Semester

Fall

Date of Graduation

2019

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

EdD

College

College of Education and Human Services

Department

Not Listed

Committee Chair

Jessica Troilo

Committee Member

Reagan Curtis

Committee Member

Amy Kennedy-Root

Committee Member

Patricia Coon

Abstract

Homeschooling is a growing educational choice with very little research about the psycho-social outcomes associated with the process. This qualitative study sought to examine the potential facilitative benefit of homeschooling upon the formation of identity. The participants were 26 mothers of homeschooled adolescents in Pennsylvania. Parent responses were examined using thematic analysis. Constituent aspects of parental motivation and methodology were investigated to assess the presence of elements facilitative in the process of identity formation as identified by Erik Erikson (1959, 1963). In examining methods used in homeschooling, it was found that the mothers in this study are providing the support and encouragement necessary for the exploration that is a critical basis for identity formation. Further, the mothers articulated the desire for their adolescent children to explore ideas and activities of personal interest and provided opportunities for them to do so. Implications of these findings are discussed.

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