Homeschooling Trends in Metro Atlanta
Homeschooling Trends in Metro Atlanta
Page 1 of 6 PSY2061 Research Methods Lab
© 2013 South University
HOMESCHOOLING TRENDS IN METRO ATLANTA Judy A. Walker
Reinhardt College May, 2004
A.SPECIFIC AIMS Specific Aim 1: To determine the demographics of Metro Atlanta homeschooling families
in the year 2004. Specific Aim 2: To determine the reasons families in Metro Atlanta make the choice to
homeschool. Specific Aim 3: To determine the different teaching methods used by homeschoolers in
Metro Atlanta and outline the rewards and challenges of each method. Specific Aim 4: To investigate how the primary educator creates balance in his/her life.
B. BACKGROUND AND SIGNIFICANCE
1. Demographics This proposal is designed to determine the demographics of Metro Atlanta
homeschooling families. Nationwide there have been few reported studies on the demographics of homeschooling families (Bauman 2002).
Of those studies, the statistical report published in 1999 by Patricia Lines, a former Department of Education researcher, and the National Center for Education Statistics (Bielick 2001) is the largest and most inclusive to date.
It is clear that more and more people are homeschooling and it seems that the demographics are changing. This study will add to the body of knowledge by collecting demographic information specific to the Metro Atlanta area.
Nationwide accurate statistics have been difficult to obtain on homeschooling. Possible reasons for this difficulty are that some families are not trusting and/or willing to provide information (Lines 2000).
This bias might be decreased by specifically targeting known groups and networks of homeschoolers. It is thought that this method will increase the likelihood of collecting data from a diverse group of homeschoolers.
In the National Center for Education Statistics technical report published in 2001, it was reported that a greater number of homeschoolers as compared to non homeschoolers are white and non-Hispanic.
