Advantages and Challenges of Homeschooling from Parents’ Perspective
a Critical Analysis in the Croatian Context
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15291/ai.4883Keywords:
alternative education, children’s rights, homeschooling, pedagogical pluralism, parental motivesAbstract
Homeschooling represents an alternative form of education that occurs in the family home rather than in formal educational institutions. In Croatia, this form of education remains legally unregulated, whereas in many European countries it is integrated into the legislative framework. This study critically examines Croatian parents’ attitudes toward the advantages and challenges of homeschooling and analyzes the factors influencing their willingness to consider this educational model, particularly in relation to parents’ right to choose and the child’s right to quality education. An empirical study was conducted on a sample of 80 parents, employing both quantitative and qualitative data analysis. The results indicate that parents with higher levels of education demonstrate greater awareness of homeschooling, while flexibility, individualized approach, and dissatisfaction with the formal school system are identified as key motivational factors. However, most parents do not consider themselves sufficiently competent to independently implement the educational process, which represents a significant barrier to the adoption of this approach in the Croatian context. The paper critically discusses potential risks of unregulated homeschooling, including the possibility of educational neglect and misuse, and raises the question: if most parents do not feel competent, under what conditions would the regulation of homeschooling be justified? Given the growing interest in homeschooling, continuous scientific research and careful consideration of possible legal regulation in the Croatian context are essential, along with ensuring appropriate quality standards and child protection mechanisms.
References
Ajzen, I. (1991). The Theory of Planned Behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50 (2): 179–211. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272790646_The_Theory_of_Planned_Behavior
Arai, A. B. (2000). Reasons for Home Schooling in Canada. Canadian Journal of Education, 25(3): 204–217. https://doi.org/10.2307/1585954
Baihaqi, M. (2025). Modern Homeschooling Trends: An Alternative to Children's Education in the Flexible Era. Journal of Islamic Elementary Education, 3 (1): 282-290. https://doi.org/10.32806/islamentary.v3i1.815
Bartholet, E. (2020). Homeschooling: Parent rights absolutism vs. child rights to education & protection. Arizona Law Review, 62(1): 1–80.
Braun, V., Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3 (2): 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Carlson, J. F. (2020). Context and regulation of homeschooling: Issues, evidence, and assessment practices. School Psychology, 35 (1): 10–19. https://doi.org/10.1037/spq0000335
Cheung, L. (2025). A Study of the Parental Decision to Homeschool (Doktorska disertacija, The Claremont Graduate University).
Dadić, K. (2012). Kritičko razmatranje modela homeschoolinga. Život i škola, 58 (28): 21–30. https://hrcak.srce.hr/95239
de Laat, G. M., Dadić, K., i Kardum, R. B. (2020). Homeschooling: Between Croatian aspirations and Slovenian reality. Educational Process: International Journal, 9 (1): 7–22. https://edupij.com/files/1/articles/article_188/EDUPIJ_188_article_5e970f516951a.pdf
Deala Hangad, E. (2024). A Phenomenological Study of Homeschooling: Understanding the Experiences and Narratives of Parents. International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology, 9 (7): 2988-2996. https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/IJISRT24JUL1653
Dumas, T.K., Gates, S., i Schwarzer, D.R. (2010). Evidence for homeschooling: Constitutional analysis in light of social science research, Widener Law Review. 16 (1): 63–87.
Dunning, D. (2011). The Dunning–Kruger effect: On being ignorant of one's own ignorance. U J. M. Olson i M. P. Zanna (Ur.), Advances in experimental social psychology (vol. 44, str. 247–296). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-385522-0.00005-6
European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice. (2018). Home Education Policies in Europe: Primary and Lower Secondary Education. Eurydice Report. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union. https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/ea077239-e244-11e8-b690-01aa75ed71a1/language-en
Green, C. L., i Hoover-Dempsey, K. V. (2007). Why Do Parents Homeschool? A Systematic Examination of Parental Involvement. Education and Urban Society, 39 (2): 264-285. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013124506294862
Guterman, O., i Neuman, A. (2017). Schools and emotional and behavioral problems: A comparison of school-going and homeschooled children. The Journal of Educational Research, 110 (4): 425–432. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2015.1116055
Gruden, Z. i Gruden, V. (2006). Dijete – škole – roditelj. Zagreb: Medicinska naklada.
Grunzke, R. Z. (2010). Pedagogues for a new age: Childrearing practices of unschooling parents. Doktorski rad. Sveučilište Florida. http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UFE0041535/00001
Jolly, J. L., Matthews, M. S., i Nester, J. (2013). Homeschooling the gifted: A parent’s perspective. Gifted Child Quarterly, 57 (2): 121–134. https://doi.org/10.1177/0016986212469999
Konvencija o pravima djeteta (2001). Državni zavod za zaštitu obitelji, materinstva i mladeži. Zagreb.
Kunzman, R. (2009). Write these laws on your children: Inside the world of conservative Christian homeschooling. Beacon Press.
Kunzman, R., i Gaither, M. (2013). Homeschooling: A Comprehensive Survey of the Research. Other Education, 2 (1): 4–59. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/288881039_Homeschooling_A_Comprehensive_Survey_of_the_Research
Lubienski, C. (2003). A Critical View of Home Education. Evaluation & Research in Education, 17 (2–3): 167–178. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500790308668300
Mayberry, M., Knowles, G., Ray, B., i Marlow, S. (1995). Home schooling: Parents as educators. Corwin Press/Sage.
Mazama, A., i Lundy, G. (2015). African American homeschooling and the quest for a quality education. Education and Urban Society, 47 (2): 160–181. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013124513495273
Medlin, R. G. (2013). Homeschooling and the Question of Socialization. Revisited. Peabody Journal of Education, 88 (3): 284–297. https://www.stetson.edu/artsci/psychology/media/medlin-socialization-2013.pdf
Murphy, J., Gaither, M. i Gleim, C. E. (2017). The calculus of departure: Parent motivations for homeschooling. U M. Gaither (ur.), The Wiley Handbook of Home Education (str. 86–120). John Wiley & Sons.
Noel, A., Stark, P., i Redford, J. (2013). Parent and Family Involvement in Education, from the National Household Education Surveys Program of 2012 (NCES 2013-028). National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED544174.pdf
Ray, B. D. (2017). A Review of research on Homeschooling and what might educators learn? Pro-Posições, 28 (2): 85-103. https://doi.org/10.1590/1980-6248-2016-0009
Ray, B. D. (2021). Should educators promote homeschooling? Worldwide growth and learner outcomes. Journal of Pedagogy, 12 (1): 55–76. https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/jped-2021-0003
Romanowski, M. H. (2001). Common Arguments about the Strengths and Limitations of Homeschooling, The Clearing House. 75 (2): 79-83.
Spasenović, V., i Vujisić Živković, N. (2017). Pokušaji ostvarivanja pedagoškog pluralizma u obrazovnoj politici i praksi u Srbiji. Acta Iadertina, 14 (1): 0-0. https://hrcak.srce.hr/190031
Thomas, A. (2002). Informal learning, home education and homeschooling. The encyclopedia of pedagogy and informal education. https://infed.org/mobi/informal-learning-home-education-and-homeschooling-home-schooling/. Posjećeno: 3. ožujka 2025.
Thomas, J. (2016). Instructional motivations: What can we learn from homeschooling families? The Qualitative Report, 21 (11): 2073–2086. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2016.2425
Vijayakumar, P., i Lawrence, A. (2021). Homeschooling: a paradigm shift during covid-19 crisis. International Journal of Advance Research and Innovative Ideas in Education, 7 (1): 1474-1479.
Van Galen, J. A. (1991). Ideologues and pedagogues: Parents who teach their children at home. U: Van Galen, J., Pitman, M. A. (ur.) Home Schooling: Political, Historical, and Pedagogical Perspectives, 63-76. Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing.
Wagner Jakab, A. (2008). Obitelj – sustav dinamičnih odnosa u interakciji. Hrvatska revija za rehabilitacijska istraživanja, 44(2): 119–128. https://hrcak.srce.hr/30728
Wang, K., Rathbun, A., i Musu, L. (2019). School choice in the United States: 2019 (NCES 2019–106). National Center for Education Statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2019/2019106.pdf
West, R. L. (2009). The Harms of Homeschooling. Philosophy & Public Policy Quarterly, 29 (3-4): 7-11.
Wyatt, G. (2007). Family ties: Relationships, socialization, and home schooling. University Press of America.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Marija Sablić, Senka Žižanović, Anamarija Pančić
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
