Running head: DISTANCE LEARNING AND HOMESCHOOLING SUCCESS

Literature Review:
Distance Learning and Homeschooling Success
Andrew J. Snyder
Liberty University

DISTANCE LEARNING AND HOMESCHOOLING SUCCESS

Distance Learning and Homeschooling Success

Abstract
Distance learning and homeschooling have been utilized by parents and students all over
the world for generations. Both distance learning and homeschooling can be used as separate
channels of education and enrichment. In recent years, distance learning and homeschooling
have interwoven and evolved into a new hybrid approach of home education. Throughout the use
of distance learning and homeschooling, evidence shows that students receive an adequate and
efficient schooling opportunity due to the nature of distance learning pedagogy, instructional
methods and technology, appropriate content pacing, and intrinsic student motivation.
Throughout the course of this literature review, the combined distance learning and
homeschooling approach will be analyzed to determine if it provides educational benefits for
students of all age groups and whether or not its use can be implemented on a greater scale.
Supporting evidence from distance learning and homeschooling environment research will be
discussed to show the relationship between online based schooling and academic success.

Keywords: distance learning, homeschooling, open school, motivation,

pedagogy

DISTANCE LEARNING AND HOMESCHOOLING SUCCESS

Distance Learning Success

The Namibian College for Open Learning (NAMCOL) is a mandated institution that was
established to address the needs of open learning and open schooling. Through the
implementation of learner-centered instructional materials, students in the 10th and 12th grades
were able to utilize open and distance schooling for their education needs. This study is
conducted with learners aged 15 to 18 and utilized a mixed method approach of research. The
general findings were that the use of distance learning was successful for a majority of students
and showed that distance learning was an effective means of education for students within this
age group.
In the case of the NAMCOL, students who failed in the traditional school setting were
able to revitalize their education through distance learning and homeschooling options. A parent
in this study was quoted saying I honestly feel it is a second chance or opportunity for her to
improve and get a qualification because she failed grade 10 full time (Brown, Hikukiluah, &
Kambonde, 2014). Through questionnaires and interviews with parents and guardians, it was
found that parents wish to be involved in their childs education regardless of instruction type.
Through the use of distance education, parents often felt that they could better monitor their
childs schooling and become directly involved in the academic process. This study shows a
perspective of distance learning and homeschooling where students who did not succeed in
traditional brick and mortar setting, but renewed their sense of learning again using a different
portal and method of approach.

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The study also found that barriers existed between the institutions and parents because of
the student centered learning directives found in distance learning. While research finds that
students benefit from distance learning approach, Learners in open-schooling still need systems
of support and motivation and quality learning tools similar to their counterparts in the formal
education system (2014). The social structure of a brick and mortar school setting provides
opportunities for social development and identity development. Strictly student centered
instruction with minimal interaction between students can lead to stunted social development but
can be modified with proper planning and pacing by the instructor. Examples of this can be seen
in higher education models.
The use of distance learning models in higher education has also been shown to be effect
for student learning through a self-paced platform. According to Marsha Ham, sharing
curriculum through collaborative pedagogy where students and faculty share the teaching
responsibilities brought added intellectual richness to the student experience that was not
available in traditional pedagogical approaches (2005). Distance learning models in this
instance breached the gap between individual, self-centered learning models and the use of
collaborative pedagogy.
While self-centered learning is often effective and efficient for the intrinsically motivated
student, collaborative pedagogy provides a basis for social interaction amongst peers while
providing academic enrichment. According to Moore and Kearsley, the physical or transactional
distance between the leaner is pedagogical rather than geographic (1996). Within higher
education, it was found that students often found distance learning within the confines of their
homes or remote locations allowed for a sense of intellectual freedom. With this being said,
Students' perceptions of their ability and skill, their opportunity to make choices within the

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parameters of course requirements, and the support they receive from instructors and technical
support staff are all factors related to their sense of control and personal efficacy (Ham, 2005).

Self-Regulated Learning
One of the most effective aspects of distance learning is the notion of self-regulated
learning. One study from the University of Ljubljana attempted to find a link between selfregulated learning models and academic success in distance learning settings. The aim of this
study was to try and discover existing relationships between a students self-regulated learning
style and their success in distance learning education. Through the use and comparison of
learning questionnaires and the students examinations, the research group tried to determine if
self-regulation was linked to academic success in distance learning.
Previous academic theory established that reasons for academic failure, besides not
using cognitive strategies, may stem from individuals feelings about themselves as a student or
feelings about a particular learning task (Radovan, 2011). The study found that much of the
success found in self-regulated learning in distance learning was a result of intrinsic motivation
and goal orientation, as well as self-efficacy and task valuing. Within this study, it was found that
students who set themselves more intrinsic goals, value their learning, believe in their ability to
successfully accomplish academic demands and can handle distractions and maintain
concentration finished more exams, accomplish them faster and achieved higher test scores
(2011).
By giving students the tools they need to learn, they are often exposed to broader learning
environments than normally experienced in a brick and mortar setting. Within the distance
learning and homeschooling platforms, the use of student-centered, open learning environments

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becomes a possibility. The use of distance learning and homeschool allows for the potential of
student-centered learning in an open environment (SCOLE) which are designed to support
individual student sense-making using technology tools, resources, and scaffolding (Quintana,
Shin, Norris, & Soloway, 2006).
Studies also show that there is the potential of predicting student success due to their
social upbringing and family background. Through this study, methods are used to predict
student success in distance learning in order to give parents and students and idea of what to
expect when distance learning and homeschooling. Faculty in all types of learning environments
benefit from knowing how successful students may be in their classes. Distance learning and
homeschool falls into this same circumstance. By predicting potential student success in
distance learning, students with a low probability of success can be identified and essentially
supported in ways to help them succeed throughout their education. When presented with
opportunities to predict student success, students pursuing distance learning often do not
withdraw or drop from classes if they know that they have the opportunity to succeed (Simpson,
2006).
The continuity of success in distance learning is unique due to the online module
provided for class enrollment. While this is possible in a traditional school setting, it is easier for
a student utilizing distance education or similar resources while homeschooling to find the best
fit for classes that provide the best chance for success. The information technology that makes
the easy sharing of information possible is the engine that makes tough-minded accountability,
school choice, and visionary leadership a possibility (Noll, 2009). If this is the case, students
involved in distance learning environments are equipped with the tools necessary to succeed due
to the nature of the online platform.

DISTANCE LEARNING AND HOMESCHOOLING SUCCESS

Rural use and identity preservation

Another aspect of distance learning and homeschooling in addition to academic success is

the preservation of self-identity. There are studies about distance education and homeschooling
in Australia that show how identity is preserved through homeschooling in conjunction with
distance learning. Nicole C. Green and a team from Nanyang Technological University,
Singapore conducted a study of distance learning students from a program based in Queensland,
Australia. Students in this program reside within an area of roughly 300,000 square kilometers.
This study provides a narrative portrait of Australian family who utilize distance learning and
homeschooling for education.
Australia is one of the leading countries in the world that utilizes distance and
homeschooling simultaneously. Within their study, they found that there is an underlying cultural
benefit of homeschooling and distance learning. Through surveys, questionnaires, and
interviewing, the research team identified that students within this program from rural families in
some of the most remote locations in Australia continue their livelihood of raising cattle while
utilizing distance technology and maintaining their unique self-identity. While living in secluded
rural environments where the mail has to be delivered by a postman on a four-wheeler, students
rely solely on their tutor and distance learning instructor for all aspects of education. The tutor is
often the mother and she facilitates learning within her home. (Green, 2006).
The concept of the home tutor in Australia has also been researched in regards to identity
preservation and practical application of homeschooling in conjunction with distance learning.

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Parents who opt for distance learning and homeschooling avenues of education for their students
find themselves in a unique role. The role that parents undertake as the teacher . . . is one of full
responsibility for the supervision of schooling in a range of curriculum areas (Tynan & ONeill,
2007). While maintaining a household and often full time positions maintaining a ranch, parents
in Australia have adapted the homeschooling and distance learning model to fit their unique way
of life. Children benefit from this hybrid approach of distance learning where a central teacher
disseminates assignments to a facilitating tutor, often the parent, while the tutor provides their
own lessons and additions to curriculum (2007). Students are able to have this unique
combination of learning platforms while maintaining their identity as ranch hands, sheep herders,
and tanners. Although Australia presents a unique environment due to its vastness and dispersion
of populations throughout the bush areas, it provides an insight to how collaborative distance
learning and homeschooling can be effective.

Distance Learning Issues

While distance learning possesses the capability of academic success across different
types of learners and motivated students, its tragic flaw lies within accessibility of resources and
technological competence. A learner unable to successfully interact with the technology cannot
actively engage in the education transaction (Hillman, Willis, & Gunawardena, 1994). Within
the structural framework of distance education in conjunction with homeschooling, students need
to have the ability to utilize technology. If technological deficiencies occur, the pedagogical
handshake between learner and educator cannot happen. Studies lauding the pedagogical
efficiency of distance learning often neglect the underlying assumption that students and parents

DISTANCE LEARNING AND HOMESCHOOLING SUCCESS

need to possess the physical technology to utilize distance learning, especially within a

homeschooling setting. In addition to physically possessing the technology, parents and students
must have the competency to successfully utilize the means and methods of instruction.
Simonson, Smaldino, and Zvacek said that Even where the Internet is available, many potential
students do not have ready access to powerful, modern computers, and if they do, they may not
know how to use Internet resources (2015, p. 107). This notion can be seen in case studies in
Australia.
In 2004, Eva Fhrus and a research team from Stockholm University conducted a case
study in rural Australia. In this study, Fhrus claims that distance learning has been available in
Australia for about 100 years and has been utilized in the remote portions of the country. The
study attempted to identify obstacles and contradictions in the effectiveness of distance learning
in rural Australia and found that not all students have access to new technology and cannot
benefit from the newest forms of instruction. It was found that lack of technology and access to
that technology were not the only obstacles to distance learning in a home schooled environment.
Pedagogical issues expose themselves in collaborative distance learning and
homeschooling platforms. In Fhrus student-focused study, it was also found that the general
framework of distance learning focused very heavily on individual student centered work and did
not encourage cooperative learning. The potential for lack of cooperative learning is a red flag
for social development and academic growth. While student centered learning is a staple in
traditional schooling models, its implementation to the online or distance learning format is
commonly poorly executed. According to Simonson, Smaldino, and Zvacek,, Some instructors
have difficulty adjusting to the learner-centered model of instruction and do little more than
shovel their teacher-centered, lecture-based courses into an online format (2015, p. 108). In

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addition, some students that do not have high motivation or sound organizational skills can fall
through the cracks when utilizing distance learning methods, even with the help of a
homeschooling tutor. Online courses require students to take more responsibility for their own
learning, a task that some find challenging (2015, p. 108).

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References

Brown, A., Hilukiluah, I., & Kambonde, E. (2014). Parental Involvement in Open and Distance
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Educational And Social Research, 4(3), 325. Retrieved from http://www.mcser.org/
journal/index.php/jesr/article/view/2730/2697

Fhrus, E.,R. (2004). Distance education students moving towards collaborative learning - A
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Technology & Society, 7(2) Retrieved from http://ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/login?url=

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Ham, M. (2005) Students' Perceptions of Web-based Distance Learning: A Study of

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DOI:10.1080/07377366.2005.10400056

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Hillman, D. C. A., Willis, D. K. & Gunawardena, C.N. (1994) . Learner-interface interaction in

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