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Types of Home Schools and Need-Support for Achievement Motivation
Bell, Debra Anne
Bell, Debra Anne
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Thesis/Dissertation
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2013
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Educational Psychology
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http://dx.doi.org/10.34944/dspace/752
Abstract
Along many dimensions, homeschooling is increasing, diversifying, and spreading globally. Yet little is known about the motivational climates and teaching strategies parents have adopted to promote academic achievement and motivation within their homes. Working within a self-determination theory (SDT) framework, this study used cluster analysis to examine the naturally-occurring types of learning environments created by 457 homeschool parents. Measures of support for autonomy, mastery goal orientation, and conditional regard were adapted for a homeschool context and used as constituting variables. Follow-up measures of need satisfaction, efficacy, student academic engagement, teaching practices and demographics were used to identify significant differences among groups. A five cluster solution best fit the data: a high need support group, low need support group and three groups of mixed need support. In general, the high need and mixed need support groups were associated with higher student engagement, need satisfaction, efficacy for homeschooling and frequent use of teaching strategies that promote autonomous motivation and support for student competence. The low need support group was significantly associated with lower need satisfaction and teaching strategies associated with control. Higher levels of academic engagement were reported for those students homeschooled longer and at higher grade levels. Male teaching parents (n = 29) reported significantly less need satisfaction and were significantly associated with the low need support group. Taken together, the findings extend self-determination theory to an important, emerging learning context. Results were consistent with findings in SDT research across other domains; thus, lending support to the universality of SDT's main tenets.
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