Advisor

• Dr. Paul Resta

Degree

• Doctoral

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics of computer use by home-schooling families. The study utilized three methods. Method One involved a mail-in survey questionnaire covering four areas of concern (hardware, implementation, software purchase and evaluation, and Internet access). A total of 360 surveys were returned from an initial mailing of 1,375 deliverable surveys that were sent to a list of home-school conference attendees. Method Two involved a telephone interview of 24 home-schooling parents to obtain more information related to the questions in the survey. Method Three involved a content analysis of on-line home-schooling forums dealing with computer software. Home-schooling parents were the primary subjects of the study. The findings of the study yielded the following results: (1) A relatively high percentage of the home-schooling parents included in the study had and used computers to support instruction in their home schools. (2) The home-schooling parents included in the study indicated that their students had greater access to computers than was afforded in many public schools. (3) The home-schooling parents included in the study indicated that mathematics and language arts were the curricula most frequently supported by computers. (4) The home-schooling parents included in the study relied primarily on other home-schooling parents to obtain information about the instructional use of computers. (5) The home-schooling parents included in the study valued increased student motivation, increased problem solving skills, and drills of basic skills as benefits of instructional computer use. (6) The educational software available to the home-schooling parents included in the study was perceived to be adequate. (7) The home-schooling parents included in the study reported having better-than-average access to the Internet and used the Internet primarily as a research information source. (8) Relatively few of the home-schooling parents included in the study reported using the Internet for the direct delivery of instruction. The research indicated that home-schooling families have a growing interest in the Internet. Further research into the instructional use of the Internet by home-schooling families is recommended. A longitudinal study tracking specific home-schooled students relative to educational preparation for a technology-based society is also recommended.