How Does Homeschooling Affect Socialization

Homeschooling, also known as home education, involves the education of children at home instead of receiving education at a traditional private or public school. According to Bauman (2011), many students are schooled at home and the number in the United States is growing at 15 to 20 percent per year. It is a system in which parents prefer their children to be educated at home and argue that it is more beneficial for them. There are those who advocate homeschooling, while there are some skeptics about homeschooling as well. Homeschooling is becoming very popular and many see it as being a bad idea due to the fact that teachers in traditional schools are better qualified due to years of training, the child’s socialization skills will be negatively …show more content…
Socialization refers to the ability of an individual to interact and communicate with others within society. According to Haverluck (2007), many superintendents believe that home learners are usually emotionally unstable, deprived of proper social development, and become judgmental of the world and the environment around them. Allowing homeschooling will therefore negatively affect their socialization skills within the broader society. It is evident from this that those who are schooled at home, struggle to interact with others. Students who are schooled at home may experience feelings of isolation, loneliness, and depression. They are isolated from children their own age and often find it hard to befriend others and become dependent upon their parents. There is therefore limited social interaction and interpersonal skills. Children at traditional schools are exposed to different cultures, religions, and backgrounds, hence the fact that they are exposed to the real world, allowing them to compete, understand why people behave the way they do, and learn to respect different opinions as well. Psychological, emotional, and social development of homeschoolers are therefore affected, as they are confined to the home. It is evident from this that homeschooling negatively affect the child. Kortner (1994) argues that children that are homeschooled are often said to be shy, lethargic, and passive because of their isolation. They are isolated from normal socialization within traditional schools and the exposure to peers and a conventional environment. Parents often tend to overprotect their children from the real and conventional world. Due to this lack of exposure and overprotection, they may not be able to function properly within society as a whole. Group dynamics and peer pressure are not experienced by homeschoolers, hence the fact that they will find it difficult to deal