My dissertation will focus on parents’ perceptions of a homeschooling Facebook group. I want to study how parents feel the group impacts their homeschooling experience and environment.

Include your main concepts and how these connect into a framework for understanding the world.

Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory posits that human development is shaped by a person’s environment. Some of these environmental factors are less impactful, like cultural values or historical events. Others are more impactful, such as schools and immediate family. As I considered this theory, it was evident that the microsystems would have to be adapted for homeschoolers. They still have immediate family as an impactful system, but they don’t have schools. So, I had to consider what types of microsystems might be present for homeschooled students.

Then, I considered active role construction, which states that parents who feel a sense of responsibility as it relates to their children’s education will be more active in their children’s education. The assumption I make is that homeschooling parents are familiar with active role construction, since they are taking such an important role within their children’s education. In taking on this role, they are in charge of creating these other microsystems that would be used as the most impactful for Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory.

How might your theory align with your methodology?

I am conducting a phenomenological qualitative study. I will use observations of the Facebook group and interviews of members of the group to collect data. In studying parents, I am aligning my methodology to both the Ecological Systems Theory and the active role construction, since I am looking at parents’ perceptions of the experience and relating that experience to their children.