HOMESCHOOLING TRENDS

- In the U.S. parents who choose to homeschool there children has grown 61.8% from 2003-2012 (Gray, 2018). 

- Currently over 2 million families elect to homeschool their children (Gray, 2018). 

- "The majority of studies clearly indicate that the academic achievements of children who are homeschooled exceed those of peers attending schools" (Neuman & Guterman, 2016. p. 2). 

CHARACTERISTICS OF HOMESCHOOLING PARENTS

- Homeschooling is predominantly done by the mother in a family, therefore, in addition to her maternal role she is also a teacher. This paradigm has the potential to cause stress and declining mental health if not approached cautiously (Baker, 2019). 

- These parents tend to homeschool for religious reasons (Gray, 2018). 

- "The results indicated a correlation between the personality and socioeconomic factors and the character of the homeschooling provided (Guterman & Neuman, 2018). 

SOCIALIZATION OF HOMESCHOOLED CHILDREN

- "A strong and positive relationship was found between the weekly hours devoted to scheduled learning and the scope of a child's social encounters; families in which more hours are devoted to scheduled learning are characterized by a higher number of social encounters with other children" (Guterman & Neuman, 2017, p. 2785). 

- "The research indicates that homeschooling parents expect their children to respect and get along with people of diverse backgrounds, provide their children with a variety of social opportunities outside the family, and believe their children's social skills are at least as good as those of other children (Medlin, 2013).