschooling in different cultural contexts
• The impact of homeschooling on religious and cultural beliefs
• Addressing diversity and inclusion in homeschooling
• Homeschooling and multicultural education
• The role of language and heritage in homeschooling

These essay topics should give you a good starting point for exploring the various aspects of homeschooling. By considering these categories and the suggested topics within each, students can identify a relevant and engaging topic for their homeschooling essay. Whether they choose to explore the educational benefits of homeschooling, reflect on their personal experiences, or delve into legal and social issues surrounding homeschooling, there are ample opportunities for students to showcase their critical thinking and writing skills in the context of homeschooling.

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Home Schooling: Today’s Need

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Homeschooling as an Alternative Educational Method

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25 Thesis Statement Examples

A thesis statement is needed in an essay or dissertation . There are multiple types of thesis statements – but generally we can divide them into expository and argumentative. An expository statement is a statement of fact (common in expository essays and process essays) while an argumentative statement is a statement of opinion (common in argumentative essays and dissertations). Below are examples of each.

Strong Thesis Statement Examples

1. School Uniforms

“Mandatory school uniforms should be implemented in educational institutions as they promote a sense of equality, reduce distractions, and foster a focused and professional learning environment.”

Best For: Argumentative Essay or Debate

Read More: School Uniforms Pros and Cons

2. Nature vs Nurture

“This essay will explore how both genetic inheritance and environmental factors equally contribute to shaping human behavior and personality.”

Best For: Compare and Contrast Essay

Read More: Nature vs Nurture Debate

3. American Dream

“The American Dream, a symbol of opportunity and success, is increasingly elusive in today’s socio-economic landscape, revealing deeper inequalities in society.”

Best For: Persuasive Essay

Read More: What is the American Dream?

4. Social Media

“Social media has revolutionized communication and societal interactions, but it also presents significant challenges related to privacy, mental health, and misinformation.”

Best For: Expository Essay

Read More: The Pros and Cons of Social Media

5. Globalization

“Globalization has created a world more interconnected than ever before, yet it also amplifies economic disparities and cultural homogenization.”

Read More: Globalization Pros and Cons

6. Urbanization

“Urbanization drives economic growth and social development, but it also poses unique challenges in sustainability and quality of life.”

Read More: Learn about Urbanization

7. Immigration

“Immigration enriches receiving countries culturally and economically, outweighing any perceived social or economic burdens.”

Read More: Immigration Pros and Cons

8. Cultural Identity

“In a globalized world, maintaining distinct cultural identities is crucial for preserving cultural diversity and fostering global understanding, despite the challenges of assimilation and homogenization.”

Best For: Argumentative Essay

Read More: Learn about Cultural Identity

9. Technology

“Medical technologies in care institutions in Toronto has increased subjcetive outcomes for patients with chronic pain.”

Best For: Research Paper

10. Capitalism vs Socialism

“The debate between capitalism and socialism centers on balancing economic freedom and inequality, each presenting distinct approaches to resource distribution and social welfare.”

11. Cultural Heritage

“The preservation of cultural heritage is essential, not only for cultural identity but also for educating future generations, outweighing the arguments for modernization and commercialization.”

12. Pseudoscience

“Pseudoscience, characterized by a lack of empirical support, continues to influence public perception and decision-making, often at the expense of scientific credibility.”

Read More: Examples of Pseudoscience

13. Free Will

“The concept of free will is largely an illusion, with human behavior and decisions predominantly determined by biological and environmental factors.”

Read More: Do we have Free Will?

14. Gender Roles

“Traditional gender roles are outdated and harmful, restricting individual freedoms and perpetuating gender inequalities in modern society.”

Read More: What are Traditional Gender Roles?

15. Work-Life Ballance

“The trend to online and distance work in the 2020s led to improved subjective feelings of work-life balance but simultaneously increased self-reported loneliness.”

Read More: Work-Life Balance Examples

16. Universal Healthcare

“Universal healthcare is a fundamental human right and the most effective system for ensuring health equity and societal well-being, outweighing concerns about government involvement and costs.”

Read More: The Pros and Cons of Universal Healthcare

17. Minimum Wage

“The implementation of a fair minimum wage is vital for reducing economic inequality, yet it is often contentious due to its potential impact on businesses and employment rates.”

Read More: The Pros and Cons of Raising the Minimum Wage

18. Homework

“The homework provided throughout this semester has enabled me to achieve greater self-reflection, identify gaps in my knowledge, and reinforce those gaps through spaced repetition.”

Best For: Reflective Essay

Read More: Reasons Homework Should be Banned

19. Charter Schools

“Charter schools offer alternatives to traditional public education, promising innovation and choice but also raising questions about accountability and educational equity.”

Read More: The Pros and Cons of Charter Schools

20. Effects of the Internet

“The Internet has drastically reshaped human communication, access to information, and societal dynamics, generally with a net positive effect on society.”

Read More: The Pros and Cons of the Internet

21. Affirmative Action

“Affirmative action is essential for rectifying historical injustices and achieving true meritocracy in education and employment, contrary to claims of reverse discrimination.”

Best For: Essay

Read More: Affirmative Action Pros and Cons

22. Soft Skills

“Soft skills, such as communication and empathy, are increasingly recognized as essential for success in the modern workforce, and therefore should be a strong focus at school and university level.”

Read More: Soft Skills Examples

23. Moral Panic

“Moral panic, often fueled by media and cultural anxieties, can lead to exaggerated societal responses that sometimes overlook rational analysis and evidence.”

Read More: Moral Panic Examples

24. Freedom of the Press

“Freedom of the press is critical for democracy and informed citizenship, yet it faces challenges from censorship, media bias, and the proliferation of misinformation.”

Read More: Freedom of the Press Examples

25. Mass Media

“Mass media shapes public opinion and cultural norms, but its concentration of ownership and commercial interests raise concerns about bias and the quality of information.”

Best For: Critical Analysis

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Checklist: How to use your Thesis Statement

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Parents’ Perspectives on Homeschooling: A Case Study in Southern U.S.

Shaghayegh Setayesh and MingTsan Pierre Lu

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

[email protected]; [email protected]

We all have heard or known of families who homeschool their children.  We have our assumptions about why they choose homeschooling, and how they do it.  In this study, two current homeschooled families with over one year of homeschooling experience in a border city in a southern state in the United States were observed and interviewed.  We investigated their reasons for homeschooling and their perspectives and perceptions on advantages and disadvantages of homeschooling.  Qualitative data collection methods, such as participant observations, semi-structured questionnaires, and one-on-one in-depth interviews were implemented.  We used thematic analysis to analyze data.  It was found that the reasons vary but religious studies, special need and attention, family bond, and children’s moral education were the main ones.  In terms of perceived advantages of homeschooling, the participants revealed that they enjoyed the flexibility of homeschooling in addition to the strong bond, healthy eating habits, and the free time they have for other activities.  As a caveat, the participants in the study stated that lack of time management skills can be harmful to homeschoolers.  In terms of perceived disadvantages of homeschooling, missing on some school events such as science fairs or proms could be an issue for some families. We discussed the study’s limitations and practical implications.

Keywords : homeschooling, advantages and disadvantages, southern state USA, parent perception

According to the Institute of Education Sciences (NCES, 2009; NCES, 2013), homeschooled students are defined as: school-age children (ages 5–17) in a grade equivalent to at least kindergarten and not higher than 12th grade who receive instruction at home instead of at a public or private school either all or most of the time. It is important to understand the homeschooling phenomenon in the United States as study showed that the number of families who choose homeschooling is rapidly increasing, especially in remote areas (Berry, 2013; Murphy, 2012).  Parents choose to homeschool their children for various reasons, for instance, they do not approve of the school environment, are not satisfied with the level of academics at school and want a more advanced curriculum, want a more rigorous religious studies for their children, try to protect their children against bullying at schools, desire to emphasize moral values, have a child with special needs who requires more time and attention, or other reasons (Murphy, 2012; Noel, Stark, & Redford, 2013 ). Collom (2005) explains that motivation for homeschooling may vary from one family to another and even within one family from one child to the next (as cited in Murphy, 2012). Parents who choose to homeschool their children have their reasons and can explain their perceived advantages and disadvantages of this route of education based on their authentic experience.  The purpose of this study is to investigate experienced parents’ reasons for homeschooling and their perspectives on the benefits and disadvantages of homeschooling in a border city in a southern state in the U.S.

Background and Interest of the Study

One of the investigators decided to homeschool her middle school daughter for one year because of her dissatisfaction with the academic and unpleasant environment of the school her daughter attended.  The warning she received from many non-homeschooling parents was the lack of socialization her daughter would face.  It seemed as if there is a general assumption that homeschoolers are either antisocial or socially deprived.  The feedback and reactions to the homeschooling decision made her concerned about whether she made the right choice and how to compensate for the lack of class interaction.  She and her husband conducted informal research to find the most suitable homeschool program for their daughter.  Yet, it was not successful at first because, though there are numerous homeschool programs available, there is very limited information regarding the evaluation or feedback on those programs.  Therefore, it was difficult to unveil the reality about the programs.  As expected, all the developers claimed that their program was the best.  This confusion and uncertainty led the investigator to find parents who had homeschooled their children and ask for their guidance.  Only then the investigator could narrow down the research to two to three programs and eventually choose the one that she felt was the best fit for her daughter.  That was when she realized that there is a need for a study to reveal the advantages and disadvantages of homeschooling from those who have experienced it for some time. Families with experience in homeschooling could clarify if issues such as socialization exist, how they integrate social activities into their children’s lives, and if such activities are proper alternates to what traditional schools and interaction with other classmates offer.

Literature Review

Why Homeschooling?

As a result of a political movement of “countercultural critique of the public education system,” homeschooling became more known and defined to American families in the early 70s (Gaither, 2009). Other reasons that Gaither (2008) associated with the initiation of homeschooling in America were: the suburbanization, the American cult of a child which was the idea of liberating children from the rigorous plans and institutions, and the growth of schools that caused them to be more detached and less communicative with parents. Since then, this alternative route of schooling has increased and diversified. Different states have different laws regarding homeschooling, thus giving a wide range to the continuum of homeschooling. Gaither (2008; 2009) described the extreme ends of this continuum, one being unschooling , a term used by John Holt and supported by progressivism, and the other end being school in a box , which was mainly supported by conservatives. Through extensive research, Murphy (2012) describes two essential parts of the homeschooling movement; one from the liberal left and the other one from the Christian right, founded and led by John Holt and Raymond Moore, respectively.

According to Martin-Chang, Gould, and Meuse (2011), one of the main reasons for homeschooling was parents being dissatisfied with the traditional public school education. Gaither (2009) and McReynolds (2007) provided some of the reasons for homeschooling that varied from religious, learning disabilities, student athletes or celebrity, to issues at schools such as bullying. Carlson (2009) added the desire of children being raised bilingual and bicultural to the list of the reasons. Moreover, Wichers (2001) identified the multiculturalism as one of the reasons for homeschooling in addition to the positive aspect of individualized education that homeschoolers receive. In addition, parents may not believe in their school systems such that the schools do not offer curricula or courses that help students develop fully (McReynolds, 2007) or that the schools’ emphasis is on excessive testing and memorization which deprived students from critical thinking and having free time for other activities or for family time (McReynolds, 2007).

Homeschooling Types and Concerns

Homeschooling may happen in different forms such as a set curriculum purchased online, virtual classes, and a mix of academic and music or drama classes (McReynolds, 2007).  The delivery methods may vary such as learning content all delivered to the homeschoolers alone or as a part of the cooperative learning groups (McReynolds, 2007). Homeschool groups formed by families in the same region where children get together for some classes taught by some of the parents is not a requirement but has been an increasing type of homeschool learning that more families are leaning toward (Gaither, 2009).

The use of technology, the access to Internet, and the opportunity to be involved in the community and to interact with others have decreased the concern of social isolation of homeschoolers. McReynolds (2007) stated that homeschoolers make the world their classroom.  Standardized testing for homeschoolers is not mandatory in many states, however, the results of college entrance exams such as SAT, the rate of homeschoolers attending college, and the high recruitment rates of colleges and prestigious universities from the homeschool graduates prove the high achievement rates of this population compared to the public school graduates (Wichers, 2001; McReynolds, 2007). Homeschoolers have the opportunity to take AP classes and dual enrollment courses in high school (Gaither, 2009). Therefore, they do not necessarily fall behind on that aspect of academic work compared to the students in public schools. The study conducted by Martin-Chang et al. (2011) found that homeschoolers who followed a structured curriculum and/or structured academic learning plans scored higher on the standardized tests than public school students did. The same study also revealed that children who experienced an unstructured homeschooling achieved lower than public school students did (Martin-Chang et al., 2011). The study clearly demonstrated the importance of structured curricula to homeschooling.  Romanowski (2006) listed four myths about homeschooling; among them were the lack of socialization and the low rate of admission to college. In reality, as Romanowski (2006) argued, homeschoolers have the opportunity to be as social as the students in public schools due to the activities and community involvements that are available. In addition, the reality about college admission agrees with the studies aforementioned such that not only homeschoolers are being admitted to the colleges and universities nationwide, but also college representatives meet with homeschoolers and their families in larger groups to speak about the opportunities of scholarships and college planning (Romanowski, 2006).

Homeschooling and Self-Regulated Learning

Many scholars used Self-Regulated Learning (SRL) models to explain learning in homeschooling as they found strong associations between SRL and homeschooling.  Defined by Schunk and Zimmerman (1998), SRL refers to a learning process that results from the learner’s adaptation, thoughts and feelings in order to support the learner’s goals in changing the learning environment. According to Ertmer and Newby’s (1996) SRL model, E xpert Learners , there are three phases in the SRL cycle: planning, monitoring, and evaluating. During the planning phase, the expert learner sets goals and makes plans to achieve the goals. In the monitoring phase, the expert learner monitors and checks on the progress made, how closely the phase one plans are being followed, if he/she is staying focused on the learning goal, and if he/she is staying on the schedule and not falling behind. During the evaluation phase, the expert learner evaluates if the plan works and the goal is achieved. To successful homeschoolers, reflection is an important part of SRL that occurs during all three stages of the cycle (Schunk & Zimmerman, 1998; Ertmer & Newby, 1996; Zimmerman, Bonner, & Kovach, 1996; Robinson, 1993; Weinstein & Van Mater Stone, 1993). Figure 1 from “Expert Learners: Self-Regulated Learning” (Ertmer & Newby, 1996) shows the SRL model.

Figure 1: SRL: Expert Learning

(From Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (1996). The Expert Learner: Strategic, Self-Regulated, and Reflective. Instructional Science, 24, 1-24.)

Homeschoolers have different learning environments and resources from those of the students who attend school. According to the framework, homeschool students must set goals for themselves and make plans, monitor their progress and be aware of not falling behind the schedule, and evaluate how well they follow the plan and whether they achieve their goals. They should constantly reflect on their learning regarding planning, monitoring, and evaluating. They may make their own strategies and try them rather than being instructed by a teacher or having a pre-determined schedule of assignments and due dates as those students in schools have.

As there is little literature focusing on homeschooling in a remote border city with low SES in southern U.S. and on parents’ perceptions of their homeschooling decisions, the study would provide insights on homeschooling and its implementations in a border city in a southern state of the U.S. and augment current literature on these parents’ perceived advantages and disadvantages of homeschooling.

Research Questions

To investigate why parents in the border city in a southern state of the U.S. chose homeschooling, their perceived advantages and disadvantages, and whether their practice of homeschooling met certain conceptual SRL framework, we asked the following questions:

• Why did parents choose to homeschool? How did they homeschool?
• What measures were taken by parents to assure the children were socially interactive?
• How did parents choose a homeschool program for their children?
• What were their perceived advantages of homeschooling?
• What were their perceived disadvantages of homeschooling?

Sampling Plan and Participants

The sampling plan for this study was the criterion sampling. To investigate experienced parents’ perspectives on homeschooling, the criteria we set for our sample were: (1) families who were currently homeschooling at least one child, (2) the parent(s) were the coaches or teachers of the children (N.B., help from other parents or tutors were acceptable in this criteria as long as the parents were the main coach or teacher), (3) families who had done homeschooling for at least one school year, and (4) the homeschooling took place in a border city in a southern state in the U.S. We found three families that met the criteria in the Rio Grande Valley area in south Texas at the time of the study in spring 2014. Through contacting them by email, two families accepted to participate. Family #1 had three children, all being homeschooled. The mother had almost 10 years of experience in homeschooling. The older two children had gone to school for one to three years before being homeschooled, but the youngest one had always been homeschooled. Family #2 had one child, middle school age, who was being homeschooled for the past two years. Their three younger children attended public schools at the time of the study but they were planning to homeschool them as well once they reached the middle school age.

We conducted the study in a border city in South Texas. The city had an estimated population of 181,860 residents (United States Census, 2013). The United States Census Bureau (2013) reported, 93.2% of the residents are Hispanic, 87.2% of the residents in the city reported that Spanish is their primary language and it is spoken at home, and only 15.7% of individuals 25 years old and over have a postsecondary degree (compared to 26.3 % in the rest of the state).  Residents in the city have a low socioeconomic status with the per capita income for families of $13,556, compared to $25,563 in the rest of the state.

The observations and the interviews were conducted at the participants’ houses. The three children of family #1 had different areas to study. The oldest, B1, brought his books and notes to the kitchen table and did his assignments there. The middle child, B2, stayed in his room during the entire time of observation, and the youngest, B3, had his nook set up in the corner of the living room which was open to the kitchen area. The living room had one wall with tall glass doors leading to the patio, another window by B3’s desk area, another window by the kitchen table. The room had light green walls with some orange accent making it a warm and cozy environment. There was some noise coming from the kitchen that was open to the living room area, noise from the water running, fresh juice being made, and later on cooking. Family #2 had a quiet house during the observation day. The homeschooler, B4, stayed in his room during the study time where there was his desk with a Mac computer, his bookshelf, his notebooks and textbooks, and his bed. The room had white walls without any photo frames on the walls. The interviews with the mothers and children took place in their houses.

After we received the IRB approval from the investigators’ university, the first author contacted three families whom met the criteria via email and asked for their participation. The first author knew these families either personally or through a mutual friend. Two families accepted the invitation. We made an appointment with each family to observe one day of their homeschooling. In addition, we also made another appointment with each family to conduct interviews with the mothers and one child of each family. The purpose of the study was explained to each family and consent was received by both the children and the mothers as the mothers signed the consent forms. We observed one day at each participant’s house to understand the environment and interactions of parents and children in the study while taking field notes. In order to minimize the observer effect, we decided not be a participant observer in the teaching or any other aspect of their homeschool day. After arrival and greetings, we sat in a couch or a chair where we could see the children and their interactions and work throughout the day. We took field notes and later on reflected on our observations and on the notes. On the days of interviews, we notified the interviewees that an audio recorder was to be used. The interviews with the mothers had semi-structured format. We triangulated to increase the validity of the research as we interviewed two of the homeschoolers. The interview with B4 was informal as we were walking through the backyard and talking about homeschooling. The interview with B1 was structured and it was done via email after we had explained the process to him and had an informal talk with him after the observation day. After each interview with the two mothers, the audio files were transcribed. To protect the privacy of the participants, pseudonyms for the participants were used in the paper. In order to protect the transcribed notes electronically, passwords had been used.

Observation

We arrived in the morning during breakfast time. Family #1 asked us to be at their house by 8:30 AM. When we arrived, B2 and B3 had already finished breakfast, B2 was asking his mother a couple of questions before going to his room to begin his study, B3 was sitting in the patio reading his book, and B1 was finishing breakfast. All 3 homeschoolers had casual clothes on similar to the students at public schools without uniforms. B2 remained in his room all morning and his mother said that he prefers to be alone during his school time and would come and ask questions if he needs anything. B1 brought his books and his laptop and sat by the kitchen counter to quietly start his work. B3, the youngest, was the one who needed his mother’s attention and guidance the most. We noticed that the mother would set up B3’s next lessons for him by bringing his books and logging in to the computer. Then she was in the kitchen and from there talked to him, urged him to stay focused, and guided him whenever he had a question. At the house of Family #2, it was different because there was only one child being homeschooled.  It was quieter and he was in his room logged in to his lessons and working quietly. We noticed that B4 was in his pajamas. His mother told us that they usually let him sleep a bit later because he is in a growing age and needs extra sleep time, and therefore he usually starts the day around 9 or 9:30 A.M.  He took a break and went to the backyard to water his plants. It was obvious how much he enjoyed spending time in the garden and how proud he was of the trees and plants he had grown.

Data Analysis

All interviews were transcribed. We used constant comparison analysis to generate themes and found two main sets of categories, one is the reasons for homeschooling and the other the advantages and disadvantages of homeschooling . The field notes were also read and analyzed to support the themes that were found through the interviews.

The analysis of data resulted in the following four main categories: Reasons for homeschooling, choosing homeschooling programs, advantages of homeschooling, and disadvantages of homeschooling.

Reasons for homeschooling

Special needs : Although very mild, but the reason family #1 started the homeschooling with B1 was because they realized he had some sensory integration issues and would not complete his writing assignments at school in addition to having an almost illegible handwriting. The mother already had done some research about homeschooling and decided to give the extra attention to B1 at home to meet that need and to help overcome possible difficulties B1 had to face.

Providing better education : After a couple years of homeschooling, family #1 realized they could provide a better quality of education for their children, and thus decided to homeschool B2 and later on B3.

Developing morality :  The parents of family #1 noticed how much more gentle and respectful their children became compared to the ones in public schools. One of the reasons they continued homeschooling was to encourage good behaviors and to help them build good characters.  Family #2 also stated that at the age that B4 was, they felt it was very important to teach him good character values and morals and they believed they could do a better job if he stayed home through that sensitive age to gain a more fundamental education of values.

Strengthening the family bond :  Family #1, including both mother and B1, emphasized the importance of making their family bond stronger as a reason why they continued homeschooling.   Family #2 continued with homeschooling because they wanted their child to build a stronger relationship with his parents which would stay with him for the rest of his life.

Religious beliefs :  Family #2 stated that giving a concrete religious study to their child was the main reason they started homeschooling. To family #2, their religious beliefs are the most important part of education in their culture, and as well as in life. The child now has plenty of time to attend religious lessons online and practice the learning with the family.

Choosing homeschooling programs

As for the program that they chose, family #1 said that first they did a set curriculum where the mother did all the teaching. But through experience and research they found a classic curriculum that puts emphasis on literature, they offer virtual classes, and students take the required and elective courses. The classes are interactive and they get to speak with other students as well as the instructor. Family #2 said that they chose an online public school system that offers classes for homeschool students. There are also virtual classes and student interaction.  In the first author’s case, she chose a certain Independent School District’s program  where her daughter takes classes for several courses, and she teaches her daughter Algebra I. In addition, she takes tennis lessons for her physical education.

Through analysis of data collected from the interviews and observations, the advantages and disadvantages that both mothers and the homeschoolers mentioned were the following:

Advantages of homeschooling

Flexibility : Both mothers considered flexibility as one main advantage of homeschooling.  It was apparent through observations too that the homeschoolers had the flexibility to choose the order of the subjects they wanted to work on, the amount of time they wanted to spend on a subject, the location they wanted to have their studies done, their sleep and wake-up time, the music being played (or not played) during their lessons, and their activities.

Time for other activities : Both families said that because of homeschooling, their children have more time to do what they are interested in, such as running, reading, and gardening. It would not have been quite possible to have so much time for these extracurricular activities had they attended their regular schools.

Healthy eating habits : Both families emphasized that gaining healthy eating habits was a great advantage of homeschooling. Mother of family #1 said that she does not think her children can tolerate the food that is served at the public schools because they eat so healthy at home. They have learned to choose healthy food because of what has been prepared at home and available to them. Mother of family #2 said that in the first few months of homeschooling, B4 started to gain weight. However, he did not like it and started reading about healthy eating and now he is very precise about what to eat and when to eat. Sometimes he even warns his parents and other siblings if they eat an unhealthy snack, demonstrating how he has internalized healthy dieting habits and concepts.

Family bonding :  Not only family bonding was one of the reasons for both families to start or continue homeschooling, but also they mention it as an advantage. B1 said that he could not had done so many years of homeschooling if it was not because of how close the family has grown together and how they support each other. Mother #2 said she has noticed how much her son has grown closer to both parents and how relaxed they are when talking about different subjects.  She found this an advantage that non-homeschooled families may not have because of the limited time they have together every day.

Disadvantages of homeschooling

Time management issue : Although flexibility is an advantage of homeschooling for the students, if there is a lack of time management, then it can become problematic. Both families said if there is no time management skill, it will become easy for learners to fall behind assignments and procrastinate their accumulate work.

Missing on some school activities :  Family #1 found this a disadvantage of homeschooling that they missed on some school events, such as homecoming and prom. However, they said it depends on how important these events are to the children. To them it was not a detrimental issue but they hear from some other homeschooled families that sometimes children wish they had those events. Family #2 said that they sometimes miss some school events, such as science fairs and honors assembly, but they expressed that it is not that significant to them.

Neither family mentioned socialization as a disadvantage. They both said that they have ways to keep their children socially active. Family #1 participates in co-op classes. The mother explained that they interact with a group of homeschooled families and any parent who would like to teach something to the kids, would offer a class. For instance, one of the mothers offers ballet classes, another teaches science and the homeschooled students choose which class they would like to attend. Family #2 said that attending religious community events and classes have been what their child looks forward to and their child is content with the socialization he receives there. Both families also have their children in sports and the practices add to being interactive with other children. The first author’s daughter stayed in touch with her friends made from her previous years in public schools. She also actively participated in local community theatre auditions, rehearsals, and performances.

Discussion and Conclusion

Implications

The results of this study help families in similar circumstances (e.g., low SES areas, border cities, specific needs, religious concerns, or related concerns in southern states) who are considering homeschooling or are new to the process to know more about what to expect, how to take advantage of the programs and how to deal with the challenges. Findings also suggest program developers improve their courses by including calendars for better time management.  In addition, the results suggest homeschooling groups include more activities such as dance and talent shows so homeschoolers do not miss on similar activities that take place in regular schools.

Limitations

One limitation for this study was the number of participants. There were not many families that met the criteria set for the study. In addition, if we had more time and resources available, we might be able to possibly identify and invite more homeschooling families to participate in the study. The small sample size might limit the generalizability of the study as in most case study research though the main purpose of the study was to uncover these parents’ reasons for homeschooling and their perspectives and perceptions on advantages and disadvantages of homeschooling from this specific group. As a possible future study, researchers may consider using the mixed methods research design to combine the strengths of both qualitative and quantitative research.

Concluding remarks         

The results of the data analysis show that the parents who participated in the study chose to homeschool their children for different reasons. Yet most of their reasons were similar to the ones found in the background research (i.e., Gaither, 2008, 2009; Martin-Chang, Gould, & Meuse, 2011; McReynolds, 2007; Romanowski, 2006). The most common reasons in this study were to provide a better education for their children either academically or religiously, to attend to their special needs, to stay closer as a family and to help their children develop good characters. As one parent said, “homeschooling is a lifestyle where they set goals and work toward achieving them. They adapt to the changes necessary for this new lifestyle.” One mother had to quit her job, but the family compensated for the lower income by changing their cars and eliminating excess spending. They believe what they gained in return is worth the simpler lifestyle they have. At the same time the mother is taking online courses for professional development so once they decide to stop homeschooling or if their children graduate from the homeschool, then she is up-to-date with her career development and she will have obtained a few certificates to help her return to her job. The other mother is a college student herself and she has continued with her studies. Since the mother is also busy with classes and her own studies, she has hired a tutor who meets with the homeschooler to help out with any problems he may need assistance on. Both fathers are very supportive of the process.

One of the homeschoolers mentioned that he feels he has gained a close bond with the family because of the homeschooling. Yet in response to if he recommends homeschooling to everybody, he said it depends on the family and the commitment they give to it. He said if a child does not like the quietness of the house, or does not like his/her parent to be his teacher or coach of homeschooling, then s/he probably should not do it. Parents and children stated that in addition to the customized education they receive, they have better bonds as a family. Both families stated they prepare healthier lunch together and eat together.

They also enjoy the flexibility it provides for the family. If a child needs more time on a lesson or a specific task, s/he can do so. If the family would like to travel in a low season, they do not worry about their children’s school. Also, children can spend time doing what they are interested in, such as gardening, theater, or sports. Although flexibility is considered a benefit, having time management skills is a challenge they face in homeschooling. They also said that they miss on functions such as prom, but they do other activities with the co-op groups, or their religion communities.

Berry, S. (2013). Report: Homeschooling growing seven times faster than public school enrollment. Retrieved from: http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/06/07/Report-Growth-in-Homeschooling-Outpacing-Public-Schools

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National Center for Education Statistics. (2009).  The Condition of Education 2009 (NCES 2009-081). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=91

Romanowski, M. H. (2006). Revisiting the Common Myths about Homeschooling. Clearing House , 79 (3), 125-129.

Robinson, A. (1993). What Smart Students Know . New York: Three Rivers Press.

Schunk, D. H., & Zimmerman, B. J. (1998). Self-Regulated Learning: From Teaching to Self-Reflective Practice. New York: Guilford Press.

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Weinstein, C. E., & Van Mater Stone, G. (1993). Broadening Our Conception of General Education: The Self-Regulated Learner. New Directions in Community Colleges, 81 , 31-39.

Wichers, M. (2001). Homeschooling: adventitious or detrimental for proficiency in higher education. Education , 122 (1), 145-150.

Zimmerman, B. J., Bonner, S., & Kovach, R. (1996). Developing Self-Regulated Learners . Washington D.C.: American Psychological Association.

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‘Homeschooling’ and the COVID-19 Crisis: The Insights of Parents on Curriculum and Remote Learning

• Published: 18 February 2021
• Volume 52 , pages 167–191, ( 2021 )

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• Daniela Fontenelle-Tereshchuk   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-1632-108X 1  

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The COVID-19 crisis forced schools to temporarily close from March 2020 to June 2020, producing unpredictable changes in instructional contexts and patterns. A new concept of ‘homeschooling’ emerged which required parents to support the implementation of the curriculum through remote learning. This article is based on a case study focusing on the perceptions of experiences of ten parents of Elementary school children during the school lockdown in Alberta, Canada. Parents argue that the schools’ demands on them were unreasonable. These added to the stress of the quarantine and professional losses, and to the burden of working full-time, fulfilling household responsibilities, and having children rely mostly on parents to deliver an often brief, ‘shallow’ weekly lesson plan that lacked clear expectations and reliable assessment pieces. Parents also strongly cast doubts on the popular reliability of online education by suggesting the unsuitability of online tools to promote independent learning among young children. The study may provide valuable contributions to further inform how to better support learning from home during this ongoing pandemic.

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Introduction

The year 2020 has been challenging for education. The current world crisis caused by the spread of the coronavirus has impacted the lives of everyone and changed patterns of living. Education has been greatly affected by an unpredictable reality of changing the conceptualization of home education, or what we will refer to as ‘homeschooling’.

This case study is an account of the perceptions of experiences of ten parents of children in K-6 Elementary French programs in three different school boards: Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD), Calgary Board of Education (CBE), commonly known as public schools, and Francophone School Board, in Alberta, Canada. The article is divided into four different main themes as well as subsequent sub-themes emerging from the data: The perceptions of the experiences of parents with ‘homeschooling’; the perceptions of the experiences of parents with language instruction; the perceptions of the experiences of parents with remote learning; and the perceptions of the experiences of parents on the importance of social interaction.

Literature Review

Parental support is an important factor in children’s education. According to Amaral ( 2007 ) and Sedibe and Fourie ( 2018 ), parental support enhances children’s learning and plays an essential role in their academic success. Some parents, who have the time, pedagogical skills, and resources, may choose to homeschool their children.

However, what happened in many homes in Canada is unprecedented and was a circumstantial ‘homeschooling’ choice imposed on parents caused by the fact schools were temporarily closed and learning moved from in-person to remote schooling from March 2020 to June 2020 in Alberta. A survey shows that the great majority of Canadian parents with children ranging between 4 years and 11 years old were extremely concerned about having to support their child’s education and providing childcare at the same time as maintaining a working life (Statistics Canada 2020 ). It points to the fact that many children’s daily activities were screen time related, perhaps not only due to schooling, but also a reflection of the struggle families had to manage a work-life without child support during this pandemic (Statistics Canada 2020 ).

Homeschooling, in the sense that parents educate their children in what they believe is important to pass on to new generations, has been around for centuries prior to the establishment of a formal educational system (Semali 1999 ). With indigenous peoples, for instance, elders have taught youngsters how to live well and survive in their environment through hunting, fishing, and supporting each other by playing a positive role in the daily welfare of their community (Bruchac 2014 ). In this ‘informal’ educational system, “the knowledge generated is passed on from one generation to the next in the oral mode” (George 1999 , p. 80).

In Canada, formal or traditional homeschooling, defined as “an alternative method of learning that takes place outside the school environment, where parents deliver courses and programs of learning to their children” (Statistics Canada 2018 ), is legal in all provinces and territories. In other words, homeschooling is a choice made by some parents to educate their children at home following provincial educational regulations. Provinces have different regulations on the freedom parents have over the planning and implementation of the curriculum in the homeschooling program (Van Pelt 2015 ).

However, what happened in many households during the March–June school lockdown cannot be characterized as ‘traditional homeschooling’ as parents did not choose to teach their children at home. This new ‘homeschooling’ process or model was created by the unexpected and urgent circumstances during this period. In Alberta, a lockdown was established to contain the spread of the new coronavirus that had impacted the lives of many worldwide. Schools were closed between March and June of 2020 (Alberta Education 2020a , b ), and in this case, the education of children in Elementary schools relied on remote learning and parents becoming ‘teachers’ aids’ who supported the lesson plans sent home.

The parents in this study opted to have their children in one of the French language-based programs in Alberta. French language programs are offered in different formats such as French Immersion Programs and Francophone (Alberta Education 2020b ). According to Alberta Education ( 2020b ), the Francophone program is mainly meant for French-speaking families. Differently, in French Immersion programs, parents are not required to have previous knowledge of the French language. Students are expected to be fluent in the French language after attending the K-12 French Immersion schools.

Parents play an important role in students’ academic achievements, and their inputs are key to improve education (Amaral 2007 ; Chen and Harris 2009 ). Although, Sedibe and Fourie ( 2018 ) note that “the lack of avenues for parent involvement, inadequate parent empowerment, insufficient interaction amongst parents and ineffectual school communication” are challenges often perceived in school-parents partnership processes (p. 436).

Schools as a whole including students, teachers, and parents experienced a variety of challenges imposed by the rapid changes in learning and teaching patterns during the temporary closure of schools due to the coronavirus pandemic, and specific literature in education on this topic is still scarce. Teachers, in particular, struggled to have to quickly adapt their planning and teaching approaches to remote learning and partnership with parents to implement the curriculum.

John ( 2006 ) suggests that teachers, especially more experienced ones, do not always write daily detailed lesson plans and mostly rely on their extensive experience to improvise as pedagogical opportunities arise. Wiggins and McTighe ( 2005 ) as well as Borich ( 2007 ) point to the importance of effective lesson planning in learning outcomes. An effective lesson plan reflects a clear and well-thought learning design, which promotes engagement and favors differentiated learning opportunities, and is aligned with the curriculum standards as well as formative and summative learning responsive assessment pieces (Borich 2007 ; Cicek and Tok 2014 ; Wiggins and McTighe 2005 ). Borich ( 2007 ) and Cicek and Tok ( 2014 ) remind us that teachers are key to the implementation of educational policies and any goals seeking to improve education outcomes. They draw attention to teaching effectiveness and the relevance of the process of lesson planning as

a combination of lesson objective designing, teaching, modeling, checking for understanding, re-teaching, and teacher’s self-reflection, lesson plan is a crucial element in the process of meeting national content standards and optimizing the outcome of classroom teaching and learning. (Cicek and Tok 2014 , p. 11).

Alberta classrooms, as in other parts of Canada, have grown increasingly more diverse (Briscoe and Pollock 2017 ). Having an inclusive approach to teaching, which includes “all children regardless of ability level are included in classrooms with their age-matched peers” (Sokal and Sharma 2013 , p. 59), is key to successful learning outcomes (McCrimmon 2015 ; Gray et al. 2017 ). However, ineffective teacher preparation and training to respond to the diverse needs of students have been a concern and contributed to the increased stress level of teachers, raising concerns of mental health issues among teachers (Gray et al. 2017 ).

The challenges imposed by the need for continuous professional growth to meet the demands of diverse learners, which certainly increased during the pandemic, are not always properly addressed by teacher preparation programs and/or professional development practices (McCrimmon 2015 ; Gray et al. 2017 ). According to McCrimmon ( 2015 ), the “majority of nascent teachers are underprepared for teaching in modern classrooms containing diverse learners without additional training or experience” (p. 235). Research suggests that “teaching efficacy is a context-specific construct” (Sokal and Sharma 2013 , p. 60), which might indicate that teachers’ pedagogical needs might be intrinsically connected to individualized classroom contexts. For instance, Gray et al. ( 2017 ) and Sokal and Sharma ( 2013 ) suggest that teachers, who received specific training and developed abilities to teach in inclusive environments, improved their teaching performance.

Interestingly, Oliver et al. ( 2012 ) remark that “typically when the generational gap in technology is discussed it puts students on one side of the gap and teachers on the other with a clear demarcation based on age and assumed experience” (p. 284). The use of technology for learning purposes is not a novelty to teachers in Alberta (Alberta Education 2013 ; CBE 2020 ); however, the context and needed reliance on technology for teaching purposes exercised during this pandemic was unprecedented. Alberta Education ( 2013 ) provides educators with a few recommendations on important aspects that have an impact on learning experiences when teaching in an online environment, such as providing students with clear feedback on assignments, the importance of creating a growth mindset among students, providing students “with choice within a safe learning environment that encourages measured risk-taking and innovation” (p. 20), and creating a collaborative work environment for more complex learning tasks.

The U.S. Department of Education ( 2017 ) points to the inadequate use of technology to provide learning opportunities to students outside of the school environment. It suggests that teachers might not feel they have the necessary skills to confidently pursue the use of technology for continuous learning purposes in the classroom and beyond. This factor could explain why some parents in this study noticed that teachers showed a tendency to rely heavily on pre-made materials as opposed to using technology in their lesson planning to construct authentic learning opportunities for students. Such practice may accentuate the problematic technology usage divide “between learners who are using technology in active, creative ways to support their learning and those who predominantly use technology for passive content consumption” (U.S. Department of Education 2017 , p. 7).

Beyerbach et al. ( 2001 ) point to the complexity of the process of infusing technology as a tool for learning, arguing that such a process “takes time, support, and collaboration” (p. 107).

Some important aspects should be considered to improve the use of technology in classrooms, such as providing educators with practical pedagogical opportunities to gain an understanding of how technology tools could be incorporated in their teaching in an active manner, and the necessary theoretical and modeling support through professional development initiatives and/or courses focused on helping teachers to reflect on why and how the integration of technology in the classroom could and should be done (Beyerbach et al. 2001 ).

Oliver et al. ( 2012 ) agree that although the infusion of technology in people’s daily lives has become increasingly more evident in recent years as in the case of cellphones, which are used widely not only as a mean of communication but also as a tool incorporated in daily routines such as a calendar or an alarm clock to manage time, technology has not found its niche in active and constructive instructional utilization in learning environments.

Concerns with teacher preparedness and pedagogical support reflected in the creation and implementation of lesson plans, which clearly apply technology reflectively and actively as a diverse and inclusive tool for learning, are evident (Beyerbach et al. 2001 ; McCrimmon 2015 ; Oliver et al. 2012 ). Another important concern would be the teachers’ necessary understanding of the ‘social, ethical, legal, and human’ implications of the use of technology in classrooms (Oliver et al. 2012 ). For instance, an educational resource copyright lawsuit between publishers and provinces forced about 300 teachers to have to retroactively provide 7 years’ worth of lesson plans (Stackelberg 2019 ). This could also have some other implications as such pre-made materials are most likely decontextualized.

Other challenges with the use of technology for educational purposes have also become evident during the coronavirus crisis. The potential excessive use of screen time by Elementary school-aged children during the lockdown was one of the most important concerns among sixty- four percent of parents surveyed by Statistics Canada ( 2020 ). The survey also shows that social interaction was a major concern as parents indicated that isolation might have a negative effect on their children’s overall behavior and mental health.

The current pandemic may test the popular effectiveness attributes associated with the use of technology in education. For instance, media post claims such as “research suggests that online learning has been shown to increase retention of information, and take less time, meaning the changes coronavirus have caused might be here to stay” (Li and Lalani 2020 ), may influence popular views on the effectiveness of online education as we are going through this crisis.

Alberta Education ( 2013 ) supports that “technology serves as an enabler and accelerator of the type of learning that research says works best” (p. 11). However, the impact of the use of technology for educational purposes by young children, especially between the ages of 5 to 9 years old is still unclear due to the shortage of studies addressing the topic (Holloway et al. 2013 ).

Ultimately, some literature suggests that excessive use of screen time by young children may lead to physical and mental health issues (Martin 2011 ; Rosen et al. 2014 ). It is recommended that elementary school-aged children should not be exposed to technology for more than 2 h daily (Martin 2011 ). Research also suggests that parents play a key role in how much exposure to technology children have, especially young ones (Joshi and Shukla 2019 ; Teuwen et al. 2012 ). For instance, Teuwen et al. ( 2012 ) note that “preschoolers whose mother obtains a higher level of education, are more likely to have had any online experience but less likely to use the Internet frequently” (p. 17).

Methodology

As previously mentioned in Fontenelle-Tereshchuk ( 2020b ), this case study explored the insights of ten parents of children in French language programs during the March–June 2020 school lockdown in Alberta. A case study design was chosen because it allows for an in-depth exploration of the collective and uniqueness of these parents' perceived reality of events during the school lockdown (Yin 2009 ). Focusing on the data to inform the findings of this study was important to address my bias as a parent, a schoolteacher, and a scholar.

The study applied mostly qualitative methods: A structured 8-question background survey meant to provide some statistical background information; a semi-structured 10-question individual questionnaire; and a focus group interview consisting of 3 open-ended questions, which prompted and guided a discussion among the parents (Creswell 2012 ). The focus group interview was audio-recorded via ZOOM and later transcribed.

The data was sorted and color-coded by emerging common themes in a wallmap format (Creswell 2012 ), facilitating the necessary recurring access to the data and the analyses. The data was collected in the beginning of the summer of 2020. The study is unfunded and received the approval from the Conjoint Faculties Research Ethics Board (CFREB) at the University of Calgary.

The participants were recruited through an online recruiting post on the University of Calgary website and networking. The study required participants to be parents or guardians of Elementary school children in one of the French language programs in Alberta. It is important to notice that parents with children in Elementary French programs in Alberta are part of a minority group. To keep the confidentiality of the participants, pseudonyms replaced the participants’ real names.

Limitations

The study offers an insightful view of Elementary school parents’ perspectives on the educational challenges of teaching and learning during the 2020 school lockdown in Alberta. While the experiences of these parents might resonate with many other parents in Alberta and/or around the world, the study is limited statistically due to its contextualized sample size.

The parents in this study strongly argue that remote learning does not promote independent learning and is not suitable for Elementary school-aged children. They think of technology as a tool that when/if well-utilized can be helpful to facilitate learning; however, it is not a replacement for teachers. These parents suggest that the main focus of teaching during the lockdown was the technology itself, and not the curriculum and the teaching and learning process. Teachers and schools might have mistakenly believed that if children had access to technology and knew how to mechanically use it, they would independently learn through remote learning. The perceived experiences of these parents during the schools’ closure between March–June 2020 contradict this assumption.

The parents point to necessary changes in the way teachers are trained and the support they need to continue growing their skills in creating contextualized and engaging lesson plans with clear expectations and integrated assessment tailored to students’ specific needs and utilizing technology in an informed and active manner. Parents also draw attention to the importance of recognizing and utilizing parental support in children’s education, indicating a need for improvement of collaborative practices between parents and schools.

Parents, Themes, and Sub-themes

It is important to notice that none of the parents reported a lack of access to the technology students needed to learn from home, and in the context of this study, it is assumed that students had the technology needed available during this process. Parents might have other children at home, and the ones reported in this study were only those attending the Elementary schools in a French program, assumed to be 5 years to 11 years old.

The following summary of the parents’ backgrounds is mostly based on the answers to the survey questions. It is intended to provide an understanding of the different contexts as well as a brief parental demographic overview.

The following themes and sub-themes emerged mostly from the individual questionnaires and the focus-group interview.

The Perceptions of the Experiences of Parents with ‘Homeschooling’

Many have referred to the phenomenon of teaching from home during the lockdown as home-based education or ‘homeschooling’, that is to say, a partnership between schools and parents to support children’s continuing education while schools were temporarily closed.

In terms of teachers’ instruction, parents strongly argue that there was an apparent assumption that Elementary school children would be able to manage the technology and work independently on the assignments and that the support required from parents would be minimal.

Parents as Partners: A Failed Communication Approach

Parents were asked to take on an important role as the main support of this ‘homeschooling’ process. What could have been a true partnership, where schools and parents would communicate well and be aware of each other needs and suggestions, establishing a clear and constructive channel of communication, did not happen. For many parents, this process was physically and mentally exhausting as well as a frustrating task.

The communication between teachers and parents was for the most part via email. Feedback on assignments was vague and often not helpful to guide parents on how well their children were doing and which areas they had to improve. As Macy explains that.

Through these entire three and half months, we may be submitted five things to the teachers to view, [emphasizing with gesture showing 5 fingers] Five things! And there was not feedback that was of any meaningful, they [teachers] were like “Yeah, you did what you were asked to do” and that’s it! And I was expecting a little more feedback because the feedback of me for my son is not as meaningful as the teacher’s feedback. (data extract).

Nate also has some important remarks about the ineffective use of communication by Alberta Education and school boards with regards to parents. She says.

I think there was a big [pause], a big part that was missing. The Alberta Education to parents and the school boards to parents as well with regards to time expectations because the Alberta government was not expecting the kids to be in schools from 9 [am] until 3 [pm] on-at-home environment. So, I think that the [lack of the] communication piece also [pause] [contributed to] coming to this. (data extract).

Balancing Work Responsibilities and ‘Homeschooling’

The great majority of parents in this study felt overwhelmed trying to balance their professional obligations with their responsibility to support their children’s emotional and academic needs, especially during a perceived financial crisis when many had lost their jobs and/or were trying to get back into the job market while others were afraid of losing their current jobs.

Jessica, a full-time working mother, suggests that the educational system could have provided better support for children, not relying on busy and untrained parents as the main teaching support source. As she explains that.

For math, they [her children/students] got some PowerPoints that they were supposed to read. So luckily their father [her children’s father] is a math ‘wiz’. So, he started to teach them every single day for an hour because after a few weeks, he realized that ‘these kids are going to forget absolutely everything’. We both work full-time, and I have been in the office [ah] still every day, so it was all up to the dad to work on this. And I could help after I would get from home [work], which was too late, and the things were already done by that time. And so, I find it, it just not doable we can’t be here instead of the educational system. (data extract).

Carol, a stay–at–home mother, suggests that she also had to step in and buy extra teaching supplies and rely on her teaching skills to support her Kindergarten child during this ‘homeschooling’ process. As she explains that.

She [her daughter] goes to Francophone school, so there were a lot of links sent to me and I used the materials quite a lot when I was ‘homeschooling’ her. So, it worked quite well. So, I bought lots of books on the market place. On KIJIJI, people who were selling French books, people that didn’t need them. So, I would go to find the deals and, I just bought a lot of French books and worked from that as well. So, I used my own resources as well as the stuff online [provided by teachers]. (data extract).

DDM627, a full-time health-care worker, suggests that not all parents have the skills and the required time availability to take on the responsibility of ‘homeschooling’ their children.

He/she argues that.

My experience trying to motivate my kids and have them focus on schoolwork has proven to me that homeschooling would not be for our family. Also, working full time has made it challenging timewise. (data extract).

KMacB, a full-time working mother, also agrees that the ‘homeschooling’ model used by schools, which relied mainly on parents to implement the curriculum, was ineffective. KMacB says she is “not in favour of home-based education” as the one they had during the lockdown.

She seems to welcome in-person learning experiences for Elementary students with social distancing health rules in place.

Underestimated Parental Support Needed

The parents in this study strongly suggest that there was an over-reliance on parents to mainly implement the ‘homeschooling’ curriculum during the lockdown, disregarding the fact that many parents do not have the pedagogical skills and need to work to support their families.

This could be due to the fact that little is known of the use of technology for learning purposes among young children (Holloway et al. 2013 ).

Anni, a full-time working mother, explains that her Grade 2 daughter’s teacher did a good job providing the students with pre-recorded videos to support a research project in Social Studies. Even though that was helpful, it still did not lead to engagement and independent remote learning, and parental support was essential to complete the assignment. She argues that.

And so, I think she [teacher] tried her best, but I don’t think this is optimal in any way for young children. But no matter how, [frustrated gesture] we can discuss how to optimize and stuff like this but it just NOT, it is not an optimal system for learning. (data extract).

KMacB speaks to the struggles parents faced keeping the continuing pace of school learning without the necessary pedagogic knowledge. It is important to notice that when parents enroll their children in the French Immersion program, they are not required to be French speakers (Alberta Education 2020b ).

My youngest daughter [Grade 1] was doing very well. At the moment, we are struggling to continue with her learning and her reading skills are not progressing nearly as well as I would have expected them to in school. She simply isn’t exposed to the language enough and that is a big concern for us. I believe she is losing interest in reading in French because her progress is so slow. The fact that I am trying to teach a 7-year-old to read in a language that I don’t speak or understand is crazy. (data extract).

Ralph, a stay–at–home father, notes that the challenges of ‘homeschooling’ during the lockdown for stay–at–home parents were also evident. He explains that “I found it hard to balance homework with other household chores especially since I do not speak French” (data extract).

Macy, a currently unemployed mother, “agree[s] [that] the amount of help that grade two students need from parents is really big in this curriculum” (data extract).

Jessica, a home-office commuting full-time working mother, speaks of her hopes for Fall 2020. She says that.

I really hope that in the Fall, we will do the best as a society to put them [children/students] back in school because this is bad! [pause] just…[pause] for the rest of us as adults it’s bad to be isolated, it is bad for the kids as well. And I feel that brings a [deep breath followed by a pause] spring is going deteriorate by [students/her children] doing absolutely nothing and, I will try to give them books to read. But I am not an expert to give them [her children] all the online tools, and quite frankly, I come home tired from work and I am expecting the educational system to do it [to teach]. (data extract).

Myths About Remote Learning: “The Older Children Versus Younger Children”

There has also been an apparent assumption that older students, in the case of this study perhaps students in Grade 5–6, or 10 to 11 years old, would be more independent learning remotely and not require as much support from teachers and/or parents compared to younger children in Grades K-4, or 5 to 9 years old. The parents in this study suggest that this is not always the case, as many factors come into play in the context of Elementary school children, such as subjects, emotional conditions, special needs, etc..

DDM627 argues that depending on the subject, her two daughters experienced different learning challenges and outcomes with remote learning. She notes that.

Between my 2 girls, I would say they were average, above average. [pause] [They are] still in early grades so this isn’t really a focus. But I would say my younger one is doing worse when it comes to speaking French…the older one, reading…. But math probably did not change. (data extract).

Jessica refers to the potentially complex individual household contexts, and how that might also have influenced remote learning. She notes that.

I feel that there were so many different combinations of the family situations, there were no families that would not face[d] challenges. And yet, somebody would be in the office; like somebody in some families, both parents were working at home; and some [ah] both parents lost [their] jobs. So, small kids, big kids, and everybody had it difficult in [ah] different ways. (data extract).

KMacB has an older child in Grade 5 with special needs who required significant parental support for academic and emotional matters during this ‘homeschooling’ process. She explains that.

Our eldest daughter (grade 5) was an average student. She has required far more parent support than we expected, and the content provided by her teacher has FAR exceeded the government’s recommended 1 h/day. I definitely see a loss of confidence since moving to online learning. It also took MANY weeks for her to adapt to receiving a weeks’ worth of content all at once.

Carol, a Kindergarten mother, believes remote learning is not ideal for young children as her child could not focus during the remote learning classes. She argues that, for example, learning about animals by visiting a ‘virtual’ zoo video did not seem to engage her daughter in learning, and that she needed hands-on experiences. Carol also explains that her child was still getting used to the school environment and routines, so the fostered learning parental support she received during this process played a positive role in improving her academic skills.

The Perceptions of the Experiences of Parents with Language Instruction

The parents’ language role.

French is one of the two official languages in Canada. Many programs are available to foster students’ interest in learning the French language and culture (Alberta Education 2020b ). One of these programs is the Francophone program that is mainly intended to support minority Francophone families, but also other members of the community with a French language background.

Most parents of students in the Francophone program can speak French as in the case of Carol, who argued that her Kindergarten child improved her language skills during the lockdown. Carol, a stay–at–home mother, used her teaching skills to teach and also her own money to purchase appropriate extra teaching materials to support her child’s learning. She argues that her child was too young and shy as she had just started attending school for a few months before the school closure. Carol says.

I speak French, so I was able to help her [her kindergarten daughter] learn the language and ah [pause] when she went to kindergarten, she didn’t know anything in French and by the end of being ‘homeschooled’, she started reading in French and learning words and vocabulary. So, she [her daughter] was learning quite quickly at home as opposed to a classroom setting where the teacher per se 20 kid or so; when here I am just [for] her, of course my little 3-year-old [presumed other child] doesn’t do any ‘schooling’ now, which [pause] so I was focused pretty much on her. (data extract).

All the other parents had children in the French Immersion program, where parents are not required to speak French. One of these parents was Anni, who spoke French and whose child is a second-grader in a Calgary Catholic School District school. She noticed that her child struggled and needed support to finish school assignments. Anni believes that remote learning is not ideal and supported the safe return to in-person classes as she and her partner work full-time and finding the extra-time to mainly support their children at home was overwhelmingly difficult.

Gio argues that “the main challenge was not knowing French to teach and help my 10-year- old son and finding the time to do that between all the other things I do at home” (data extract). Her words might summarise the feelings of many parents during this ‘homeschooling’ process.

DDM627, another parent who did not speak French, notes that “educationally, I’m sure their French language skills are suffering…[pause] it’s like an extra-long summer vacation where French is minimal” (data extract).

The Lack of Language Support

Another issue identified by these parents was the lack of effective language support as most of their children are in the French Immersion program, which does not necessarily require parents to speak French (Alberta Education 2020b ). KMacB, for instance, remarks that.

With only one ‘weak’ French-speaking adult in the home, we struggled to both help the children with their schoolwork, as well as to expose them to French. Balancing working from home and helping our 2 elementary children with their schoolwork was very challenging. There were simply not enough hours in the day for us to parent, teach, submit their work, and do our career work. This model is unsustainable. (data extract) Nate, a full-time working mother, suggests that expecting parents, especially in non-French-speaking households, to mainly support ‘homeschooling’ during the lockdown was one of the biggest challenges.

She remarks that.

I will just say that ahh [pause] that ‘one’ [pause] the biggest challenges is that we do not speak French ourselves at our house, so having our kids speaking French and hearing French during COVID has been a big challenge. (data extract).

The great majority of the eight parents in this same program whose children attend public schools did not speak French. Overall, they felt overwhelmed to be in the position of being the main provider of instruction in a language most of them did not speak. Teachers provided an average of an hour weekly of remote learning instruction, and asked parents to support the daily activities sent home in French, and sometimes in English in the weekly lesson plan.

For instance, Karen, a full-time working mother and one of the three parents in the study that could speak French, argues that as a full-time worker, she found it challenging to attend to the degree of parental teaching support required by the remote learning in her child’s school.

She believes her child will be fine academically as she is still in the initial grades, but she agrees that the average of an hour weekly of provided remote teacher instruction was not ideal and should be reconsidered in the future. Karen remarks.

I was personally working that time-period during the pandemic, so I was the only one who speaks French in our house, so I had to help our daughter during that time. I found that quite difficult [nervous smile] help her during the day, so becomes the time really to do it at night and, growing frustration in both her and myself. (data extract).

The Perceptions of the Experiences of Parents with Curriculum and Remote Learning

Teachers and curriculum: misunderstandings of technology purpose.

Parents’ perceptions of what approaches worked best are of key importance in moving forward. The parents suggest that technology alone, without strong teaching, social and emotional support, does not work well with Elementary school-aged children. That is to say, technology is a teaching tool that if well-utilized, can facilitate learning.

KMacB notes that there was an apparent overreliance on technology for teaching purposes, and also an assumption that students could independently manage and self-teach themselves through technology. She remarks.

Neither of our children was as independent as their teachers seemed to think they should be. Likely partly stress-related, but also unrealistic expectations around what they [children] could and could not do. There simply wasn’t enough instructional time with their teachers. (data extract).

Nate notes that technology itself seemed to have been the main focus during this process.

She suggests that teachers did not seem very well-prepared to technically utilize the different types of online platforms available and struggled to manage to teach using technology as a tool. Nate says.

Another big challenge for us has been the diverse forms of presentations that the students [hum correcting] that their teachers are giving. It’s been a lot of technical challenges as opposed to the language challenges, not a lot of focus on the language but more on the technical. So that would be my thoughts. (data extract).

Gio points to the need to better utilize technology as a tool for teaching and learning in a pedagogically organized manner as opposed to relying on technology to ‘replace’ the instructional role of teachers, which could potentially affect the differentiated need of catering teaching to the unique classroom contexts. Gio remarks.

I do really believe the schools tried to come up with good technology solutions to help with the learning but to have a teacher supervise and be there to explain subjects it is the best way to teach and learn. (data extract).

Nate argues that assignment timing flexibility was also a factor missing in the lesson plans that impacted learning in her household. As she explains that.

And the quiz times were very specific, and they didn’t have a lot of flexibility given our family needed a lot of flexibility. So, that would have been nice if they could have used more of the flexibility and had more resources. (data extract).

Carol sees the benefits of using online resources, but she argues that even when such resources are useful, they are still limited when it comes to the value associated with personal learning interactions, especially among Kindergarteners. Carol explains that.

The online stuff [resources] was quite useful but moving forward I would recommend using more the online tools. I think the best way they learn is hearing the language, being with their friends and their teachers, hearing it absorbing the sounds, the phrases, and being involved, having them communicate with their friends. (data extract).

DDM627 believes that one–on–one conversations are important even in the ‘online’ or virtual classroom. As he/she argues that.

The more video calls, especially 1:1 conversation, the better with my kids. Forces them to listen to and speak French, in a non-intimidating environment. Neither of my kids tend to speak up in groups naturally. (data extract).

Karen agrees that children need more interaction with teachers. She says that.

The time they [teachers] did [interact with the kids] was good because it was reading for the most part. They [teachers] had each student with groups, small groups of four or five children, and then they would be reading from a book, and they would each take turns, but just [short pause] it wasn’t enough for [in] my opinion. (data extract).

Nate suggests that schools when using remote learning should focus more “maybe it have been better to focus on math and literacy” (data extract). She also adds that her oldest daughter responded well to her teacher’s efforts to interact using technology when it was used more interactively. She says that.

And [the teacher] really made an effort to make a connection with the kids and they were doing sort of things like ‘her [daughter’s] favorite thing’… and [ah] that they [children/students] had around the house and bring their favorite stuffy to class’ and those kids’ kind of things. (data extract).

Curriculum Design: Disconnected ‘Chunks’ as Opposed to a Wholly Integrated Learning Plan

After mental health (Fontenelle-Tereshchuk 2020b ), the ineffective use of pedagogical approaches to teaching and learning during the lockdown was one of the main issues for these parents.

The parents in this study suggest that the curriculum was mainly delivered as ‘chunks’ according to the available pre-made ‘one-size-fits-all’ online resources that not always had a clear learning purpose. The lesson planning often resembled ‘instructional notes’ style format, missing important connecting pieces, such as clear curriculum learning objectives and an associated assessment piece. Such overall lesson planning was usually sent all together at the beginning of the week.

KMacB speaks of the challenges that she faced trying to manage the large amounts of content sent all at once. She suggests that it was up to the parents to re-plan or personalize the implementation of the curriculum according to their children’s differentiated needs timewise. She explains that.

Receiving the content weekly was challenging as the kids were unable to break the work down into manageable daily “chunks” and we had to spend time at the start of each week figuring out how to break the assignments down into reasonable daily accomplishments. (data extracts).

Nate argues that such disconnection and lack of effective planning could easily be felt in the online assignments. She explains that her children were receiving pre-made ‘one-size-fits-all’ online materials, sometimes in English but were being assessed in French for these assignments. She remarks that.

I do not think that [teachers] really utilized the D2L platform, in terms of giving students quizzes or having them to submit assignments. And I was also a little frustrated at times when the students [corrects herself] my children were receiving videos in English to learn the concepts in English, the videos were in English! [suggesting the students were assessed in French]. (data extract).

Another issue was the weekly instructional time, which in most public schools varied from 1 h weekly to 30 min every other week, leaving it up to parents to make up for the extra needed instructional support children required. Occasionally, instructional videos were made by some teachers and sent home. In these rare opportunities, parents found that it worked well and alleviated some of the pressure on them.

Jessica was critical of what she perceived as the difference among schools, and perhaps school boards’ teaching and learning approach during the lockdown. She claims that some school boards were more effective than others. Jessica remarks.

I chose the public [school] system because I think that the public system is as capable as the private and we should not settle for less. Our teachers are as equals and educated as to the teachers from the private sector and I would like them to step up and show us what they can do. Just like in the other schools, where the teachers could figure it out. I hope they [students] will go to school; I hope we don’t ever have to learn this [again]. And we can silver line back and forth but it the end they [students] didn’t learn what they were supposed to learn. (data extract).

Nate points to the lack of consistency and contextualization as well as differentiated learning approaches felt throughout this process, impacting students’ engagement in learning. KMacB and Nate suggest that the responsibility of the ineffective learning outcomes of this lockdown process can not solely be bestowed on teachers, but a combined responsibility of levels of education bodies such as Alberta Education, school boards, and schools. KMacB explains that.

I think the school boards have to make a much bigger commitment to providing “real”, teacher-led learning opportunities for the students most of the time. Perhaps that means consistent delivery of curriculum during the pandemic. So that if we need to move back to remote learning, a centralized team can curate the content and the classroom teachers can spend more time with the students. (data extract).

The ‘Disconnection’ in the Use of Technology Tools for Teaching and Learning Purposes

Another important point in this study was the utilization of technology available to teach and most importantly to interact with children. The parents claim that teachers’ planning was often ‘shallow’ and missed the potential offered by technology to provide more interactive learning opportunities for students. For example, KMacB argues that “the instructions were in the Google Classroom for the kid/parents to read and that just does not align with the learning styles of children” (data extract).

The technology tools used during the pandemic were not a novelty for many teachers as many of these tools may have been available to teachers and students to support learning prior to this pandemic, but not every teacher chooses or knows how to utilize them for teaching purposes. As Jessica explains.

I guess for us, for three weeks there was no online learning. First week was like “oh, we have to figure it out what to do”. Next [second] week was like “oh, we have spring break, so [parents] do not contact us [teachers]”. Third week, we’re asked a few times to figure it out what to do. And I find it unacceptable. (data extract).

There seems to have been an assumption on the part of teachers and/or schools that children, especially in this case young children, could learn through technology without much support from teachers or parents. Parents in this study wondered if any potential similar homeschooling situation could be improved by investigating how much teachers understand and are trained to utilize technology in their lesson planning without mainly relying on pre-made ‘one-size-fits-all’ online lessons, assignments, and assessment pieces available. KMacB argues that

in the early days, she [her daughter] really struggled with seeing a weekly math assignment that consisted of 20 pages in the Google Classroom + assignments in Netmath… it was overwhelming. She has ADHD, so that also contributed to her challenges and we had to work closely with her to chunk the work down into manageable amounts, but this is an ongoing challenge. (data extract).

The parents suggest that schools/teachers underestimated the need for parental support in managing technology during the ‘homeschooling’ process. There was a misunderstanding of students’ abilities to independently manage the weekly plan and self-teach themselves through technology. As DDM627 notes, the difficulties her Grade 1 daughter had in working on her own, even if the plan “was clear enough” to follow “[but] getting her to sit down and focus on it has been VERY challenging” (data extract).

The Inadequacy of Supporting Resources

The parents in this study also argue that perhaps associated with the noticeable scattered lesson plans, there was an overreliance on available pre-made online teaching resources that not always adequately addressed the differentiated needs of students and/or the specific curriculum focuses.

Nate suggests that perhaps teachers did not have adequate materials available, especially in French. She notes that.

It seems that there was a lack of resources for those teachers to be using to present to the children, to the students. So, I found that a kind of frustrating cause they would have videos in English and then the quizzes in French. Macy also agrees with Nate’s remarks and adds that. I was thinking that in French immersion this is not really acceptable [emotional sarcastic laugh] because they were doing pretty much the learning in English in our house. So that was a big challenge, and I agree with [that] the amount of help that grade two students need from parents is really big in this curriculum. (data extract).

Jessica adds that lack of access and/or the mechanical skills to manage technology were not a problem in her household. The challenge lays in how technology was apparently misunderstood and not utilized as much as it could have been by teachers/schools to convey contextualized learning. As Jessica explains.

there was no technical issue for us as we ah [pause] my husband is an IT specialist, so (ah) he set up everybody with everything and we were helping each other because we have two kids and the grade five is easier than the grade two. However, we do not speak French, so that the one hour per week interaction in French is completely inadequate. (data extract).

The Perceptions of the Experiences of Parents on the Importance of Social Interaction

Mental health.

Another concern the parents in this study had was the mental health of their children and the possible ramifications of the lockdown. This was discussed extensively in the Fontenelle-Tereshchuk ( 2020b ) article “Mental health and the COVID-19 crisis: The hopes and concerns for children as schools re-open” based on this same study.

Overall, Fontenelle-Tereshchuk ( 2020b ), the American Academy of Pediatrics ( 2020 ), and Sick Kids Foundation ( 2020 ) highlight the possible impact of the lack of social interaction among children during the lockdown on children’s mental and physical health. Fontenelle-Tereshchuk ( 2020b ) suggests that it is fundamentally important to address potential mental health challenges among Elementary school children when they return to school to help them to develop mechanisms to cope with the drastic rapid changes that affected lives during schools’ lockdown.

Discussions and Recommendations

The circumstances of this crisis were unprecedented in recent times. Education is striving to respond quickly and adequately to the sudden changes in patterns of teaching and learning, and parental support is a topic center-stage in this process. Research suggests that parental support is an important factor in students’ academic success (Amaral 2007 ; Chen and Harris 2009 ; Sedibe and Fourie 2018 ). However, parents who enroll their children in in-person programs in schools are usually not expected to be the main educational support provider.

In terms of the context of this study, even though parents could afford to provide their children with the technology they needed to support remote learning, there were other challenges. The pandemic affected the economy worldwide and many parents, particularly the parents in this study, had to deal with the uncertainty of the labor market that may have caused some of them to lose their jobs. Nine out of ten parents in this study had a minimum of a University degree and did not report the ability to manage technology or the accessibility to computers being an issue during this remote learning process. However, the majority of these parents were working full-time, while some were currently unemployed and/or perhaps concerned about how to get back into the uncertain job market.

The reality was that many parents felt that the main responsibility for their children’s continuing learning from home during this period was on their shoulders. Parents were ‘forced’ to juggle their own personal and professional struggles and needs with the needs of their children for continuity of receiving an education during this stressful crisis. The perceived experiences of these parents might point to gaps in research and teachers’ training on how young children learn through technology (Holloway et al. 2013 ), especially regarding independent learning. That is to say, the fact that many children can easily use the functions of electronic devices, and perhaps play video games and use social media for entertainment purposes, does not necessarily mean that they can use these devices independently for academic purposes.

One of the problems associated with remote learning during the lockdown was that the role of parents was not clearly defined and, the communication between schools and parents was deficient. Parents were ‘forced’ to take on a new and challenging role as ‘co’ teachers (World Bank Group 2020 ). Apparently, parental support was meant to be complementary to the online instruction and interactions between the schoolteachers and the students, but such parental-required support time was inconsistent as instructional remote learning offered to students was often ineffective and varied depending on schools, teachers, and/or school boards.

Parents also suggest that the ‘formal’ weekly home lesson plan was easy to follow, but vague and lacked an integrated and effective assessment piece. The parents in this study point to an apparent disconnection in the different parts that compose a ‘whole’ unit and lesson plans. They suggest that little attention was given to curriculum design as a harmonious and purposely catered teaching and learning plan suggested by research, which includes interconnected learning objectives, activities, and assessment aligned with the Alberta Program of Study (Alberta Education 2020c ; Borich 2007 ; Cicek and Tok 2014 ; Wiggins and McTighe 2005 ). Such curriculum design should respond to the students’ context and differentiated learning needs, which should be clearly reflected in the lesson plan, allowing teachers to make necessary adjustments in the course of implementation guided by integrated ongoing and purposely designed assessment (Borich 2007 ; Cicek and Tok 2014 ; Wiggins and McTighe 2005 ).

The issues related to curriculum design and implementation discussed in this study bring attention to two common problems in teacher education (Fontenelle-Tereshchuk 2019 ): (1) The often-suggested disconnection between theory and practice, or generally speaking, the disconnection between teacher education and the classroom reality of teachers. I agree with McDonough ( 2012 ) that “teacher educators require a theoretically and practically helpful model for situating their work” (p. 8); (2) Professional development initiatives that do not always succeed in addressing teachers’ specific reflective and skillset needs to support students’ learning (Broad and Evans 2006 ; Fontenelle-Tereshchuk 2019 ; Villegas-Reimers 2003 ).

The remote learning process due to this pandemic might have exacerbated the problem and have made the challenges of teachers teaching without the appropriate training and/or support to respond to the wide range of students’ needs more evident to parents. This phenomenon could be described as ‘bursting the bubble’ to rethink how we are supporting the professional growth of teachers. In the current educational scenario, a review of the effectiveness of curriculum design practices among classroom teachers should be addressed by professional development initiatives, teacher preparation programs, and further studies.

Another interesting challenge the parents highlighted about remote learning was that schools/teachers may have underestimated the support students needed to use technology for educational purposes. Parents remarked that most teachers did not fully utilize the technology available to provide enough and/or proper quality instructional time with students and that learning resources were scarce and often disengaging during this remote learning process.Although there is no intention of making a comparative examination of the remote learning effectiveness among the three school boards represented in this case study, there are some important observations to be made. The eight parents, whose children attend public schools, seemed to be very frustrated with the time dedicated to remote learning interactions between teachers and students as well as the utilization of this time to establish effective learning opportunities. For instance, Macy argues that her son had as low as 30 min of teacher-student interactional instruction every other week, and such interactions were student-group based which would provide her child with five to ten minutes of remote learning interaction with his teacher every two weeks. The other seven parents in the public system argue that their children had an average of an hour of student-group based teacher-student interaction instruction a week, which they felt was not enough to support learning remotely and may have had an impact on the mental health of children and parents due to the increase in the level of stress. Even though these parents also noticed a slight difference among teachers’ approaches and effectiveness, they felt that some teachers put more effort into interacting with students and providing extra materials, but that such materials were often not catered to address the students’ specific learning needs and the time interacting with students was not nearly enough.

In contrast, Anni, a parent in the Calgary Catholic School District, argued that her child was offered two hours daily of teacher–student interaction, and sometimes the teacher would record videos explaining the content and send them to students. It is important to notice that even though this parent seemed to suggest that her child’s teacher did her best teaching remotely, she adds that her child still required significant parental support in addition to the support offered by the school.

Carol, a parent in a Francophone school argues that her Kindergarten daughter had 3 h of remote learning daily which was good, but not always very engaging. She felt that her child did well and improved academically. However, such learning improvement could be circumstantial as the parent also indicates that in addition to the three hours of daily teacher and student instruction interaction provided by the school, this parent had teaching experience, spoke French, and spent money on extra-resources and extra instructional time working with her Kindergarten child.

The possible differences in school remote learning practices might indicate that Alberta Education, school boards, and schools failed to provide adequate support to teachers and parents with clear and consistent guidelines for the implementation of remote learning throughout the province. A review of the overall COVID-19 educational response plan to improve pedagogically, organizational, and implementational support to the school community should have a positive impact on future learning outcomes.

Overall, parents strongly agree that remote learning is not as effective as in-class learning for Elementary school children. After all, for the majority of parents, who worked full-time or were looking for employment as well as busy stay–at–home parents attending to household chores, some of them with children in different grades, it was difficult to provide the students with the extra parental support needed to use technology for educational purposes.

This study seems to also cast doubt on the popular excitement over the efficiency of online education on students’ autonomy and academic learning outcomes, especially commonly seen in social media posts. For instance, this post titled “The COVID-19 pandemic has changed education forever: This is how” might suggest online learning to be ‘the solution’ for the lockdown woes in education (Li and Lalani 2020 ). This study, however, points to the uncertainty of technology effectiveness use in online learning education, especially among young children (Holloway et al. 2013 ). The study indicates that technology can be utilized for teaching and learning purposes, but teachers are still essential to instrument learning in online environments, especially in Elementary school contexts. Such findings may contribute to expanding the narrative of remote learning and the effectiveness of online tools discourses beyond the assumption that ‘children might not learn because they do not have access to the technology needed, or perhaps the ‘mechanical training’.

In this study specifically, children had access to the required technology to learn in a remote learning format, yet parents still strongly suggested that remote learning is not ideal for young children. These parents suggest two main reasons why remote learning is not ideal for young children: Firstly, even in the best-case scenario when students have and can mechanically use the technology, they still need in-person support to stay focused and to answer ‘the often many’ questions about the content. And secondly, these young students strongly need hands-on experiences and interaction with their peers. The study also seems to indicate that older children in Grades 5–6 might be more susceptible to anxiety, most likely due to possible changes and the overall uncertainty of the near future, and social isolation.

Obviously, what is happening due to this global crisis could never be anticipated by previous research, but some questions could help us to reflect on the impact of this pandemic in education. Questions, such as ‘Are we being overly confident and reliant on the premises of the self-learning effectiveness of the use of technology for learning purposes?’, ‘Indeed, is perhaps more research needed to further understand how Elementary school children respond to remote learning and how effective it actually is?’, and ‘How can we rethink teacher education and reflect on what professional growth means to teachers?’.

This study recommends that independently of the different approaches to teaching and curriculum choices, the ability to design a lesson plan that is effective in attending to the differentiated needs of students is of key importance. A meaningful approach to curriculum design in its interconnected wholesomeness is essential to support the needs of teachers for professional growth in in-person and/or online teaching environments. Another recommendation is to think of schools as a community of human-diverse learners (Fontenelle-Tereshchuk 2020a ), improving the supportive learning relationships developed between school and community, especially parents. More attention has to be given to the importance of developing constructive relationships with parents to continue to support learning from home. These inclusive relationships are key to building a bridge between homes and schools. The last recommendation would come from research efforts to support education in finding a balance between including technology as a vehicle to communicate learning, well-utilized to support learning and understanding that technology does not replace the key instructional role of well-prepared teachers.

In conclusion, I would agree with Earl ( 2013 ) as she argues that “schools reflect the changes that are occurring more broadly in the society, and there seems to be no end to changes (economic, cultural and political) that schools are expected to keep up with and even lead” (p. 2). Recent changes due to this health, economic and social crisis ignited by the coronavirus pandemic in schools have been dramatic, and it might take time, research, and practical implementation to support the necessary adjustments to address the current complex educational challenges. Parents’ insights on remote learning might be key to reflect on the overall aspects that need to be improved in terms of teacher instructional growth support, school–parent relationships, and leadership policies to support learning whether in-person and/or online environments moving forward.

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Fontenelle-Tereshchuk, D. ‘Homeschooling’ and the COVID-19 Crisis: The Insights of Parents on Curriculum and Remote Learning. Interchange 52 , 167–191 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10780-021-09420-w

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Received : 29 September 2020

Accepted : 02 February 2021

Published : 18 February 2021

Issue Date : June 2021

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/s10780-021-09420-w

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