Home Education research

From Alternative Education

For home educators, mainstream education research is tricky: most of the information from mainstream research has been obtained in the artificial environment of the classroom, and is applicable to that environment.

In the UK, additionally, much of the information which is promulgated in education comes from subjective observation rather than objective outcomes. For example, the information that the size of classes makes a difference in infant classes (ages 4-6) but makes no difference in primary classes (ages 7-11) comes from the observation of classes in state schools by school inspectors, and the ratings that they assigned to the lessons that they observed. It does not use data about the outcomes for the children in terms of their progress in smaller or larger classes.

Research is costly, and there is not a great deal of good research in the field of home education for that reason. There are people working in the field.

In the UK, th main researcher often quoted is Paula Rothermel, from Durham University. Links to her research on home education can be found here in summary, along with links to articles which are based upon it here.

In the US and Canada, the Fraser Institute research and its reports are most often quoted. You can find their research here.

Please add in links to other research if you have any.