Date of Award

1-1-2010

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Organizational Unit

Morgridge College of Education

First Advisor

Bruce Uhrmacher, Ph.D.

Second Advisor

Karin Dittrick-Nathan

Third Advisor

Cynthia McRae

Fourth Advisor

Margaret Thompson

Keywords

Alternative education, Curriculum, Pedagogy, Family education, Homeschooling

Abstract

The primary purpose of this study is to examine how Christian homeschooling works in Taiwan by investigating the intentions, implementation, challenges and implications of homeschooling practice. With regard to homeschooling as an increasingly popular educational option in Taiwan, particularly among Christian families, the following research questions are used to guide this study: (1) What are the reasons and goals of Christian parents in Taiwan to choose homeschooling for their children? (2)What does their homeschooling look like in practice? (3) What do the Christian homeschoolers perceive to be the advantages and challenges of homeschooling in Taiwan? (4) What are the implications of the Christian homeschooling movement for education in Taiwan?

Based on the qualitative research method of Elliot Eisner's educational connoisseurship and criticism, this study presents a vivid description and analysis of Christian homeschooling experience in Taiwan. Four homeschooling families were studied: two in Taipei City and two in Hsinchu City. A conceptual framework incorporating six dimensions of schooling is used to guide the data collection; these dimensions include the intentional, the structural, the curricular, the pedagogical, the evaluative and the school-community relationship.

In the homeschooling literature, a wide range of studies have been conducted to investigate homeschooling in the United States; however, only a few studies found are related to homeschooling in the East Asian contexts. Through this qualitative inquiry, it helps readers better understand how Christian homeschooling is practiced in Taiwan. Several important themes emerged from this study, including learning by homeschooling, family involvement, uncertainties about the future, and the combination of family, religion, and education in homeschooling, among others. Furthermore, this study indicates the challenges of homeschooling and discusses this educational choice as the road-less-taken in Taiwan.

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Wei-chen Tung

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Format

application/pdf

Language

en

File Size

188 p.

Discipline

Education, Religious education, Asian studies

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