Household Characteristics of Home schoolers in Kenya

This study aimed to succinctly identify the unique characteristics of homeschooling households in Kenya. The study used a literature review, a survey, and insights from key informants’ interviews. The study found that households that homeschool their children in Kenya are made up of married couples, have multiple children and are well educated with at least a bachelor's degree. One of the household partners stays or works at home and is likely to be the mother since they provide teaching in these households. Only 32 percent have a separate dedicated classroom while 40 percent do not have a dedicated learning space. Along the same line, only about two-thirds of the respondents preferred a flexible schedule, while 7 percent had no learning schedule. Parents (mothers) are more likely to teach the younger children while households are likely to employ a teacher for the older children above 14 years. Moreover, the characteristics do not deviate significantly from findings in other jurisdictions. Homeschooling households in Kenya are likely to come from medium urban areas and use multiple curriculums. A small portion of homeschooling households do not follow any curriculum. Homeschooling in Kenya is driven by the need to provide personalized learning and not pedagogical or Christian persuasion