Parents who choose to remove their children from public schools to teach them at home face a dilemma. One of the advantages of the public school system, which a homeschool cannot duplicate, is the social interaction between many peers, as well as teachers and other faculty.
Critics of the homeschool process say social interaction is a vital and necessary part of a child's development. Indeed, even psychology experts agree that socialization outside of the family unit is vital to a child's personal growth.
According to Marion O'Brien, a professor of human development and family studies at University of North Carolina in Greensboro, "guided interaction is essential to help children develop positive peer relationships. By encouraging cooperative play and shared experiences, adults can point out what the children have in common."
Social interaction helps a child understand and develop such skills as conversation, humor, manners and even conflict resolution, because they relate to people of different ages and social backgrounds, which may be quite apart from their own.
Ensuring a home-schooled child gets enough proper social interaction is the responsibility of the parent/educator. If the student lives in or near large population centers, there are a number of opportunities to interact with peers. Homeschool families can find these opportunities in a network of support groups nationwide.
Local support groups allow homeschool families in a community to organize and hold activities which allow for social interaction and augment the educational process. Often, the groups schedule field trips to museums or plays. Sites like LocalHS.com list hundreds of these support groups. There are even some homeschool organizations that form sports teams, which allow for homeschool student athletes to participate in private school sports leagues. The Home School Athletic Association, based in Dallas, Texas, is one such organization, and offers team play for both boys and girls in sports such as football, baseball, basketball, volleyball and track.
While there is a perception that a home-schooled child may be isolated and not develop the necessary social skills, studies have found that this is not the case.
Lee Stough of the University of West Virginia led a study into homeschool children and their emotional and social development versus children in traditional public education. Despite the idea that "the stereotypical home schooled child is often portrayed as being shy, passive, and lethargic because of his/her isolation from the normal socialization," the facts did not support that.
According to the study results, homeschool children "gained the necessary skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed to function in society...at a rate similar to that of conventionally schooled children. Insofar as self concept is a reflector of socialization, it would appear that few home-schooled children are socially deprived, and that there may be sufficient evidence to indicate that some home-schooled children have a higher self concept than conventionally schooled children."
There is evidence that homeschooled children grow into well-rounded adults. A 2003 study into over 7,300 homeschooled adults found they not only adjust to society, they are more likely to take college courses and be involved in civic and community activities than the rest of the population. They also tend to be employed in a wide number of jobs, just like public school educated students.
A study by the National Home Education Research Institute into socialization among home-schooled children found the average student participates in 5.2 activities outside the home, while 98 percent of those students surveyed participated in an average of two activities or more. The top three activities students participated in were recreation time with peers outside the family, field trips and Sunday school. These social activities are only possible when a parent or guardian makes a commitment to add them to a child's learning experience.
The key to an effective homeschool education that produces a rounded, socially engaged young adult hinges on the commitment by the supervising parent or guardian to keep the student active outside the home.