A Survey of Grown Unschoolers

[SoulRiser]

Snippet:

Quote:Question 5 of the survey read, “Please describe briefly any formal higher education you have experienced, such as community college/college/graduate school. How did you get into college without having a high school diploma? How did you adjust from being unschooled to being enrolled in a more formal type of educational experience? Please list any degrees you have obtained or degrees you are currently working toward.”

I’ll describe their responses to this question much more fully in the next article in this series, where I’ll make ample use of the participants’ own words. Here I’ll simply summarize some of the statistical findings that came from our coding of the responses.

Overall, 62 (83%) of the participants reported that they had pursued some form of higher education. This included vocational training (such as culinary school) and community college courses as well as conventional bachelor’s degree programs and graduate programs beyond that. As can be seen in data row 4 of the table, this percentage was rather similar across the three groups.

Overall, 33 (44%) of the participants had completed a bachelor’s degree or higher or were currently fulltime students in a bachelor’s program. As shown in data row 5 of the table, the likelihood of pursuing a bachelor’s degree or higher was inversely related to the amount of previous schooling. Those in the always-unschooled group were the most likely to go on to a bachelor’s program, and those in the group that had some schooling past 6th grade were least likely to. This difference, though substantial, did not reach the conventional level of statistical significance (a chi square test revealed a p = .126).

Of the 33 who went on to a bachelor’s degree programs, 7 reported that they had previously received a general education diploma (GED) by taking the appropriate test, and 3 reported that they had gained a diploma through an online procedure. The others had gained admission to a bachelor’s program with no high-school diploma except, in a few cases, a self-made diploma that, we assume, had no official standing. Only 7 of the 33 reported taking the SAT or ACT tests as a route to college admission. By far the most common stepping-stone to a four-year college for these young people was community college. Twenty-one of the 33 took community college courses before applying to a four-year college and used their community college transcript as a basis for admission. Some began to take such courses at a relatively young age (age 13 in one case, age 16 in typical cases) and in that way gained a headstart on their college career. By transferring their credits, some reduced the number of semesters (and the tuition cost) required to complete a bachelor’s degree. Several also mentioned interviews and portfolios as means to gain college admission.

The colleges they attended were quite varied. They ranged from state universities (e.g. the University of South Carolina and UCLA) to an Ivy League university (Cornell) to a variety of small liberal-arts colleges (e.g. Mt. Holyoke, Bennington, and Earlham).

The participants reported remarkably little difficulty academically in college. Students who had never previously been in a classroom or read a textbook found themselves getting straight A’s and earning honors, both in community college courses and in bachelor’s programs. Apparently, the lack of an imposed curriculum had not deprived them of information or skills needed for college success. Most reported themselves to be at an academic advantage compared with their classmates, because they were not burned out by previous schooling, had learned as unschoolers to be self-directed and self-responsible, perceived it as their own choice to go to college, and were intent on making the most of what the college had to offer. A number of them reported disappointment with the college social scene. They had gone to college hoping to be immersed in an intellectually stimulating environment and, instead, found their fellow students to be more interested in frat parties and drinking. I will describe all this more fully in the next article in this series.

More:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/free...w-findings

[no]

And the last time pro-schoolers listened to Peter Gray was...?

Hidden stuff:

I don't actually know for sure whether they have. So hopefully, if I'm wrong, the urge to make me look like a total idiot will give someone a reason to link to an article of some kind that will restore some of my faith in humanity. If I'm right, at least my snark is valid.

[xcriteria]

(06-09-2014 01:09 AM)no Wrote:  And the last time pro-schoolers listened to Peter Gray was...?

Hidden stuff:

I don't actually know for sure whether they have. So hopefully, if I'm wrong, the urge to make me look like a total idiot will give someone a reason to link to an article of some kind that will restore some of my faith in humanity. If I'm right, at least my snark is valid.

I for one am not motivated by trying to make people look like idiots...

You raise a good question: since when do pro-schoolers listen to Peter Gray, or others who have been questioning school for many, many years?

However, I think things are changing and that the line between pro- and anti- school is blurring. If you want a wall-of-text based on restoring your faith in humanity, or at least transforming education (and family situations) for those who can't stand it, I can do that. Even though a lot depends on what we can help make happen.

In short, there are more allies than ever. A few people like Peter Gray aren't going to add up to credibility, but the much larger numbers of people who are starting to question things will.

Among other things, all the high-pressure standardized testing is leading quite a few families and educators to ask questions that ultimately involve questioning the foundations of factory-model education. The question is how to help more people make those connections.

And hence, Summer of Connected Learning. At least it's an attempt to move beyond the echo chambers people are often stuck in (including SS itself, the schools people work in and attend, home situations, etc.)

In short, the question of who and what people will listen to and find credible and relevant is key... so let's figure it out, eh?

[magikarp]

Like, it's good to know it's possible/probable to be unschooled and get into college, but it's pretty much a meaningless statistic without more demographic information (because college completion, especially in the US, is hugely hugely correlated with parents' income).