Date

5-2022

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)

Chair

Gail Collins

Keywords

homeschool, home education, education philosophy, homeschool philosophy, education theory, hermeneutic phenomenology

Disciplines

Education | Educational Methods

Abstract

The purpose of this hermeneutic phenomenological study was to examine the educational processes and expand the personalized education theory of gifted and twice-exceptional homeschooling through the lived experiences of home educators at the international level via internet communications. Two theories guided this study. The first was the personalized education theory of gifted and twice-exceptional homeschooling, as it is part of the central focus in expanding the theory to new populations and could provide insight into parents’ experiences in designing their children’s homeschool environment. Secondly, the social cognitive theory was integrated within the findings. The central question guiding this study was: What are the lived experiences of parents who choose to homeschool their children? This hermeneutic phenomenology study was conducted with 10 participants who were recruited using convenience and web-based respondent sampling. Data were collected through interviews, participant journals, and vignettes. Data analysis was conducted through thematic analysis and determination of the essential themes: personalization, augmentation, and research. Furthermore, the analysis revealed three types of transitions, homeschool groups, daily structures, and annual schedule types. The results of this study support the four educational processes. The data supported the expansion of the personalized education theory of gifted and twice-exceptional homeschooling to the general homeschool population with the suggestion to change the name to personalized home education theory.

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