Home Education in Soweto: Understanding the Context and Experiences of Parents

Home education is an alternate form of education that takes place outside formal schooling with children of school-going age. Parents take primary responsibility for their child’s education, using an approach that is framed by the family’s life philosophy. In this study, thirty parents from a home education network in a South African township provided insight and information on their context, experience and highlighted the importance of the network in their home education journey. The research, framed by the social capital theory, adopted a mixed methods approach to collate both qualitative and quantitative data via a questionnaire. A convergent design was used in the data analysis of the overall results. The results provide perspective and understanding of home education in this historically marginalised cohort. It demonstrates the social capital inherent in the group in terms of trust, reciprocity, shared norms and values and the importance of identity and community support in the group. The study recommends further research for a deeper understanding of the dynamics of the group as they provide a unique and valuable voice in the realm of home education both nationally and internationally.