Homeschooling as a Fundamental Change in Lifestyle

This paper discusses home education (homeschooling) in Israel. The first section reviews the legal situation, the scope and the current status of homeschooling in Israel. The second section presents data from qualitative research conducted in Israel, which shows, among other things, that homeschooling is perceived by those who practice it as a solution to several problems in different areas of life. This solution generates a total change in lifestyle, i.e. a paradigmatic change. This change is described primarily at two levels--on the one hand it is a process of heightened awareness and a willingness to take responsibility for different areas of life such as children's education, health, employment and self-fulfilment; and on the other hand it is also a trigger for taking a more flexible and easy-going approach to life. The third section discusses two attitudes towards homeschooling: (a) as a pedagogical move which emphasises parental involvement in their children's education (a common approach to homeschooling); and (b) as a holistic phenomenon that relates to changes in lifestyle of those who homeschool (as seen in the study presented here). The paper suggests that while these two attitudes can be researched separately, they are both important in order to gain a meaningful understanding of homeschooling.