Homeschooling research to date has focused mainly on the perspective of homeschool educators.However, heeding the voices of homeschool learners is essential for a reliable understanding of thehomeschool context. This article focuses on findings regarding one homeschool learner who was aparticipant in a qualitative, multiple case-study of four homeschools. Homeschool educators andlearners were interviewed concerning their discourses and perspectives regarding their respectivehomeschools. Projections were used that explored participants’ meanings at a deeper level, and therewere three sessions of non-participating observation in each homeschool. The views of the homeschoollearners corresponded, to a certain extent, with those of the homeschool educators, but also indicatedsome significant differences. Although the limited scope of the investigation prohibits generalisation,the homeschool educators all appeared to be convinced that they were acting in their children’s bestinterests, and yet often without accommodation or awareness of their particular needs. The homeschoollearners did not communicate their needs or feelings on a conscious level, but instead bowed to theeducators’ wishes. The lack of congruence on a deeper level between the views of the homeschooleducators and learners is discussed from a bio-ecological perspective, thus giving due regard to boththe entire context of each homeschool and developmental factors. We shall consider the implications ofthe findings for homeschool practice, further research and policy.
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