Homeschooling
...Collom
Department of Sociology, University of Southern Maine,
Portland, Maine, USA
Douglas E. Mitchell
Graduate School of Education, University of California,
Riverside, California, USA
This article seeks to estimate the extent to which home schooling parents
perceive themselves as social movement participants and to identify the
factors contributing to such beliefs. The impact of collective action
frames, feelings of efficacy, social network ties, and home schooling motivations
are considered. Regression models are employed in an analysis
of original survey data from an organized group of Southern California
homeschoolers. Home schooling motivations are most salient in determining
whether one interprets their activities as part of a larger movement.
Social network tie indicators are largely unimportant in the models. The
findings highlight the important role of organizational affiliation and
integration. Homeschoolers without affiliations and those who are less
integrated into their support organizations are not likely to feel as if they
are part of a larger movement. Organizational integration—specifically
This article was presented at the 2003 Annual Meeting of the American Sociological
Association in Atlanta, GA. While the charter school where this research was conducted will
remain anonymous, we would like to thank the administration for their cooperation and the
parent=teachers who shared their experiences and opinions with us. Also, thanks to Ziad
Munson for comments on an earlier draft of this article. This research was supported by the
University of California-Riverside School Improvement Research Group.
Address correspondence to Ed Collom, Department of Sociology, 96 Falmouth St, PO Box
9300, University of Southern Maine, Portland, ME 04104-9300. E-mail: collom@usm.
maine.edu
Sociological Spectrum, 25: 273–305, 2005
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