Alumni SurveyHome educated students get qualifications and jobs. Home Education Works!

OverviewHome education is a growingeducational option.

This survey of grown homeeducators was launched whenVictorian regulatory changes citedconcerns about the outcomes ofhome education and the lack ofdata.

Anecdotally, the Home EducationNetwork (HEN) was aware ofmany successful alumni anddetermined to gather evidence.

The survey ran from December2016 to March 2017.

Initial results were compiled onVictoria. This report covers thenational results.

RespondentsNationally, respondents rangedfrom three 15-year-olds to a 52-year-old Associate Professor.

The HEN’s reach is predominantlyVictorian and so were the results.

The average Victorian respondentwas one year younger than theaverage non-Victorianrespondent.

Respondent Averages

Average... National Vic All Non-Vic

Age 24 24 25

Years of Home Education

9 9 9

Age at end of Home Education

16 16 16

NationalAlumni

VictorianAlumni

Non-VictorianAlumni

GeneralPopulation

Key Throughout

1

Respondents by State

VIC: 342

NSW: 72

QLD: 30

TAS: 19

ACT: 17

SA: 12

WA: 12

NT: 3

2

Qualifications Respondents were asked toprovide their highestqualification level and the fieldof study in which it had beenobtained. For the purposes ofassessment, all non-responseswere assumed to have noqualifications.

AQFQualifications were classifiedusing the AustralianQualfications Framework(AQF).

78% of respondents heldqualifications and 33% held aDegree or above.

The most common qualificationheld was a bachelor’s degree(AQF7).

Youth26% of respondents were agedunder 20 years. A quarter ofrespondents have therefore hadlittle time to gain qualifications.

Australian Qualifications FrameworkAQF 1 Cert IAQF 2 Cert II, Year 10

AQF 3 Cert III, Apprenticeship, Year 11

AQF 4 Cert IV, ACE Cert, Year 12

AQF 5 Diploma

AQF 6 Advanced Diploma, Associate Degree

AQF 7 Bachelor Degree

AQF 8 Honours, Grad Dip, Grad Cert, MBBS

AQF 9 Masters

AQF 10 PhD

Qualifications (507 Respondents )

All Respondents by Age (507)

Qualifications

3

General PopulationThe Australian Bureau ofStatistics (ABS) lists proportionsof the population with abachelor degree or more in agecategories.

This data enabled aqualifications comparison for333 respondents against thoseof the general population acrossthree age categories.

In each age category, homeeducated alumni with a degreeexceeded the percentage for thegeneral population.

Note: there were too fewrespondents aged over 34 for acomparison and 20-24 is theyoungest age group for whichABS data is available.

Average AQFAlumni were asked to specifyhow many school years theywere home educated for. Theaverage response was nineyears.

Where alumni supplied boththeir age and their period ofhome education (or a schoolentry level) qualifications wereexamined against those details.

20-24-year-olds who have beenhome educated for a longperiod initially have a slightdisadvantage in terms ofqualifications, but this is reversedin the two older age groups.

Average AQF by Length of Home Education

20-24 year olds (170 Alumni)

25-29 year olds (85 alumni)

17% were current students.•No one in this age group was home educated for only one year.•

9% were current students.•No one in this age group was home educated for 2 years•

26% were current students.•No one in this age group was home educated for 1 or 4 years.•

30-34 year olds (50 alumni)

Hold a Bachelor’s Degree or AboveHome Ed Alumni to General Population

(333 Respondents)

Australia Bureau of Statistics (2016). Education and Work, Table 27 Highestnon-school qualification: Bachelor Degree level or above, Persons aged 20-64years – 2005 to 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2019:http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/6227.0May%202016?OpenDocument

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QualificationsFieldsRespondents reported a widerange of fields for theirqualifications with Science,Music, Information Technologyand Education the mostpopular.

Pathways While pathways were notcovered, 35% of respondentsindicated they had enteredschool or distance education.Year 11 was the most commonentry point.

Some felt Limited Respondents not currentlystudying who listed noqualifications or skipped thisquestion were cross-referencedagainst their employment statusto provide a more accuratepicture. It became clear thatmost were engaged in sometype of employment/activitydespite their lack ofqualifications.

Three respondents indicatedthey regret being homeeducated with two statinghome education had limitedtheir prospects – one held adegree and the other anadvanced diploma.

Qualification Fields

No Qualifications/No Response (non-students)

Employment Vic Other

Self-employed 4 2

Full-time Employment 4 3

Part-time Employment 5 2

Casual Employment 4

Voluntary work 1

Full-time Parent 1 1

Carer 1

Disability 1 1

Between Jobs 3 1

No Info 3 4

Total 27 14

Total (% of Respondents) 8% 8%

No Info(% of respondents) 1% 1%

Entered School

QualificationsStatesVictoria 77% of Victorian respondentsheld a Certificate II or aboveand 30% a bachelor degree orabove.

Qualifications were comparedby age with the generalVictorian population using the2016 census data. 118respondents fell into the agegroups for available ABScomparison.

ComparisonsResponse numbers in non-Victorian states were too smallto compare to ABS data.

The uneven sample sizes alsomade analysis on a state-by-state basis impractical. InsteadVictorian results werecompared with non-Victorianones.

Victorians were noticeablylower at degree and honourslevels (AQF Levels 7 & 8) thannon-Victorians but had ahigher representation ofcurrent students. Both can beexplained by the average agebeing one year younger at anage when a year makes a bigdifference in qualifications.

Victorians who hold a Bachelor Degreeor above compared to respondents (118)

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Qualifications Vic and All Other States (507)

Vic Non-Vic

Average Age 24 25

Australia Bureau of Statistics (2016). Education and Work, Table 27 Highestnon-school qualification: Bachelor Degree level or above, Persons aged 20-64years – 2005 to 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2019:http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/6227.0May%202016?OpenDocument

EmploymentRespondents were asked for theircurrent employment status.

Nationally, 25% of respondentswere full-time employees, 27%were students.

Where there was no response orno employment reported, theywere cross-referenced with thequalifications and current studyfields to provide a more accuratepicture.

OccupationsA wide range of occupations wasreported.

Comments included: “Homeschooling teaches you tohave passions and pursuewhatever interests you. Thisconstant encouragement andpositivity makes any career pathachievable.”

Self-employedSelf-employed respondents madeup 11% of the cohort andincluded music teachers,physiotherapists, naturopath,draftsman, film-makers,mechanics, engineer, home care,shearers, cleaner, game-developer, painter, artist,photographer, car-detailer,writers, gardener, vet, artists,speech pathologist, graphicdesigner, farrier and illustrators.

6

Employment Status (507)

Breakdown of Respondents Who did not indicate employment/study

Between Jobs

Never Employed

No Response

No qualifications indicated 3 1 7

No Qualifications indicated(entered school)

4

Disability 2

AQF2 - 4 1 3 8

AQF 5 - 6 5

AQF 7 4 2

AQF 8 - 9 1 5

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EmploymentVictoriaA similar pattern of employmentwas observed for Victorianalumni.

OccupationsVictorians listed 95 differentoccupations ranging fromprofessionals (doctor, dentist,barrister, lecturers, teachers,engineers and solicitors) to trades(carpenter, mechanic, baker,farrier) to more hands-on jobs(concreter, shearers, farmers).The most frequent were:

13% were self-employed.

Comments included: “The self help spirit I gained•from Homeschooling has reallyboosted my ability in theworkplace.”I have found many prospective•employers who have noexperience withhomeschooled employeesdiscriminate againsthomeschooled jobcandidates.”

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

Self-employedFull-time employee

Part-time employeeCasual employee

Voluntary workHome-educatorFull-time parent

StudentBetween jobs

Never employedNo Response

V Employment Status of Vic Respondents (342)

Breakdown of Vic Respondents Who did not indicate employment/study

Between Jobs

Never Employed

No Response

No Qualifications indicated

2 1 3

No Qualifications indicated(entered school)

4

Disability 1

AQF 2- 4 2 4

AQF 5-6 2

AQF 7 2 2

AQF 8-9 1 3

Occupation No.

Retail 11

Farming 10

Home Educator 9

Administration 8

IT 8

Management 8

Parent Education

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390 respondents providedparental education informationfor one or two parents theynormally resided with whilebeing home educated. The mainhome educator was notidentified.

Parent qualifications ranged fromnothing formal to PhD level, withthe most common qualificationbeing a bachelor’s degree.

Effect on OutcomesBecause parental educationlevels are often seen as apredictor of student educationaloutcomes, the data wasexamined for this factor.

Data from the Australian Bureauof Statistics on parental/offspringeducation was limited to 2009and the 20-24-year-old agegroup.

Given the different dates, onlylimited comparisons can bemade, but it was interesting tonote that the percentagesamongst the home educatedpopulation appeared higher.

There was a rise in bachelor’sdegrees in this age group from16.9% to 18.3% between 2009and 2016. While the rise withineach subgroup is unknown, itseems likely it would beproportionate with that of thewhole age group.

Parent Qualifications before home ed (390)

20-24-year-olds with/studying bachelor or above as percentage of

parents’ qualification groups (139)

Source for General Population: Australian Bureau of Statistics Education and Work, Australia, May 2016.http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6227.0

20-24 year olds with Bachelor or above

Australia Bureau of Statistics (2009). Perspectives on Education and Training: Social Inclusion: Characteristics of Parents. Retrieved March 6, 2019:http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4250.0.55.001Main+Features42009

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Parent EducationIf the proportions amongst thegeneral population remain roughlythe same in 2016, the advantage ofa parental bachelor’s degree orabove seems to be enhanced byhome education compared to theschooled population, whereas thedisadvantage of parents with lowqualifications appears to be less ofhandicap in home education.

Bachelor EffectIn the general population, itappears that young people aremore likely to hold qualifications atbachelor’s degree or higher if theirparent do. This was evident in theschooled population in 2009 ABSfigures and can reasonably beexpected to be true in 2016although no figures are available.

Amongst home educated alumni,the student outcomes by parentqualification were further exploredacross three age groups. A morehighly educated parent had anadvantageous effect on studentoutcomes in the 20-24 and 25-29-year-old age groups. However theadvantage appears less than in theschooled population. In the 30-34-year-old age group, outcomesseemed less connected to parentqualifications.

Note home educated alumni werenot asked if they were male orfemale.

Alumni Qualifications Held or Working Towardsby Parent Qualification (265)

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics 4250.0.55.001 - Perspectives on Education and Training: Social Inclusion, 200 - Parent Characteristics http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4250.0.55.001Main+Features42009

2009 Qualifications of General Population Aged 20-24 by Parent Qualification

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Parent EducationDecline of theBachelor EffectThe effect of parental educationwas also examined in combinationwith the period of home educationwhere respondents provided bothin addition to their ownqualifications

Again, outcomes were higher ifparents held a bachelor’s degree orabove but this “bacheloradvantage” appeared to diminishwith longer periods of homeeducation.

Parental education information wasavailable for only 56 respondents inthe 1-5 years group, makingcomparisons cautious.

However, the difference inoutcomes between high-schooleducated parents and those with adegree or higher was almost threeAQF levels with 1-5 years of homeeducation, but fell to one AQF levelwith 12-13 years of homeeducation.

This has not been tested forstatistical significance.

Continued EducationResponses revealed many parentsundertook further education afterhome education — an indicator ofthe value home educators place oneducation.

Student Outcome by Parent Education and Home Education Period (370 Respondents Aged 18+)

Parent Qualifications before and after home ed (374)

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Parent EducationVictoria248 Victorian respondentssupplied information on theirparents’ education level.

Again, the value homeeducators place on education isindicated by the fact they oftenundertake further qualificationsthemselves either during orafter they finish educating theirchildren.

Nine respondents indicatedthey are currently homeeducating their own childrenand their qualifications werefurther examined.

Comments included: “It wasn't just homeschooling•but my parents preparing mefor life, giving me a goodwork ethic.”“Home education gave me•the skills to succeed in theexams of life and not just theeducational ones. Supportiveparents were crucial and mysocial experiences were verypositive and involved.”“Home education depends•largely on the parents' workethic. I was taught to workhard in order to achievegoals, and also to work well.This is very important withregard to employment as anadult.“

Parent Education Level (248)

6%

5%

9%

19%

17%

28%

17%

No Qualifications

Year 10 or Cert II

Year 11/Cert III/Apprenticeship

Year 12 or Cert IV

Dip/Adv Dip

Degree

Post Grad

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30%

Parent Education Level (248)

Qualifications of Alumni now Home Educating

None 1

Cert III 2

Year 12 1

Diploma 1

Degree 3

Grad Dip 1

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Current Students39% of respondents werecurrently studying. This studyrate was slightly above thegeneral population in two agegroups and below it in the 25-29-year-old age group.

The most common level ofstudy underway was abachelor’s degree.

Areas of study included law,science, medicine, teaching,marketing, arts, psychology,nursing and IT.

Transition commentsincluded:“The first few months were•tough and then I got thehang of it.”“I found home education•prepared me for universitymore than formal schooling.The skills of independentlearning, research, workingwith all types of people andself motivation were allutilised as a home educator,but not as taught or valuedin my formal schoolingexperience.”“It was quite easy to go from•home education to TAFE.”“Minor problems adjusting in•scheduling and organisationskills.”

Currently Studying Cert III or above (333)

Current Study Level (202)

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Breakdown of Current Study (202)

13

Current StudentsVictoria36% of alumni are currentlystudying.

The level of current study iscomparable with the generalpopulation in the 20-29-year agegroups and far exceeds thegeneral population in the 30-34-year old age group. Thissuggests that home educatedstudents retain an interest inlearning.

OtherStates32% of non-Victorian alumni arecurrently studying.

On average non-Victorianrespondents were one yearolder than Victorian ones andcurrent study patterns reflectthat with more Victoriansstudying at pre-degree andundergraduate degree levels asa percentage of totalVictorian/Non-Victorianrespondents. Interestingly, ahigher percentage (8%) ofVictorians are undertakingpostgraduate studies than non-Victorians (5%).

Alumni Currently Studying (Percentage of 507 Respondents)

Breakdown of Current Study (188)

Victorians currently studying a Cert III orabove compared to respondents (218)

Home Ed StylesThere was a spread of homeeducation styles with eclectic themost common.

Victorians were less likely to use apre-packaged program andappeared slightly more likely tochoose another structured style,but if pre-packaged andstructured are consideredtogether, a similar amount (40%of Victorians and 39% interstate)reported a structured style.

When the outcomes suppliedwere assessed by style across allrespondents (aged15-53), theaverage qualification level variedvery little, ranging between 5.54(Eclectic) to 5.75 (NaturalLearning). This suggestsoutcomes are not tied to thehome education style chosen.

Comments included: “The natural learning education•process taught me to beextremely passionate aboutwhatever interested me, whichthen flowed into my seniorschooling education.“Self directed learning was the•best thing I ever did during myhigh school years.”“Having the self structure I was•able to implement during myhome education years left mewith more understanding onhow to manage time.”

Respondents by 3 Home Ed Styles (488)

Outcomes (AQF) by Home Ed Style (393)

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Life OutcomesWhile academic and employmentoutcomes are of particularinterest to decision makers,outcomes in terms of lifesatisfaction are also important.

Three questions addressed thisissue: How happy are you with life?•How satisfied are you with•your home educationexperience?How well did home education•prepare you for adulthood?

Alumni across the countryappear to have good lifeoutcomes.

Comments included: “Home schooling is the best•thing that happened to me.We had the freedom to learnwhat ever when ever and Icould really go deeply intowhat I was interested in. Mymum is always reading andlearning and I think that is justwhat my sister and I do. It isreally natural and somethingyou just do. When you just dosomething because you wantto it isn't "practice" , it is morelike just something you dobecause you want to.““Being home schooled was•one of the greatest gifts myparents gave me, and Iwouldn't trade the experiencefor anything.”

.

Happiness with Life (289)

15

Satisfaction with Education (290)

Preparation for Adulthood (289)

Home Education is SmallThe home education•community is small. Respondents were educated•between the 70s and 2000swhen the community was evensmaller. Nevertheless, Victorian•respondents who were ofregisterable age in 2008,represent 15% of 2008registration figures. This is agood response rate.

How representative arerespondents?Respondents were home•educated for an average of nineyears. The results are thereforeskewed towards long-termhome educators rather thanpeople home educated as ashort-term solution. In Victoria, two years is the•average period of registrationwith the Victorian Registrationand Qualifications Authority(VRQA). It is unknown whetherthis pattern is repeated in otherstates. An alumni survey conducted by•the Home EducationAssociation in 2014 found asimilarly high participation ofuniversity study amongst homeeducated alumni.Research consistently shows•25% of home education is dueto specific needs. No survey

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

HEN Membership 1981-2018

HEA Survey 2014

Total Respondents 200

Studying towards a Bachelor degree or higher

71%

Bachelor degree 52%

Bachelor Honours, Graduate Certificate or Diploma

12%

Masters 6%

PhD 1%

2013 Bureau of Statistics data indicated that 60% of school leavers (aged 15-24 years) who were studying, were undertaking a Bachelor degree orhigher (ABS 2013). Quoted in submission 145 to the (NSW) Inquiry into HomeSchooling made by the Home Education Association, p36

Methodology How reliable is the data?

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HEN’s membership records illustrate the growth of the community. 2019 HEN membership represents a third of families registered inVictoria.

Diverse Learning Needs

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%

Natural Learning/Unschooling

A pre-packaged program

Structured

Eclectic

special needs child

gifted child

twice exceptional child

a need not recognised by the mainstreamsystem

no

Source: HEN 2016 Survey of Victorian Home Education Community. 217 responses to that question. Survey responses totalled 317. https://home-ed.vic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Final-re-port-on-2016-survey-results.pdf

17

question addressed this aspect, and it was revealed in only three responses viacomment fields. This cohort may therefore be significantly under-represented in thesurvey. The spread of home education styles indicates respondents were drawn from across•the home education community. According to the VRQA, initial registrations favoura structured style, but research has shown there is a move to less structured styles asfamilies grow in confidence. (e.g. Thomas, Alan: Educating Children at Home, p53)Respondents were self-selected. This is a valid criticism of all home education•surveys. At present, no official data is available so self-selected data is the only typeavailable. The survey was conducted by the HEN with a clear political agenda - to achieve a•reasonable regulatory regime. Every attempt has been made to report the resultsaccurately e.g. two respondents pointed out that the slider of one questionincreased to the left rather than the right. While the flip was unintended, thecriticism was valid, and the results of that question were never used despite theirpotential usefulness.

CollectionResponses were invited via HEN’s weekly email list during the period December 2016 -April 2017. The survey was also promoted and boosted via social media.

Responses were collected via Survey Monkey and manually (email and post). No surveyquestion was compulsory and incomplete responses were included unless theyprovided no information on home education outcomes in Australia. Eliminatedresponses and reasons are tabled below. This left 507 responses (453 via SurveyMonkey, 54 Manual).

Methodology

Responses Excluded

2 Answered no questions

17Answered page one: age, state and satisfaction level (satisfaction was 78%).

14 Home educated entirely overseas

1 Aged 10.

1Distance education student. From a regulatory perspective, distanceeducation students are quite a different group from home educatorsdespite being very welcome in the home education community.

2Identified as doubles (online and manual responses exact match of age,state, quite specific degrees and parent education level.)

HEN ReachDecember 2016

200 Members

2600Facebook Followers

280Twitter Followers

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AnalysisExcel was used to explore the data and generate tables and graphs. In some cases,answers were cross-referenced to provide more information:Employment status was cross-referenced with the fields Current Enrolment and•Current Employment to provide a fuller picture of employment outcomes. Although the duration question specifically referred to ‘school-aged years, eight•respondents indicated a period of home education of 14 or 15 years. Some homeeducators refer to being home educated from birth. These eight were thereforeexamined and adjusted down using their age, years of home education reportedand age they entered mainstream education. A maximum period of home educationwas set at 13 years (e.g. a 20-year-old who claimed to have been home educated for15 years was set at 13). No results have been tested for statistical significance.•

Methodology

This is the largest survey of home educated alumni ever conducted in Australia.

While it has the usual limitations of a self-selected study conducted by a homeeducation group, self-selected surveys are the best data available. The HEN wouldsupport a large-scale government or independent study.

In the meantime, the results indicate:Home education outcomes are good in terms of qualifications, employment and•happiness. Home educated students enter a wide range of further study and occupations. •As in the schooled population, parental qualifications have some effect on student•outcomes, but perhaps not as much as might be expected.For parents with high school qualifications, outcomes improve with the home•education period. Home education style has no impact on outcomes.•

Conclusions

The survey was conducted and report prepared by Sue Wight, Home Education Network© Home Education NetworkContact: www.home-ed.vic.edu.au or swight@home-ed.vic.edu.au