The Incorporation of Racial Diversity in CT Homeschool Classrooms

Running Head: THE INCORPORATION OF RACIAL DIVERSITY
The Incorporation of Racial Diversity in Connecticut Homeschool Classrooms
Carol Alice Hazlett
A Thesis
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree of
Master of Science In Early Childhood Education
Central Connecticut State University
New Britain, Connecticut
May 2016
Thesis Advisor:
Dr. Aram Ayalon
Department of Teacher Education:
Educational Leadership, Policy & Instructional Technology
Thesis Committee:
Dr. Wangari Gichiru

THE INCORPORATION OF RACIAL DIVERSITY
ABSTRACT COVER PAGE
Carol Alice Hazlett
A Thesis
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree of
Master of Science In Early Childhood Education
Central Connecticut State University
New Britain, Connecticut
May 2016
Thesis Advisor:
Dr. Aram Ayalon
Thesis Committee:
Dr. Wangari Gichiru

ABSTRACT
In recent years, public schools have been held accountable for reporting on
demographics of students and teachers, and there has also been a greater emphasis on
incorporating racial diversity in the curriculum (Kelly, 2013). While public schools report
on such information very little known about racial diversity in homeschool classrooms. It
is important to begin to understand how homeschool teachers might be incorporating
racial diversity into their classes because homeschool teaching has steadily increased
since the 1970’s, while at the same time the racial diversity in the United States continues
to grow.
This study surveys 14 homeschool teachers from Connecticut. The purpose of this
study is to reveal (a) if homeschool teachers are incorporating racial diversity, (b) why
they may or may not be incorporating racial diversity, (c) how often they might be
incorporating racial diversity, and (d) how homeschool teachers are incorporating racial
diversity in their Connecticut homeschool classrooms.
Survey questions consisted of Likert scale with the space for participants to
elaborate upon their answers. The data was analyzed using central tendency to categorize
the Liker scale responses. Then data was coded to reveal common patterns/themes.
The data showed that 79% of Connecticut homeschool teachers, in this study, do
intentionally incorporate racial diversity into their curriculum. Reasons as to why
participants did or did not incorporate racial diversity varied greatly. The ways in which
participants incorporated racial diversity ranged from; reading literature, learning about
history, creating artwork, and taking field trips.

Overall there were three themes that arose. The first is the prevalence of racial
diversity in history, especially as it related to slavery. The second is a lack of discussion
around current or local topics of race, along with a lack of races mentioned beyond
African American. Lastly, there was a message of color blindness that arose throughout
the responses.
As a global society in the twenty-first century it is imperative that issues of race
be addressed, racial backgrounds be celebrated, and for individuals be able to thrive in a
racially diverse environment. Howard (2007) emphasizes the importance clearly when he
states that “educators need to reexamine everything (they’re) doing because continuing
with business as usual will mean failure or mediocrity for too many students.” (Howard,
2007, p.16)

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1: Introduction Page 1
Importance of the problem: Need and Rationale Page 1
Research Question Page 5
Key Terminology Page 5
Chapter 2: Review of the Literature Page 7
History of Homeschooling Page 7
Homeschooling Regulations Page 9
Effectiveness of Homeschooling Page 0
Homeschooling Concerns Page 10
Motivations for Homeschooling Page 11
Race and Homeschooling Page 12
Diversity and Education Page 13
Summary Page 13
Chapter 3: Context & Methodology Page 15
Setting Page 15
Connecticut Page 15
Connecticut Public Schools Page 15
Connecticut Homeschools Page 16
Sample Selection Page 16
Snowball Sampling Page 17
Social Media Page 17
Data Collection Instruments Page 17
Survey Goals Page 17
Determining the Questions Page 18
Determining the Survey Structure Page 19

Analysis Methods Page 20
Limitations of the Study Page 21
Sample Size Page 21
Participants who Responded Page 21
Online-Only Survey Tool Page 22
Social Media Response Rate Page 22
Chapter 4: Findings Page 23
Participant Background Information Page 23
Participant Motivations for Homeschooling Page 25
Academic Data (2016) Page 29
Connecticut Homeschools in this Research Page 33
Modalities of Teaching Page 34
Racial Diversity Page 36
Intentional Incorporation of Racial Diversity Page 36
Racial Diversity Activities Page 37
Prevalence of Racial Diversity in Curriculum Page 39
Visual Representations of Racial Diversity Page 42
Themes/Trends Page 42
Racial Diversity in History Page 42
Lack of Current/Local Context Page 43
Color Blindness Page 43
Chapter 5: Discussion and Recommendations Page 45
Themes Page 45
Recommendations for Homeschool Educators Page 47
Implications for Further Research Page 48
Limitations and Implications Page 49
Conclusion Page 49
References Page 51

Appendices Page 55
Appendix A: Survey Page 56
Appendix B: Electronic Survey Page 65
Appendix C: Invitation to Participate with Informed Consent Page 78
Appendix D: Human Studies Council Letter of Approval Page 81
List of Tables and Figures Page 83
Biographical Statement Page 84

1
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
In this chapter I review the need and rationale; the research question/problem statement;
and key terminology used throughout this research study.
Importance of the problem: Need and Rationale
“Race and racial inequality have powerfully shaped American history from its
beginnings” (Wright & Rogers, 2011, p.13). Slavery is one of the most well-known
examples of racial oppression in the United States. But the mistreatment of minorities did
not end with abolishing slavery. During the late 1800’s the Populist Party formed. With
this movement it seemed as if black and white farmers, in the Midwest and Southern
regions of the United States, were beginning to get along, but eventually
racial conflict tore apart the unity of the Populists and contributed to the decline
of the movement… Employers started using racial minorities in industrial strikes
which weakened the ability of unions. This also contributed to deep resentments
against blacks and other minorities within the white working class (Wright &
Rogers, 2011, p.13).
We also saw racial discrimination when it came to Eugenics in the United States. In 1883
a scientist by the name of Francis Galton suggested that we could improve society by
"giving the more suitable races, or strains of blood, a better chance of prevailing over the
less suitable" (Bozeman, 2004, p. 422). Continuing on into the 1900’s strict immigration
laws were in place, which limited the immigration of diverse populations, and these were
just a few of the ways in which racial minorities have been discriminated against in the
United States.

2
During the 1960’s, however, some big changes were underway. Schools had
finally been desegregated and immigration laws were starting to change. We started to
see an increase in the diversity of immigrants coming to the United States. But the poor
treatment of certain groups still did not end there. Although racial discrimination has
never ceased, we have recently seen the media bringing these issues to the forefront.
There are still debates about our current immigration policies, and we hear about refugees
being denied entry into other countries. There are disproportionate arrests and
incarcerations, of African American males in the United States. And it was only three
years ago, in 2013, when the term ‘black lives matter’ started to appear, in hopes of
shedding more light on such injustices.
Education has not been immune from racial issues. "Although outright
discriminatory practices in schools based on race have been banned by law, they continue
in other guises" (English, 2002, p.298). We see racial disparities when it comes to the
achievement gap, within the racial demographics of different schools, and within the
curriculum. Another way that discrimination rears its ugly head is through the use of
testing. Assessments are supposed to remain neutral and unbiased, but often that is not
the case. Testing is a large money making industry, and each year there are
approximately 300 million tests given in American schools. English (2002) suggests that
"tests influence policy, and have been suggested as a means to reduce teacher salaries for
public education while advancing the cause of the privatization of education" (English,
2002, p.299). This drastically effects schools in urban areas of the United States, which
many times is made up of low-income, non-white individuals. English (2002) also
mentions that Latino and African American males are disproportionately put into special

3
education because educators erroneously see the lack of cultural capital as a lack of
academic ability. One other way education has been touched by discrimination took place
just last year. Arizona tried to ban Mexican American studies in Kindergarten through
twelfth grade public education. This same type of debate also took place during the
1960’s.
The good news, however, is that some schools have started to be intentional about
incorporating diversity into the daily routines. But these strategies must occur within the
staff and the students of American schools.
Districts nationwide are experiencing rapid growth in the number of students of
color, culturally and linguistically diverse students, and students from low-income
communities…As educators, we need to reexamine everything we’re doing
because continuing with business as usual will mean failure or mediocrity for too
many of our students, as the data related to racial, cultural, linguistic, and
economic achievement gaps demonstrate (Howard, 2007, p.16).
This change in demographics demands “that we engage in a vigorous, ongoing, and
systemic process of professional development to prepare all educators in the schools to
function effectively in a highly diverse environment" (Howard, 2007, p.16).
One example of schools improving upon their incorporation of diversity takes
place in Broward county Florida. Broward County continuously reevaluates and modifies
its curriculum to reflect a growing diverse population. During the early 1990’s Florida
Statute 1003.42 was created. This statute outlines how the Holocaust should be taught –
through “a manner that leads to an investigation of human behavior, an understanding of
the ramification of prejudice, racism, and stereotyping and an examination of what it
means to be a responsible and respectful person, for the purposes of encouraging

4
tolerance of diversity in a pluralistic society" (Gory & Ball, 2012). In 1994 Florida
started to amend its curriculum, requiring that it includes African American history. In
1998 this expanded to include the study of Hispanic contributions, and the study of
women’s contributions. Then since 2002 there has been a structure in place to ensure that
every teacher is following the multicultural requirements (Gory & Ball, 2012.).
Broward County Florida is just one example of a school district trying to include
more diversity in their curriculum. We can find out even more information about racial
diversity and school by looking at local resources and the United State Department of
Education. The information is out there regarding; the demographics of public school
teachers and students; the curriculum content; authors of textbooks, etc. But what is even
less understood, is how racial diversity is, or isn’t, being implemented in the homeschool
environment.
This topic is currently relevant because "the homeschooling movement that
emerged in the 1970s has grown steadily ever since" (Gaither, 2009, p. 331) while at the
same time our country is rapidly increasing in racial diversity. It is also of my opinion
that advancements in technology and traveling have enabled people to connect across
countries more so than in generations past. Computers and televisions allow us to connect
with cultures that previously we could only imagine. Improvement in modern airplanes
allows people to visit with other cultures for education or enjoyment, and many career
opportunities call for international travel. Living in a more globally-connected society
should mean that we educate our children to learn positively about diversity, in school,
from a young age. It is important for children and adults to be prepared to live, work, and

5
thrive in a diverse twenty-first century global environment. It would seem to me, that
embracing racial diversity might help to unite societies rather than to divide them.
Research Question
The purpose of this research is to examine to what extent do Connecticut
homeschool teachers incorporate racial diversity into their curriculum?
My hypothesis is that it will vary greatly, but I predict that some patterns might
emerge which can help to give a glimpse into how homeschool teachers are incorporating
racial diversity more clearly, if they are, and how often.
Key Terminology
I would like to elaborate upon some key terminology, for the purpose of this
study. To begin with, I would like to elaborate upon what Curriculum means in this
context. To do so, I refer to the definition as outlined in Assessment of Hidden
Curriculum (Ortega, 2014, p.1452). Ortega (2014) defines curriculum as both the
intended and hidden. Intended curriculum includes the planned components such as; daily
schedules, the layout of the classroom, the textbooks used, goals or objectives planned,
field trips taken, subject matter taught, the materials/decorations within the classroom,
etc. The unintended curriculum refers to,
unwritten, unofficial, and often unintended lessons, values, and perspectives that
students learn…this concept is based on the recognition that students absorb
lessons in school that may or may not be part of the formal course of study – for
example, how they should interact with peers, teachers, and other adults; how
they should perceive different races, groups, or classes or people; or what ideas

6
and behaviors are considered acceptable or unacceptable…It should be noted that
a hidden curriculum can reinforce the lessons of the formal curriculum, or it can
contradict the formal curriculum (Ortega, 2014, p.1452).
It is also important to note that the focus of my study is on racial diversity, not on
ethnicity. “Racial diversity would include categories such as European (White), African
(Black), Asian, Native American, and so on…Race is more easily identifiable whereas
ethnicity typically involves sorting people into categories related to cultural, linguistic or
national identities” (Sparber, 2010, p.74).
Lastly, it is important to keep in mind that homeschool teachers are not always
the child’s parents. This isn’t often can be the case, but there are children who are
homeschooled by other adults homeschool teach teaches within the community.
Homeschool settings can also consist of many locations, from the home, to the
community, to homeschool co-ops, etc. A homeschool co-op is designed to bring
homeschooling families together for certain classes or for a specific activity. These co-
ops might meet in a designated building, or in smaller homeschool communities. Students
can attend co-ops yearly, monthly, weekly, or daily – based on the teacher/student’s
preference. (Faulconer, 2014)

7
CHAPTER 2: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
I have reviewed literature as it relates to homeschooling, to education, and to diversity.
Furthermore, my review of literature investigates the following topics (a) the history of
homeschooling, (b) regulations of homeschooling, (c) motivations for homeschooling, (d)
outcomes of homeschooling, (e) race and homeschooling, and (f) diversity in education.
Before delving into the literature, I wanted to examine the prevalence and racial
demographics of homeschooled students in the United States. Homeschooling continues
to increase, “in the spring of 2007, about 1.5 million children, or 3 percent, of all school-
age children in the United States were homeschooled, up from 850,000 (1.7 percent) in
1999” (Planty, 2009, p.3). According to a 2012 study done by the National Center for
Education Statistics, the racial demographics of United States students who are
homeschooled are, "68% white, 15% Hispanic, 8% African American, and 4% Asian or
Pacific Islander” (National Center for Education Statistics, 2012, p.9) This article also
points out that although Caucasian children make up the majority of homeschool
students, the number of non-Caucasian students being homeschooled is quickly
increasing.
History of homeschooling
I began my review of the literature looking into the history of homeschooling in
the United States.
Davis (2011) found that homeschooling was prevalent in colonial days even
before compulsory education was enacted in 1647. This schooling was originally

8
designed for orphans who did not have families to educate them. As time went on, in
1789, schools started to offer in-school education to the general public. Many families,
however, still chose to educate their children from home, but over time “the United States
Government had convinced parents that formal education was superior to home-
schooling” (Davis, 2011, p.30). By 1852 some territories required children to attend
school, and by 1918 all 50 states had adopted this law. Therefore, until the 1900’s it was
the ‘norm’ for children to be educated solely by their families.
The modern ‘homeschooling’ that we now think of, first came about in the
1960’s. A man by the name of John Caldwell Holt started to challenge the concept of
public schooling. Davis (2011) uses John Holt’s book, How Children Fail, to explain
more about this. Holt believed that "traditional compulsory education disrupted the
natural process of learning in children" (Davis, 2011, p.30). But even then, he wasn’t
asking for the return of education in the home, rather he wanted to reform schools. Yet
after seeing no progress in school reform he started to promote this concept of
homeschooling.
Davis (2011) went on to explain how Holt believed that children were not ready
to start formal schooling until age eight or ten. He believed that early schooling would set
off a chain of events as described below.
uncertainty enters as the child leaves the family nest for a less secure
environment, then puzzlement at the new pressures and restrictions of the
classroom; followed by frustration because…sense, cognition, brain hemispheres,
and coordination cannot handle the regimentation of formal lessons and the
pressures they bring; then hyperactivity growing out of nerves and jitter from

9
frustration; failure which quite naturally flows from the four previous
experiences; and then delinquency (Davis, 2011, p.31).
Homeschooling was met with a lot of controversy, in the 1960’s, because people believed
that families were doing their children an injustice by not sending them to a formal
school. But the first ‘homeschooling’ families “held fast and helped to establish laws and
regulations that recognize that teaching one’s children is a right” (Davis, 2011, p.31).
Homeschool Regulations
This led me to wonder, what were the regulations that enabled the legalization of
homeschooling? Today there are three categories of guidelines; homeschools “must
comply with the laws for private schools, homeschooling must comply with the state’s
compulsory attendance statute, and homeschooling must meet specific statutes” (Davis,
2011, p.31). These statutes include; gaining approval of the curriculum, submitting
attendance records, proving teacher qualifications, having both regular and unannounced
visits, submitting standardized/achievement test scores, having professional evaluations,
filing the private school affidavit every year, and lastly having a minimum hours of work
each week. With that said, the requirements vary greatly from state to state, as do the
materials, and the approach to teaching. (Davis, 2011, p. 31 & 32).
Effectiveness of homeschooling
With the variety of regulations one might speculate how effective homeschooling
is. Through much of my research it would appear that homeschooling often yields
positive outcomes.

10
In 1997 Brian Ray did a longitudinal study on 5,402 homeschooled students in the
United States. Although this study is almost twenty years old, it has been cited by many
researchers because of the magnitude of the study. Ray discovered that across every
school subject, homeschoolers earned higher scores by approximately 35% when
compared to their public school peers. He also found that this achievement occurred
across all students, regardless of racial backgrounds or socio-economic status. (Ray,
1997)
During a more recent study, Ed Collom (2005) researched the motivations behind
homeschooling, and student outcomes. Collom looked at 551 homeschool students in the
southern California area. He found that homeschooled students in elementary school
grades tend to be on par with their public school peers, but as students get into middle
and high school "homeschooled students in higher grades do better than their public
school peers, on average, than those in the lower grades" (Collom, 2005, p.325).
Homeschool Concerns
There are a couple major criticisms, however, when it comes to homeschool
education. Davis (2011) points out that one major concern is that homeschooled students
often lack social skills. Romanowski (2006) went on to challenge this notion believing
that it was “born out of a misunderstanding of what homeschooling is really like, it rests
on the assumption that school is the only effective means for socializing children”
(Romanowski, 2006, p. 125). Long are the days when homeschooled students only stayed
at home with little connection to the outside world. This made sense to me because I have

11
heard about homeschool teachers utilizing their own communities, homeschool co-ops,
and extracurricular activities, to teach their students.
Davis (2011) also points out a second criticism often raised about homeschool
students. This is the notion that families are trying to pass on conservative religious
teachings. While this can be a reason for some families, it is just one of many reasons that
families choose to homeschool. It is a myth that all homeschool families choose to do so
because of religious reasons. On the contrary, many families who pushed for the
legalization of homeschooling during the 1960's did so because they viewed public
school as being too conservative for their liking (Romanowski, 2006, p.128). In the
twenty-first century we now see homeschool appealing "to a demographic diversity that
includes virtually all races, religions, socioeconomic groups and political viewpoints"
(Romanowski, 2006, p.128).
Motivations for Homeschooling
Green & Hoover-Dempsey (2007) looked further into the reasons that families
choose homeschooling. They collected data from 136 homeschool parents in a
southeastern state. Their findings identified four themes that motivated families to choose
homeschooling.
The first came from a longing to help their child succeed. This then extended to
children with special needs or to children who simply weren’t being challenged in the
traditional classroom. A second reason consisted of the desire of parents to be close to
their children. A third reason consisted of the family believing they could teach better

12
than the public school system. The final major motivation came down to religious or
moral reasoning (Green & Hoover-Dempsey, 2007, p.264).
Though there are countless reasons why families choose to homeschool, these
findings reflect most of the literature that I have come across. However, Mazama and
Lundy (2012) questioned the motivations of African American families who homeschool
their children – wondering if race played a factor in their decision.
Race and Homeschooling
In 1994, graduate professor, Elliot Eisner said that "American schools tend to
focus on European Culture and thought” (Eisner, 1994, p.35). When you consider that,
along with understanding that the majority of all teachers in the United States are white –
the results of a 2010 study, done by Mazama and Lundy (2012), may not be too
surprising.
Mazama and Lundy (2012) interviewed 74 African American homeschooling
families from the south Atlantic and the Midwest. They found that many of the families
chose homeschooling because they had "a concern with the quality of education...and a
desire to protect one's child from possible racist actions” (Mazama & Lundy, 2012,
p.732-733). In addition to that "a large number of parents expressed great displeasure
over the reduced and distorted presentation of Black history and achievements in most
schools” (Mazama & Lundy, 2012, p.734). I have to agree that much of what I learned in
history prior to college was from the European male perspective. But over the years a
greater emphasis has been placed on incorporating diversity into the classroom. Kelly
(2013) explains that as the student population continues to increase in racial diversity, it’s

13
crucial to address multiculturalism in today’s classes. I then wondered how diversity in
education might impact students, and decided to look into this further.
Diversity and Education
Denson and Chang found that "benefits associated with diversity may be more
far-reaching than previously documented” (Denson & Chang, 2009, p.322). They
collected research via surveys administered at the University of California. Regarding
racial-cultural engagement they found that, "students who attended institutions that
promoted diversity tended to also report higher levels of self-change in knowledge of and
ability to get along with people of different races or cultures” (Denson & Change, 2009,
p.336).
A longitudinal study done by Gurin, Dey, Gurin, and Hurtado (2003) examined
140 Michigan students. They looked at structural diversity, experience with diversity, and
the impact of experiences with diversity. They concluded that "educational institutions
can and should make diversity central to their educational missions because student
experiences with diversity can promote more active, complex thinking and prepare
students as citizens in a diverse democracy" (Gurin, et. al., 2003, p.28).
Summary
Throughout my research it became evident that homeschooling is on the rise
throughout the United States – and for a variety of reasons. It is clear that many families
have a strong desire to see their children succeed, especially as it relates to children with
learning disabilities or extreme giftedness. Children are also commonly homeschooled

14
because families want to be close with their children. Lastly, children are homeschooled
because families believe that they can provide a better education than their local school
system (Green & Hoover-Dempsey, 2007, p. 264).
There has also been an increase in African American families’ homeschooling
their children because many are unhappy with the lack of black history or the inaccurate
portrayal of black history (Mazama Y Lundy, 2012, p. 732-734). The literature shows
that it is important to positively address diversity in education. When students participate
in a school that incorporates racial diversity they demonstrate a greater ability to; get
along with people of different races, and to achieve complex thinking as it relates to
becoming students in a diverse society (Gurin, et. al., 2003, p.28).
Overall, it was fascinating to learn that homeschooling was originally met with
such backlash. This backlash caused the creation of various laws in order to regulate
homeschooling. It also became clear that there are many myths and concerns as it relates
to homeschool education, but despite these concerns much of the research indicates that
homeschooling tends to be effective. Although families choose homeschooling for a
variety of reasons, it was eye opening to me that race can be a deciding factor for some
families, because research has shown that it is important to include racial diversity in
schools.
Therefore, if research indicates that homeschooling has continued to increase, and
that incorporating diversity into education yields positive results, then that leaves me to
wonder how, or if, homeschool classrooms are incorporating diversity – even if they
aren’t accountable for it.

15
CHAPTER 3: CONTEXT & METHODOLOGY
In this chapter I review the, (a) setting, (b) sample selection, (c) data collection
instruments, (d) analysis methods and, (e) and the limitations of the study.
Setting
Connecticut:
The setting for this study is the state of Connecticut. Connecticut is located in the
northeast region of the United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of July
2015, Connecticut had a population of approximately 3,590,886 individuals. Of these
individuals approximately 22% were under the age of 18. The racial breakdown of all
individuals in Connecticut consists of approximately 70% Caucasian, 15% Hispanic,
11.5% African American, 4.5% Asian, 0.5% American Indian/Alaska Native, and 0.1%
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander. (Quick Facts, 2015)
Connecticut Public Schools:
Regarding public school students in Connecticut, according to the Connecticut
State Department of Education; approximately 64% of students are Caucasian, 18% are
Hispanic, 14% are African American, 4% are Asian American, and 0.4% are American
Indian (Coleman, 2011, p.10). Therefore, approximately 36% of students in Connecticut
come from racial backgrounds other than Caucasian. Yet when it comes to public school
teachers 92% are Caucasian, 3.5% are African American, 3% are Hispanic, 1% are Asian,
and 0.2% are Native American (Coleman, 2011, p.19).

16
Connecticut Homeschools:
This study specifically looks at homeschools in Connecticut. As of 2015 there
were 1,533,778 children between the ages of five and seventeen being homeschooled in
the United States. 1,792 of those children are being homeschooled in Connecticut (Zeise,
2015).
Sample Selection
Participants were selected through two methods 1.) Snowball Sampling and 2.)
Social Media.
I knew one homeschool teacher in Connecticut who was willing to announce my
research to local homeschool teachers, so this lent itself well to snowball sampling.
Research has shown that “snowball sampling can play a key role in three critical stages of
data collection: locating, accessing, and involving hidden and hard to reach populations”
(Cohen & Arieli, 2011, p.428). Knowing that one person who is already a part of the hard
to reach population can make a big difference. Snowball sampling is also great on when
the researcher is limited on time and money (Cohen & Arieli, 2011, p.428). On the
flipside, however, "a problematic aspect of relying on referrals is the likelihood of
excluding individuals who do not belong to the specific network being accessed” (Cohen
& Arieli, 2011, p.428). This is why I chose to also reach out through social media, on
Facebook.

17
Snowball Sampling:
Those who were interested in taking my survey were asked to provide their email
address, for when it came time to administer the survey. This snowball sampling yielded
twenty-six individuals who expressed interest in possibly taking my survey. Out of these
twenty-six individuals thirteen of them responded, at a response rate of 50%.
Social Media:
I reached out to 50 people from various homeschooling Facebook groups in
Connecticut. I could not reach out to more than 50 because Facebook only allows you to
contact 50 people who you don’t know within a short period of time. While posting on
social media I followed best practices such as, starting with a statement that grabs
attention, keeping the post brief, providing basic information about myself, and
emphasizing the importance of my study (Deren, 2013). Facebook only yielded one
response, at a response rate of 2%.
Data Collection Instruments
I chose to collect data through an electronic survey. (Please See Appendix B).
Using a survey allowed me to get information from as many people as possible. This is
important, because each homeschool classroom can vary greatly.
Survey Goals (Please See Appendix A):
a.) To explore if homeschool teachers are incorporating racial diversity into their
curriculum. (Aligned with section three and question 31 of survey).
b.) To uncover how they might be incorporating racial diversity. (Aligned with
section four of survey).

18
c.) To determine why they may or may not be doing so. (Aligned with question 31
of survey).
d.) And to find any patterns that emerge, or any differences that may occur. (This
goal will be met through analyzing the data).
I also connected pertinent background information through sections one, two, and six.
Determining the Questions:
While developing my survey, I kept my four survey goals in mind. To form my
questions, I began by listing all the ways in which racial diversity might show up in
education (classes taught, materials used, authors, field trips, etc.) I also took a look at
ways in which public schools include racial diversity (Gory & Ball, 2012). However,
asking my questions just based on public schools are incorporating racial diversity would
have caused me to miss out on ways that schools aren’t incorporating diversity.
Therefore, I crafted my questions about the incorporation of racial diversity based on how
public schools incorporate it and also how schools aren’t including it. Some examples of
questions include:
1. Thinking about the students you homeschool teach this year, is there more than
one racial background represented?
Yes No
2. The authors of the textbooks used in my classroom represent non-white
perspectives
Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree
Similar questions also addressed (authors of literature, characters in literature, history,
and field trips).

19
3. As my students look around the homeschool classroom they can visually see
materials that reflect individuals from a variety of racial backgrounds (posters,
props, decorations, etc.):
If Agree or Strongly Agree, please provide examples of materials / items in your
classroom:
4. I intentionally incorporate racial diversity into my teaching.
Agree Disagree
Please explain why you agree or disagree with the above statement:
Determining the Survey Structure:
I gave careful thought about how I should structure my survey based on what I
learned in Dr. Clark’s graduate level research course. I started out with broad questions,
then continued on with more complex questions, and ended with personal questions. This
could allow the participant to ease into the survey because starting with broad questions
about their experience might seem less intimidating than starting off with deeper
questions about race, or personal information about themselves.
When I had the first draft of my survey complete, I asked for feedback from Dr.
Ayalon and Dr. Clark, who is an expert in creating surveys. Based on the feedback I
received I limited my background questions, and changed many of the open ended
questions to that of a Likert scale. I also continued to ask myself ‘is the question clear’
and ‘do these questions get at the question I’m asking’? I then had a second draft of the
survey which I ran past three colleagues, one whom is currently going for their Doctorate
degree, and two who are currently going for their Master’s degree. Based on this

20
feedback I clarified some questions that seemed ambiguous, and added instructions to
each section so that participants had a clear understanding of what to do.
Analysis Methods
I specifically asked a combination of Likert scale questions, many of which had
comment boxes for participants to elaborate in. I wanted to give participants the change
to explain because if I had not done so I might have missed out on some rich information.
I analyzed Likert scale questions using central tendency to categorize the
responses. I used a method of coding to analyze the narratives. Bogdan and Biklen (1992)
describe coding as “searching through the data for regularities and patterns as well as for
topics the data covers. Then writing down the words and phrases to represent these topics
and patterns” (Bogdan & Biklen, 1992, p. 166). This process was made simpler because I
used Googled Docs to create my survey, send it out, and to retrieve the results.
Google Docs collects all participants’ results in a Microsoft Excel document so
data is easier to code. Each row collects a participant’s response and questions are
arranged by each column. Therefore, to look for themes I read down each column first at
all responses to question one, then all responses to question two, and so on. By reading
the results this way I was able to identify patterns. I electronically highlighted similarities
in yellow while differences remained un-highlighted. As patterns emerged I used bullet
points to take notes in the draft of my thesis and I connected the quotes from the
narratives to the similarities I found in the Likert scale questions.

21
The data is displayed through a combination of ways; charts, graphs, and quotes.
Given time I would have done a follow up discussion with participants who indicated
their willingness.
Limitations of the Study
Like with all studies, my research study is not free from limitations. My
limitations relate mostly to, (a) my sample size, (b) participants who responded (c)
selecting an online-only survey tool, and (d) my social media response rate.
Sample Size:
To begin with, there is a lack of prior research regarding homeschool education
and racial diversity. Because of this, I chose to narrow my scope to only Connecticut. In
Connecticut there are 1,792 homeschooled children, but I could find no data on how
many homeschool teachers there are in Connecticut. It is possible that one person
homeschool teaches one child, while another person homeschool teaches ten children,
etc. Therefore, it is hard to tell what percentage of Connecticut homeschool teachers
actually replied to my survey. Regardless, fourteen individuals is still a small sample size.
Participants who Responded:
It is also possible that those who agreed to take my survey are individuals who
already incorporate racial diversity into their curriculum. It could be that people who do
not incorporate racial diversity may have felt less inclined to participate in the survey.
It is also possible that those who did respond may have done so in a way that is
deemed ‘socially acceptable.’ Generally, people do not like to be seen as racist. These are
things that I cannot account for.

22
Online-Only Survey Tool:
By choosing to collect data via a survey it is possible that I will miss out on
information I might have gathered by observing teachers in their classroom environment.
Furthermore, I am unable to use triangulation to see the other sides of what might be
going on in the classroom. Because my survey is electronic, it might also prevent me
from reaching homeschool teachers who do not use technology. Lastly, as explained
above, it is also possible that people can fudge their answers a bit because there is no way
for me to validate their answers.
Social Media Response Rate:
My response rate was 50% on emailed surveys. This is a decent response rate
given that "response rates to email surveys have decreased since the late 1980s. Email
response rates may only approximate 25% to 30% without follow up email
reinforcements.” (Fincham, 2008, p.2) It is possible that my 50% response rate is because
I did send out two follow up emails reminding those who expressed interest, to take the
survey.
However my response rate via social media was very low. Two factors could have
contributed to this. The topic of racial diversity can be sensitive to some people, and I
may have a target group that is relatively small in population. Research shows that
utilizing multiple methods of contacting people is more effective than just one. I did use
email and social media, however, research also shows that social media is least effective
when reaching out to people you do not personally know. I also did not provide an
incentive, beyond offering to share my results – possibly further incentives could have
increased the response rate (Pit, Pyakurel & Vo, 2014).

23
CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS
I have organized the data in the following manner. (a) Participant background
information which includes: motivations for homeschooling, 2016 academic data,
Connecticut homeschools in this research, and modalities of teaching, (b) Racial diversity
which includes: the intentional incorporation of racial diversity, racial diversity activities,
prevalence of racial diversity in the curriculum, and visual representations of racial
diversity in the classroom, and (c) Themes/Trends which includes, racial diversity in
history, a lack of current/local context, and color blindness.
Participant Background Information
To begin my research, I sought out to gather basic information about participants.
Information consisted of; location, age ranges, racial background, gender, education
level, educational background, and teaching experience.
In Table 1 we see that the majority of participants in this study identified as
Caucasian. This is reflective of the literature because the majority of both public school
and homeschool teachers in Connecticut are Caucasian. All of the participants in this
study identified as female. This is also reflective of the literature because the majority of
homeschool teachers are female (Coleman, 2011, p.19).
Although the participants’ education level varied, the majority of individuals held
a Bachelor’s degree. Participants had been homeschool teaching anywhere from three to
21 years, with the average being for nine years. When it came to teaching experience

24
beyond homeschooling, 11 out of 14, or 79%, of participants had previously taught in a
non-homeschool setting – most of which taught at the elementary school level.
Table 1. Participant Basic Information
Type of Information Information Details
# of towns represented 11 cities/towns
Ages range of participants 35 – 55 years old
Racial Identity of participants 13 Caucasian
1 Asian
Gender of participants 14 female
Education Level of participants High School/GED through Doctorate
Participants who were
homeschooled as children
1 out of 14
Participants who previously taught
in a non-homeschool setting
11 out of 14
# of years participants have been
homeschool teaching
3 to 21 years
The finding about 79% of participants having previous taught in non-homeschool
environments was interesting for two reasons. First, if certified teachers choose to
homeschool their children then what does this say about the current educational system?
Secondly, many public school teachers face overcrowded classrooms, but as certified
teachers are homeschooling their own children, this allows professional educators to
teach very small classes when compared with typical public school teachers who teach 25
to 30 children. Imagine what could get done if a certified teacher has a small class size,

25
less restrictions to follow, more flexibility with teaching, and more opportunities for
students to participate in the community.
Participants’ Motivations for Homeschooling:
To get a greater sense as to the motivations behind homeschooling in this study,
participants were asked to identify reasons they homeschool. Figures 1.0 through 1.6
provide greater detail as to the motivations.
The three biggest motivators for participants in this study included; wanting to
provide a better education for their children, being dissatisfied with the educational
system, and wanting to be close to their families. Two of these reasons closely relate to
the literature. Green and Hoover (2007) also found that people chose homeschooling to
be close to family and to help their child to succeed, but their research did not reveal
anything about being unhappy with the educational system.
The least common motivations related to children having an unmet need, or a
families’ desire to provide additional moral or religious instruction. I was not surprised
that one of the least common motivations involved religions. As Davis (2011) pointed
out, it is simply a myth that all homeschool families choose to do so because of religious
reasons.
In figure 1.0, we see that the most important motivation among respondents to
homeschool was to provide a better education for their children, with 13 out of 14
respondents, or approximately 93%, agreeing or strongly agreeing. One participant stated
she decided to homeschool her children to provide “a better introduction to real world
living. To provide benefits of multi-age learning. To preserve self-esteem. To encourage

26
autonomy / free-thinking. To provide the opportunity to follow passions. To individualize
each child’s (instruction) to fit their unique learning style.”
Figure 1.0. Likert Scale – To provide a better education
The second motivation relates to that, in which participants are dissatisfied with
the current education system. A seen in figure 1.1, 11 out of 14 participants, or 79%,
agreed or strongly agreed with this sentiment. The majority of comments in the survey
alluded to dissatisfaction with the public schools
One participant was dissatisfied with the atmosphere of public school stating that
“public school has a negative social atmosphere that is detrimental to kids. Kids are over
sexualized…and social pressures are damaging to emotional health and development of
self-esteem.”
A second participant mentioned that she was dissatisfied with the curriculum.
“The inconsistency of curriculum (NCLB, CC, etc.) and occasional teacher biases
towards students is a large reason we home educate up to High School. One biased
teacher (or careless comment) in the early years can change a child’s view of their
abilities.”
7
6
1
To provide a better education
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

27
Figure 1.1. Likert Scale – Because of dissatisfaction the current system
Eleven out of fourteen, or approximately 79%, agreed or strongly agreed that they
homeschool to be close to their family (please see figure 1.2). Although the majority of
participants agreed with wanting this statement, they did not elaborate about it in their
narratives. This does not surprise me however, because life can be very busy and finding
ways to spend more quality time with family might take resourcefulness – including
homeschool teaching your own children.
Figure 1.2. Likert Scale – To be close to family
In addition to criticism of the schools and wanting to maintain a close family,
respondents also wanted to provide a more challenging educational experience for their
children. One participant expressed that her child was extremely gifted and not being
7
4
2
1
Dissatisfaction with current system
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
83
2
1
To be close to family
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

28
challenged in the classroom “she was being used by teachers as if she was an assistant
teacher and not being challenged herself.” This family took the parents’ child out of
public school and began homeschooling their child. Since then the child started college at
the age of 13 and with a 4.0 GPA she has been inducted into an honor society.
Figure 1.3 Likert Scale – To provide a more challenging environment
Another important reason for homeschooling was fear for the child’s safety.
Figure 1.4 suggests that 8 out of 14 participants, or 57%, who expressed a fear for their
child’s safety.
Figure 1.4. Likert Scale – Because of concerns with child’s safety
Another important motivation for homeschooling was the failure of schools to
address the need of the respondents’ children. Figure 1.5 demonstrates that 7 out of 14, or
4
4
4
2
To provide a more challenging environment
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
2
62
4
Concern with safety
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

29
50% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with this reason. Referring back to the
participant who wanted to challenge their gifted child, this also represents an unmet need.
The school was unable to meet her intellectual needs.
Figure 1.5. Likert Scale – Because of a child’s unaddressed need
Equally important was the motivation to homeschool children for religious and
moral reasons. As Figure 1.6 indicates, 7 out of 14, or 50% of respondents showed that
they do want to provide additional moral/religious instruction.
Figure 1.6. Likert Scale – To provide additional moral/religious instruction
3
43
4
Child has unaddressed need (medically/behaviorally/
intellectually)
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
4
34
2
1
To provide additional moral/religious instruction
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

30
Academic Data (2016):
This study focuses only on the 2015 – 2016 academic school year. I wanted to
gather information about the number of students, the grade levels, the subjects taught, and
the class sizes. Figure 2 points out that the majority of homeschool students taught by the
participants in this study are elementary schoolers, with 16 out of 37 students. In a close
second, 14 out of 37 total students are high schoolers. On the flipside, there is only one
preschooler taught by a participant and two college preparation students taught.
Figure 2. Total # of students, per grade level, that all participants are teaching
Table 2 depicts more information about the class sizes (not including co-ops).
Class sizes consisted of either; one student, two students, three students, four students, or
ten students. The largest class size consisted of ten students and the smallest class size
consisted of one student. An interesting thing to notice is that the classes that only one
student and the classes that have 10 ten students, are both teaching the upper grades.
There was one participant who did not indicate their class size. On average there were
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
Preschool
Elementary School
Middle School
High School
College Prepartory
# of total students per grade level that participants
are homeschool teaching
Number of Students
(37 total)

31
2.77 students per class. Looking at the combination of grade levels, we see some
examples of students around the same grade while others are more diverse. One class has
a preschooler, a seventh grader, and a ninth grader. The most prevalent class size
consisted of two students, at approximately 36%.
Table 2. Class Size Including Grade Levels
# of Students
per class
Occurrence Percentage Combination of
Grade Levels
1 3 /14
classrooms
21% 10th
College
Preparatory
College
Preparatory
2 5 / 14
classrooms
36% 7th
and 10th
2nd
and 5th
K and 2nd
K and 3rd
1st
and 4th
3 3 / 14
classrooms
21% 1st
, 3rd
, 6th
K, 2nd
, 4th
Pre-K, 7th
, 9th
4 1 / 14
classrooms
7% K, 2nd
, 5th
, 9th
10 1 / 14
classrooms
7% 8th
, 9th
, 10th
, 11th
Unknown 1 / 14
classrooms
7%
Table 3 refers to the class subjects that were taught in each classroom. Overall,
93% of participants taught Math, English, or Science, 86% of participants taught History
or Social Studies, 29% of participants taught music or art. 14% taught a foreign language,
and only 7% of participants taught Life skills, Handwriting, Cooking, Typing, Physical
Education, or the Bible.

32
With so many families up in arms about electives such as art and music being cut
back or eliminated from schools, it was interesting to see that homeschools are
mimicking this trend with electives still occurring less than the core subjects. Foreign
language was also not a common subject, with only 2 out of 14, or 14% of classrooms
teaching a second language. While language does not directly correlate to one’s racial
background this does relate to cultural diversity. The ability to speak a second language is
an advantage in our globally connected society.
It is also important to note that 6 out 14 participants, or 43%, are the only
homeschool teacher for their student(s) this year while 8 out of 14, or 57%, of
participants teach along with other individuals. This suggests that homeschooled students
are not always taught by only their parents. What is unclear from the data, however, is
how many of the homeschool teachers teach children who are not their own. Being
homeschooled by someone other than a parent, in a location that is not the child’s home
can present an entirely different dynamic – the details regarding teacher and student
biological relationships were not explored in this study.
Table 3. Frequency of Class Subjects
Subjects Occurrence Percentage of
Classrooms
Math 13 / 14 classrooms 93%
English 13 / 14 classrooms 93%
Science 13 / 14 classrooms 93%
History 12 / 14 classrooms 86%
Social Studies 12 / 14 classrooms 86%
Music (Classical or non-
specific music)
4 / 14 classrooms 29%
Art 4 out of 14 classrooms 29%
Theater/Drama 2 out of 14 classrooms 14%

33
Foreign Language (Spanish,
French, or non-specific
language)
2 out of 14 classrooms 14%
Life Skills 1 / 14 classrooms 7%
Handwriting 1 out of 14 classrooms 7%
Cooking 1 out of 14 classrooms 7%
Typing 1 out of 14 classrooms 7%
Physical Education 1 out of 14 classrooms 7%
Geography 1 out of 14 classrooms 7%
Bible 1 out of 14 classrooms 7%
It is also important to make mention of the students’ demographics. Two of the
fourteen classrooms, or 14%, have students of more than one racial background.
Therefore, twelve out of the fourteen classrooms, or 86%, have students of only one
racial background. The most prevalent racial background was Caucasian individuals. This
was somewhat reflective of the literature because the majority of homeschooled students
in the United States are Caucasian, at 68% (National Center for Education Statistics,
2012, p.9).
Connecticut Homeschools in this Research:
Although the setting involves homeschool classrooms in Connecticut,
homeschools can look very different from one classroom to another. Therefore, regarding
the setting I wanted to get a better sense of where the homeschooling was taking place.
When all fourteen participants were asked if homeschooling occurs only within the home
participants responded, as seen in Figure 3.
Figure 3. Likert Scale – Homeschooling Occurs Only Within the Home

34
Overall, ten out of fourteen participants disagreed that homeschooling only occurred
within the home, meaning that sometimes it occurred elsewhere. Some of the non-home
locations included:
- A weekly Homeschool Coop provides the opportunity for 40 families to gather
together for non-academic classes (music, art, etc.)
- A weekly Debate team of 20 students gather outside of school to debate.
- A Shakespeare theatre class occurs at a local theatre, with 13 students.
- Occasionally Physical Education will take place with local sport teams.
- Some students take online courses.
- Some students take Dance classes at the local dance studio.
- Some students are invited to attend occasional courses at the community college.
- On nice days homeschooling takes place at a local park or while on a hike.
- Museums, Historical Sites, Science Centers, and other field trips.
- Libraries
Modalities of Teaching:
To begin with, I wanted to get an idea of the types of materials students had
access to because this can give an idea of where students are getting information from
while being homeschooled. Participants were asked Likert scale questions such as:
I use the internet to teach my students
1
2
1
3
7
Homeschooling occurs only within the home
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

35
Similar questions were asked about; textbooks, videos, and field trips. Participants were
then given the opportunities to list any modalities not listed. Further details can be seen in
Figure 4.
Figure 4. Likert Scale – Materials participants use to homeschool teach
All 14 participants, or 100% agreed that they utilize field trips to teach their
students – this was the most common modality of teaching. The second most common
modality was using the internet, 13 out of 14 participants, or 93% agreed with this. 12 out
14, or 86% of participants stated that they use videos to teach their students. 10 out of 14
participants, or 71% agreed that they use textbooks to teach their students.
When participants were given the chance to list other modalities used to teach, the
most common answers included; using literature (beyond textbooks), library materials,
hands on activities/experiments, and packaged curriculum.
Fourteen out of fourteen, or 100% of participants indicated at some point
throughout the survey that they use literature to teach their students. In addition, 8 out of
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
Textbooks Internet Videos Community/Field Trips
Materials Participants use to Homeschool
Strongly Agree/Agree Neutral Strongly Disagree/Disagree

36
14, or 57%, mentioned using library materials at some point throughout the survey.
Libraries are great resources that can provide books, videos, and electronic devices as
well as to provide a space to hold meetings, and various activities and events – generally
all free to the public. Although participants utilize the library, it is unclear the ways they
use this resource. Only 4 out of 14 participants, or 29% stated that they use hands on
activities/experiments in their teaching. Very few participants indicated that they used
packaged curriculum (3 out of 14 participants, or 21%).
Racial Diversity
Intentional Incorporation of Racial Diversity:
Participants were asked if they intentionally incorporate racial diversity into their
homeschooling. See Table 4 for more details.
Table 4. Intentional Incorporation of Racial Diversity
I intentionally incorporate
racial diversity into my
classroom.
# of Participants who
Responded
Percentage
Agree 11 79%
Disagree 3 21%
Out of the 11 participants who do intentionally incorporate racial diversity, one
participate explained that her children actually have more exposure to diversity than if
they went to their public school. This individual lives in a town that has a population of
mostly Caucasian individuals. By homeschooling this participant is able to incorporate
diversity in the classroom and through field trips. She has “always sought out ways to

37
include (her) kids in groups with children of varying backgrounds, even if (she) had to
drive a ways to do so.”
Out of the three participants who do not intentionally incorporate racial diversity,
one participant mentioned that their discussion of race was not intentional, but that it did
occur naturally without it being forced. Another participant mentioned that their children
live it, so they didn’t see the need to teach it. A third individual stated,
we do not deliberately emphasize any individual based on appearances, including
someone’s race. For example, I have pointed out to my children how ugly and old
most of the presidents were – yet they are great men by virtue. So my children
know that looks don’t make any difference, hard work and experience does…we
don’t study G.W. Carver because he was black! That would be ridiculous and
racist in and of itself. I could give example after example, but hopefully you get
the point.
Racial Diversity Activities:
For those who did incorporate racial diversity in their classroom, participants
were asked to share at least one activity they’ve done that reflects this. Activities that
participants have done with students relate to the planned or intended components of the
curriculum. In deciding to ask about activities I anticipated that participants would
describe hands on activities or events that the students had partaken in, however most of
activities that participants listed related to reading books, as seen in Table 5.

38
Table 5. Participants’ Activities related to Racial Diversity
Reading History Field Trips Art Discussions
“Children
Just Like
Me”
Learning about
historical
figures such as
Harriet
Tubman.
Visiting the
Harriet
Beecher
Stowe house.
Creating a freedom
quilt with
construction paper
Discussing
current events,
especially as it
relates to the
Presidential
Campaign.
“Ruby
Bridges”
“Henry’s
Freedom
Box”
“Malcom
X”
“The
Freedom
Quilt”
“Black
Like Me”
Only 5 out of 14 participants answered this specific question, however from
looking at all of the survey results it became clear that many participants do use the
activities as listed in Table 5.
All participants, or 100%, mentioned learning about topics of race through
History, as seen in survey question 28 (Please see Appendix A). In addition, 6 out of 14
participants, or 43%, mentioned reading about racial diversity in their literature (please
see survey q 26 and q 27 in Appendix A). Only 2 out of 14 participants, or 14%,
mentioned having discussions as it relates to racial diversity (please see survey q 31 and
additional comments in Appendix A). Even fewer connected art to racial diversity. Only
one out of 14 participants, or 7%, talked about artwork as it relates to racial diversity
(please see additional section in Appendix A). Similarly, only one out of 14 participants,

39
or 7%, expressed taking a field trip that related to racial diversity (please see survey q 29
and additional comments in Appendix A).
Prevalence of Racial Diversity in the curriculum:
Beyond whether participants do or don’t incorporate racial diversity intentionally,
and beyond the activities they use, I wanted to take a look at the incorporation of racial
diversity in other components of the planned curriculum.
As seen in Figure 5.0, 14 out of 14 or 100%, of participants agree or strongly
disagree that the history they teach reflects non-white perspectives. History as it relates to
slavery, was the most common topic of race mentioned throughout the responses.
Figure 5.0 Likert Scale – History students learn about reflects non-white perspectives
In addition, Figure 5.1 indicates that 12 out of 14, or 86%, of participants agree to
some extent that the authors of assigned literature (fiction / nonfiction) represent non-
white perspectives.
8
6
The HISTORY students learn reflect non-white
perspectives
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

40
Figure 5.1 Likert Scale – Authors of literature represent non-white perspectives
Furthermore, most participants felt they used literature that represented non-white
perspectives. In Figure 5.2 we see that 11 out of 14 participants, or 79%, agree or
strongly agree that characters in the literature represent non-white perspectives.
Figure 5.2 Likert Scale – Characters of literature represent non-white perspectives
In addition to literature and history, a majority felt they used field trips to address
racial diversity issues. As Figure 5.3 shows 64%, or 9 out of 14, participants agree to
7
5
2
The AUTHORS of the LITERATURE represent non-white
perspectives
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
5
6
2
1
The CHARACTERS of the LITERATURE represent non-
white perspectives
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

41
some extent that their field trips, such as visiting the Harriet Beecher Stowe house,
provide opportunities to learn about racial diversity.
Figure 5.3 Likert Scale – Field trips with opportunities to learn about racial diversity
Lastly Figure 5.4 shows that 7 out of 14, or 50%, of participants agree that the
authors of textbooks represent non-white perspectives.
Figure 5.4 Likert Scale – Authors of textbooks represent non-white perspectives
4
5
3
1
1
The FIELD TRIPS students take provide opportunities for
students to learn about racial diversity
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly Disagree
3
4
6
1
The AUTHORS of the TEXTBOOKS represent non-white
perspectives
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

42
Visual representations of Racial Diversity in the Classroom:
Participants were asked to look around their homeschool classroom (not including
other environments that students might be taught in – i.e.: library, etc.) and to see what
visual materials they have (posters, books, props, decorations, etc.) 50% of participants
reported having visuals within the classroom that reflected more than one racial
background. Figure 6 shows a more detailed breakdown of the responses. When
participants were given the opportunity to list items seen around their classroom they
mentioned; wall hangings / paintings, students’ projects / artwork, sculptures, dolls, and
covers of books. None of the answers were given more than once.
Figure 6. Likert Scale – There are materials in the classroom that visually reflect
more than one racial background
3
4
3
2
2
Looking around the classroom there are materials that
visually reflect more than one racial background
Strongly Agree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly Disagree

43
Themes / Trends
Racial Diversity in History:
Racial Diversity was most commonly included in the curriculum when it came to
history, especially as it relates to historical figures and events. 100% of participants were
in agreement about this. More specifically, the history mentioned throughout the survey
related only to the racial background of African Americans, including slavery. Other
comments referred simply to ‘multiculturalism’ without mention of a specific race.
Comments from the participants are what follows.
“In history, I make sure to include non-Western history that is not included with
most purchased curriculum. We also read and talk about multicultural literature.”
“We’ve studied a lot of different countries and the important people from them.
We extensively studied slavery in the Bible, in Africa, and in America. We’ve studied
important figures like Nelson Mandela and Harriet Tubman. Two field trips that we took
were to see a play called ‘Harriet Tubman’ and we visited the Harriet Beecher Stowe
house. The kids have learned the importance of equality through this.”
Lack of Current/Local Context:
There was little mention of race in the current context, local context, or as a social
construct. Only two out of fourteen participants mentioned racial diversity as it relates to
our modern society. This was evident in the activities that these two listed – discussing
current events. Both participants mentioned racial diversity as it relates to the media. One
participant stated that her “children are exposed to racial diversity from watching the
news and then having discussions.” A second participant stated that she and her husband
“want children to know that not everyone is treated fairly. It’s also important to have a

44
critical eye when it comes to current media affairs. What one resource presents is not the
only perspective.”
Color Blindness:
Lastly, there were comments made by five people as it related to not seeing color.
Although the message of color blindness might not be a planned part of the curriculum, a
teachers’ attitude is part of what Ortega (2014) calls the hidden curriculum.
One participant stated, “white people count too. I make an effort, as much as
possible, to not see color as I feel it creates separation.” A second participant mentioned
that “children should be colorblind. Our children don’t exclude friends from other
cultures…but we don’t deliberately arrange these encounters. They happen organically.”
Another participant stated that incorporating racial diversity into the curriculum is not
needed because her children live amongst racial diversity, they see no need to teach about
it.

45
CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
This chapter discusses (a) themes and pertinent information that arose in my research, (b)
recommendations for homeschool educators, (c) implications for future research, (d) the
impact of limitations, and (e) the conclusion.
Themes
Theme 1: Racial Diversity in History:
Racial Diversity was most commonly included in the curriculum when it came to
history. More specifically, the history mentioned mostly referred to African American
history as it relates to slavery. A recent New York Times article indicates that this is a
common occurrence. “Schools explore issues of race and diversity through subjects such
as English and Global / U.S. History” (Gonchar, 2015). One participant stated, “we’ve
studied a lot of different countries and the important people from them. We extensively
studied slavery in in the Bible, in Africa, and in America. We’ve studied important
figures like Nelson Mandela and Harriet Tubman.” Although participants made
statements referring to ‘many races’ or ‘diverse groups’ or ‘multiculturalism’ the only
specific race discussed was that of African Americans. This is astounding because there
are many racial backgrounds that are important to learn about and to embrace. It seems as
participants saw diversity as either “black or white.” I personally remember learning
about Native Americans in school, yet that was not discussed either.

46
Theme 2: Lack of Current/Local Context:
There was little mention of race in the current context, local context, or as a social
construct. Only 2 out of 14, or 14%, of participants mentioned racial diversity as it relates
to our modern society. Those who did talk about current topics of race did so in the
additional comments at the end of the survey. One participant stated that they “want
children to know that not everyone is treated fairly. And it’s also important to have a
critical eye when it comes to current media affairs. What one resource presents is not the
only perspective.” With the political season upon as and the media of today’s society it
seems learning about modern topics of race would be relevant and engaging for students,
and certainly important.
Theme 3: Color Blindness:
Lastly, 5 out of 14, or 36%, of participants made comments as it relates to not
seeing color. This is consistent with the literature “being ‘color blind’ is common among
the ways students and students describe their attitudes regarding social inequality”
(Ullucci & Battey, 2011, p.1206). One participant explained, “I do not see color. There
are many heroes in History who were a different race than ourselves. I’ve always taught
my children that race and color do not matter. God created ALL men equal.” This
participant is of the belief that everyone is created equal, yet in reality not everyone is
treated equally. It is possible that when someone doesn’t see color then they also do not
see the connections or realize that there is racial discrimination within our education
system, judicial system, political system, and so on.
What I wonder is, if the majority of racial focus is on history, and if there is a lack
of discussion about modern topics of race, and if there is also an unintended message of

47
color blindness, then is it possible that young children who are not exposed to racial
diversity firsthand might come to think of racism as a thing of the past? As pointed out in
the introduction, it is a privilege to not have to think about your own race. However, most
people of color are not able to ignore it, even from a young age.
Recommendations for Homeschool Educators
Homeschool educators could improve upon their incorporation of racial diversity
in Connecticut homeschool classrooms. Ideally the goal is to “develop teachers who are
either moving toward color consciousness or dismantling color blindness in some way”
(Ullucci & Battey, 2011, p.1206). It is often said, you can’t teach what you don’t know so
in order for homeschool teachers to incorporate racial diversity they need to first
understand that it is important. Maybe teachers could benefit from a diversity training to
learn more. There are also books that can give people new perspectives on race, such as
Tim Wise’s book “White Like Me.” Recognizing one’s own biases and privileges is
essential to teaching about diversity and to being an effective teacher.
Once individuals realize the importance of racial diversity, they must also know
how they can accurately incorporate racial diversity into their curriculum. I can always
share my results with the 14 participants who were involved in this study, but workshops
online portals can also be a great ways to share resources and ideas about incorporating
racial diversity.

48
Limitations and Implications
One major factor in this study is that the participants were mostly Caucasian
females. Further research could expand to reach a wider demographic of homeschool
teachers in Connecticut. It would be interesting to see how the findings compare when
the participants are of a more diverse background, in regards to race and gender. The
same can be said about age, the youngest participant in this study was 35 years old.
Possibly the results would have differed if the study included Connecticut homeschool
teachers in their twenties. The sample size of this study was on the low side, hopefully
further research could reach a larger sample size.
The results of my data mostly explored the incorporation of racial diversity within
the curriculum, materials, field trips, etc. but one thing it did not explore is the frequency
by which it is incorporated (how much? how often? etc.). For example, if someone has a
two books out of a hundred about racial diversity participant A might see that as agreeing
that their literature reflects racial diversity while participant B thinks that two out of a
hundred is disagreeing.
There were also some responses that could have used further prompting or follow
up. When 50% of participants remarked that they homeschool because of religious or
moral, it was not clear on the type of religion. Might this relate to teaching evolution in
public schools? The details are unknown. The same follow up could have been used
when 57% of participants stated that they homeschool because of a fear for their child’s
safety. Safety can relate to school bullying, school violence, and an array of other
interpretations.

49
This study could also lend itself well to incorporating interviews or follow up
conversations, in conjunction with the surveys. Possibly even case studies or observations
would be beneficial to this topic.
Lastly, this study examined diversity within the context of race, but surely future
studies could explore diversity as it relates to gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, etc.
Impact of Limitations
Limitations were certainly present and may have contributed to various factors
within this study. As previously mentioned, the response rate using social media was very
low, it is possible that a monetary incentive could have increased the response rate.
To expand upon that, I only used an electronic survey to conduct my research. It is
possible that I missed out on a population of Connecticut homeschool teachers who do
not use the internet. If future studies examine this topic through a survey, it might be
useful to connect with homeschool teachers, in person, via the phone, mail, and the
internet.
Lastly, study this is only based off of the results of 14 surveys. It is possibility that
I am not getting the full picture of the incorporation of racial diversity.
Conclusion
Throughout this study I attempted to look at the incorporation of racial diversity
in Connecticut homeschool classrooms. I hoped to discover if racial diversity is being
incorporated into the classrooms, and I discovered that 11 out of 14, or 79% of

50
participants believed that they intentionally incorporate racial diversity into their
curriculum.
I also sought out to determine why individuals did or did not incorporate racial
diversity. I found that the answers varied greatly. Some individuals believed that racial
diversity is important to learn about and they would even go out of their way to make
sure that their children had exposure to diversity. While other participants believed it is
something that children will learn naturally, or that school is not the place to learn about
non-academics such as racial diversity.
Lastly, I wanted to unveil the ways in which participants were incorporating racial
diversity into their classroom. I found that racial diversity was most evident in the history
and literature that students studied. In Figure 5.1 we saw that the majority of participants
believed the literature they teach represents a variety of racial backgrounds. With that
said, Table 5 shows that the majority of literature that the participants listed were only at
the elementary school level. It is unclear if literature at the secondary level also includes
topics of race. Occasionally participants have also included racial diversity through
artwork and field trips, and rarely did students learn about racial diversity in the local or
current context – yet this is some important.
As discussed in the introduction, there are racial disparities that still occur
throughout our education system. We can see it in the achievement gap, within the racial
demographics of different schools, within the curriculum, and within individuals who are
unnecessarily placed into special education classes. At the same time our country is
growing in regards to racial diversity, and the use of homeschooling continues to rise.
Some public schools, like in Broward county Florida, have started to increase racial

51
diversity in the curriculum – but homeschools are not held accountable for this. Denson
and Chang (2009) explained the many benefits about incorporating racial diversity into
public schools. Students often show “higher levels of self-change in knowledge and of
ability to get along with people of different races or cultures” (Denson & Change, 2009,
p336) when exposed to greater racial diversity at school. Although I have not come
across any literature to back it up, I wonder if an absence of diversity in the curriculum
could have the opposite effect – to promote further inequalities. It is crucial to examine
the issue of racial diversity in homeschool classrooms and to address the topic if it is not
being implemented because “as educators, we need to reexamine everything we're doing.
Continuing with business as usual will mean failure or mediocrity for too many of our
students” (Howard, 2007, p.16)

52
REFERENCES
Bozeman, J. M. (2004). Eugenics and the Clergy in the Early Twentieth-Century United
States. Journal of American Culture, 27(4), 422-431.
Cohen, J, & Arieli, T. (2011). Field Research in Conflict Environments: Methodological
Challenges and Snowball Sampling. Journal of Peace Research, 48(4), 423-435.
Coleman, G. A. (2011). The Condition of Education in Connecticut. Connecticut State
Department of Education. Retrieved from:
http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/lib/sde/pdf/publications/COE_2011.pdf
Collom, E. (2005). The Ins and Outs of Homeschooling: The Determinants of Parental
Motivations and Student Achievement. Education and Urban Society, 37(3), 307-
335.
Cooney, M. H., & Akintunde, O. (1999). Confronting White Privelege and the Color
Blind Paradigm in a Teacher education Program. Multi Cultural Education, 7(2), 9-
14.
Davis, A. (2011). Evolution of Homeschooling: History of Compulsory Education.
Distance Learning for Educators, Trainers, and Leaders, 8(2), 1-71.
Denson, N., & Chang, M. J..(2009). Racial Diversity Matters: The Impact
of Diversity-Related Student Engagement and Institutional Context.
American Educational Research Journal, 46(2), 322–353.
Deren, R. (2013). Get the Most out of Your Survey: Increasing Response Rates. Survey
Monkey – Fluid Surveys. Retrieved from https://fluidsurveys.com/university/get-the-
most-out-of-your-survey-increasing-response-rates/
Eisner, E. W. (1994). The educational imagination: On the design and evaluation of
school programs. New York, NY: MacMillan College.
English, F. W. (2002). On the Intractability of the Achievement Gap in Urban Schools
and the Discursive Practice of Continuing Racial Discrimination. Education and
Urban Society, 34(3), 298-311.
Faulconer, J. (2014). What is a Homeschool Co-Op? The Homeschool Mom. Retrieved
from: http://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/what-is-homeschool-co-op
Fincham, J. E. (2008). Response Rates and Responsiveness for Surveys, Standards, and
the Journal. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 72(2), 1-3.

53
Gonchar, M. (2015). New York Times Learning Network: Do You Talk about Issues of
Race and Class? Retrieved from http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/24/do-
you-ever-talk-about-issues-of-race-and-class-with-your-friends/?_r=0
Green, C., Hoover-Dempsey, K. (2007). Why do Parents Homeschool? A Systematic
Examination of Parental Involvement. Education and Urban Society, 31(2), 264-285.
Gurin, P. Y., Dey, E. L., Gurin, G., & Hurtado, S. (2003). How Does
Racial/Ethnic Diversity Promote Education? Western Journal Of Black Studies,
27(1), 20-29.
Holt, J. (2011). How Children Fail. Reading, MA :Da Capo Press Inc.
Howard, G. R. (2007). As Diversity Grows, So Must We. Responding to Changing
Demographics, 64(6), 16-22.
Kelly, R. (2013). Each Academic Program had a Part in Teaching Diversity. Retrieved
from http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/curriculum-development/each-
academic-program-has-a-part-in-teaching-diversity/
Gathier, M. (2009). Homeschooling in the USA: Past, Present, and Future.
Theory and Research in Education, 7(3), 331-346)/
Gory, S., Ball. L. (2012). Multicultural, ESOL and Program Services Department.
Broward K12. Retrieved from
http://www.broward.k12.fl.us/esol/eng/multicultural/
Mazama, A., & Lundy, G. (2012). African American Homeschooling as Racial
Protectionism. Journal of Black Studies, 43(7), 723–748.
Ortega, B. J., Fasce, H. E., Perez, V. C., Ibanez, G. P., Marquez, U. C., & Parra, P. P.
(2014). Assessment of hidden curriculum components by medical students. Revista
Medica De Chile, 142(11), 1452-1457.
Pit, S. W., Pyakurel, S., Vo, T. (2014). The Effectiveness of Recruitment
Strategies on General Practitioner’s Survey Response Rates – A Systematic
Review. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 14(76).
Planty, M., Hussar, W., Snyder, T., Kena, G., KewalRamani, A., Kemp, J.,
Bianco, K., Dinkes, R. (2009). The Condition of Education (2009). National Center
for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of
Education. Washington, DC.
Quick Facts: Connecticut. (2015). United States Census Bureau. Retrieved from:
http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/09,00

54
Ray, B. (1999) Strengths of Their Own: Homeschoolers across America. National Home
Education Research Institution. 1-146.
Romanowski, M. H. (2006). Revisiting the common myths about homeschooling. The
Clearing House, 79(3), 125-129. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/30182126
Sparber, C. (2010). Racial diversity and macroeconomic productivity across US states
and cities. Regional Studies, 44(1), 71-85.
National Center for Education Statistics (2012). Trends in the Use of School Choice.
Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
Ullucci, K., & Battey, D. (2011). Exposing Color Blindness/Grounding Color
Consciousness: Challenges for Teacher Education. Urban Education, 46(6), 1195-
1225.
Wright, E. O., & Rogers, J. (2011). American Society: How It Really Works. W.W
Norton & Co.
Zeise, A. (2015). The A to Z of Homeschooling. Number of Homeschoolers in US 2015-
2016. Retrived from
http://a2zhomeschooling.com/thoughts_opinions_home_school/numbers_homeschooled_
students/

55
APPENDICES

56
APPENDIX A:
SURVEY QUESTIONS
As aligned with survey goals (please note that participants did not
receive this text version. The electronic version provided ample space
for answers, and was more visually appealing).

57
Thank you for participating in my survey about the incorporation of racial diversity in
Connecticut homeschool classrooms. Your feedback is greatly appreciated. Please answer
the questions as thoroughly and honest as possible, and remember that all information
will be kept confidential. Before proceeding please read the instructions below:
REQUIRED: By selecting 'I Agree' you acknowledge that you have read the Informed
Consent document and that you understand and agree to participate in this study.
____ I Agree
Surveys do not always provide the space to elaborate or the opportunity to clarify.
Therefore, if you are interested in being contacted with follow up questions please
indicate below.
You will not be contacted if that is what you wish. And likewise, if you are interested in
a follow up it does not guarantee that you will be selected. Thank you.
_____ I am interested in being contacted for a follow up discussion.

58
Section 1: Teaching Background
Please circle one answer per question, and fill in the blanks below.
1. Have you ever taught in a non-homeschool setting?
Yes No
2. If yes, at what grade level?
Elementary School Middle School High School Post-Secondary
If applicable, what subject(s)? ___________________________________________.
3. Were you ever homeschooled yourself?
Yes No
4. If yes, how many years were you homeschooled? ______________.
5. I have taught homeschool for _________ years.
6. I teach homeschool in the town of ___________, Connecticut.
PLEASE CONTINUE

59
I TEACH HOMESCHOOL BECAUSE…
7. I want to be close to my family.
8. I believe I can provide a better education for my child.
9. I am unhappy with the educational system.
10. I believe the typical school environment does not challenge my child.
11. My child has need that is better met at home (medical, learning disability,
behavioral).
12. I am concerned with my child’s safety in school.
13. I want to provide additional moral/religious instruction.
Feel free to elaborate or list other reasons you choose to homeschool:
PLEASE CONTINUE

60
Section 2: 2015 – 2016 Academic Year Students
Please circle one answer per question, and fill in the blanks below.
14. I homeschool teach the following grades this academic year
__________________.
15. I homeschool___________ number of total students this academic year.
16. This year I am homeschool teaching the following subjects: (Check all that
apply)
___ Math ___ English ___ History ___ Social Studies ___ Science
Other: __________________________________.
17. I am the only homeschool teacher for my students this academic year
Yes No
18. If no, what subjects do other homeschool teachers cover? (Check all that apply)
___ Math ___ English ___ History ___ Social Studies ___ Science
Other: __________________________________.
19. My homeschooling occurs only within the home:
If Disagree or Strongly Disagree, in what other locations / settings are your students
taught?
Section 3: 2015 – 2016 Academic year Materials/Curriculum
Please circle one answer per question.
20. I use textbooks to teach my students:

61
21. I use the internet to teach my students:
22. I use videos to teach my students:
23. I use the community/field trips to teach my students:
Please list any modalities used to teach students not mentioned above:
PLEASE CONTINUE
PLEASE CONTINUE

62
Section 4: 2015 – 2016 Materials/Curriculum as it relates to racial diversity
Please circle one answer per question.
24. Thinking about the students you homeschool teach this year, is there more than
one racial background represented?
Yes No
25. The authors of the textbooks used in my classroom represent non-white
perspectives
26. The authors of literature read in my classroom represent non-white perspectives
27. The characters in the students’ literature represent non-white characters
28. The history that the students learn about reflects the history of non-white
individuals/societies
29. The field trips that students take intentionally provide opportunities for students
to learn about racial diversity
30. As my students look around the homeschool classroom they can visually see
materials that reflect individuals from a variety of racial backgrounds (posters,
props, decorations, etc.):
If Agree or Strongly Agree, please provide examples of materials / items in your
classroom:

63
31. I intentionally incorporate racial diversity into my teaching.
Agree Disagree
Please explain why you agree or disagree with the above statement:
PLEASE CONTINUE
PLEASE CONTINUE

64
Section 5: Narratives
32. My classroom rules are:
33. Themes that we cover during the school year include:
34. Holidays we celebrate in our homeschool include:
35. If applicable, please describe an activity you have done in your classroom that
incorporates racial diversity:
Additional Comments:
PLEASE CONTINUE

65
Section 6: Basic Information
My gender is:
Male Female
My year of birth is: ____________.
My racial background is: (Select all that apply)
Caucasian African American
American Indian/Alaska Native Asian
Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander Hispanic/Latino
Other: ____________________.
My highest level of completed education is:
Less than a high school degree High School / GED Some College
Associates Bachelor’s Degree Graduate Degree Doctorate
I received this level of education in the year ___________.

66
APPENDIX B:
ONLINE SURVEY
This is the electronic version of the survey (the version that participants
received). The link is below, but because you cannot view the whole
online survey without answering questions please review this appendix
for screenshots of the live survey.
Link: http://goo.gl/forms/2rarDkByrR

67

68

69

70

71

72

73

74

75

76

77

78
APPENDIX C:
INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE WITH INFORMED CONSENT

79
CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE UNIVERSITY
Department of Early Childhood Education
1615 Stanley Street
New Britain, CT 06050
Principal Investigator – Carol Hazlett, Graduate Student
Phone number(s) 860-578-3496
e-mail address(es) carolh@my.ccsu.edu
List other investigators and/or faculty supervisor or sponsor
Dr. Aram Ayalon
Phone number(s): 860-832-2135
e-mail address(es): ayalona@ccsu.edu
Dr. Wangari Gichiru
Phone number(s): 860-832-2574
e-mail address(es): gichiru@ccsu.edu
INFORMED CONSENT STATEMENT
1. Invitation to Participate and Description of the Project. You are being asked to participate in a study
about the incorporation of racial diversity in Connecticut homeschool classrooms. An online survey
will be used to collect data for this study. Your participation in this survey is voluntary. Before agreeing to
be part of this study, please read the following information carefully.
2. Description of Procedure. If you participate in this study, you will be asked to complete the survey that
follows which includes number of questions about your teaching background, classroom, materials, and
curriculum as it relates to racial diversity. The survey should take no more than 20 minutes to complete.
3. Risks and Inconveniences. There is no risk associated with this study.
4. Benefits. This study was not designed to benefit you directly. However, this study may help improve
our understanding of if racial diversity is being incorporated into Connecticut homeschool classrooms, and
if so how is this being done, and how often.
5. Financial (or other) considerations: You will not be compensated in any way for participating in this
survey.
6. Confidentiality. Any and all information obtained from you during the study will be confidential and
no personally-identifiable information will be collected. The survey software function that allows us to
prevent tracking participant IP addresses has been activated so you cannot be identified individually in any
way as a result of your participation in this research. The data collected however, may be used as part of
publications and papers related to this topic.
7. Voluntary Participation. Your participation in this study is entirely voluntary. You may refuse to
participate in this research. Such refusal will not have any negative consequences for you. If you begin to
participate in the research, you may skip questions or at any time discontinue your participation by exiting
the survey without any negative consequences or record of the answers you completed.

80
If you have further questions about this research project, please contact the principal investigator, Carol
Hazlett, at 860-578-3496, e-mail: carolh@my.ccsu.edu or faculty supervisor Dr. Aram Ayalon at 860-832-
2135, e-mail: ayalona@ccsu.edu. If you have questions about your rights as a research participant of if you
have a research related complaint please contact Dr. Jennifer Hedlund, Chair, CCSU Human Studies
Council at 860-832-2968, e-mail HedlundJ@ccsu.edu. Or you may contact the HSC Administrator, CCSU
Human Studies Council at 860-832-2366, email hsc@ccsu.edu.
This information has been provided so you know what to expect if you participate in this study. Your
consent will be implied by your completion and submission of this survey. To convey that you understand
and agree to participate, please indicate you agree in the electronic survey.

81
APPENDIX D:
HUMAN STUDIES COUNCIL LETTER OF APPROVAL

82

83
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES
Figure 1.0 – 1.6: Motivations for Homeschooling Page 26 - 29
Figure 2: Total Number of Students per Grade Level Page 30
Figure 3: Homeschooling Location Page 33
Figure 4: Materials use to Homeschool Page 34
Figure 5.0 – 5.4: Prevalence of Racial Diversity Page 39 - 41
Figure 6: Visual Materials in the Classroom Page 42
Table 1: Participant Basic Information Page 24
Table 2: Class Size, Including Grade Levels Page 31
Table 3: Frequency of Class Subjects Page 32
Table 4: Intentional Incorporation of racial Diversity Page 36
Table 5: Participants’ Activities about Racial Diversity Page 38

The Incorporation of Racial Diversity in CT Homeschool Classrooms

The Incorporation of Racial Diversity in CT Homeschool Classrooms

Recomendados

Recomendados

Mais conteúdo relacionado

Mais procurados

Mais procurados (17)

Destaque

Destaque (14)

Semelhante a The Incorporation of Racial Diversity in CT Homeschool Classrooms

Semelhante a The Incorporation of Racial Diversity in CT Homeschool Classrooms (15)

The Incorporation of Racial Diversity in CT Homeschool Classrooms