The relationship of instructional approach to creativity in home-schooled children
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Abstract
This study surveyed a nationwide sample of home-schooling parents and their children and investigated two questions: (1) What are the differences in instructional approaches used by home-schooling parents? (2) Is the creativity of home-schooled children related to differences in the instructional approach? Instructional approaches were assessed by the Home Schooling Instructional Survey (HSIS), a self-report questionnaire developed for this study and completed by the home-schooling parent. Creativity of home-schooled children was measured by the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking - Figural Form A (TTCT). Significant differences in instructional approach were found in four primary areas: goal orientation, autonomy, motivational orientation, and instructional format. These instructional factors were significantly related (p<.05) to the number of children being home schooled, the prior schooling experiences of the children, the parents' motivation for home schooling, and relationship with a home study school. Creativity scores were found to be positively correlated (p<.05) with the number of years the child had spent in conventional schools, household income, and the home teacher's age and educational level, but negatively correlated (p<.05) with years of home schooling.