Introduction

Homeschooling laws vary widely from state to state. Homeschooling has always been a part of the United States and many other countries in the world. But what causes some students to be homeschooled? How does being homeschooled affect the social development of those being homeschooled?

Although it is commonly believed that homeschooling can have negative effects on a child’s social development, many studies have found that homeschooling does not affect social development to a great degree. For example, researcher Brian Ray found that the homeschooled children in a 1997 study he conducted were involved in an average of 5.2 activities each week. But, social isolation does exist as Ray found that 13% of homeschooled children in his sample do not play with people outside their family.
            The question of whether or not, homeschooling can negatively affect social skills is still loosely up for debate, as there is very few or little to no correlation between home schooled education and a lack of social skills.

Methods

Participants:

The participants of this survey were college students from colleges such as the University of Iowa. Most of these students were aged 18-21 years of age and specialized in a variety of majors that range from business to engineering.

Methods:

   This was a five-question online survey on google forms. The questions given were based on the student’s opinion of homeschooling in the United States. The questions were yes or no, mark all that apply, open-ended and based on a given scale. The survey was given anonymously even though the survey was seeking truthful answers.

Data Analysis:

 The participants’ answers were grouped based on the response to the questions. Knowledge of homeschooling also played an important factor within grouping of the responses. Graphs and tables can be made to determine any relationships between homeschooling and social skills.