Sustainability of Homeschooling. The case of Szekler Homeschooling Families

Due to the pandemic situation and lockdowns, the public gained broader insight into homeschooling. The purpose of this study is to examine whether homeschooling is sustainable for Szekler homeschooling families and under what conditions. The research framework is based on constructivist (Vygotsky, 1986) and stakeholder (Smith, 2000) approaches. I combined secondary data (the Association of Home-Schooling Romania’s written and oral materials) and primary qualitative data analyses. The small-scale sample primary research consisted of eleven semi-structured thematic interviews (individual and in pairs) with the homeschooling parents and their children above 18 years. The results show that homeschooling could be a sustainable alternative to mainstream education in certain cases. It proved sustainable in the cases studied in all its aspects: economic, environmental, and social. However, sustainability is dependent on the socio-economic status of the parents, their aims, and the personality of both parents and their children.