Parental Involvement in the Development of Children’s Abilities in Home Education Families in Poland

Abstract

The abilities of children and the school conditions detrimental to their development, as observed by parents, are one of the important motivations behind the decision to homeschool children. In this model of education, the parents are responsible for making it possible for the child to develop according to their capabilities. The aim of this article is to describe the engagement of parents in developing their children’s abilities in home education. Research was performed in the qualitative tradition, using the narrative interview method. The resulting research material was subjected to analysis and interpretation. The Differentiating Model of Giftedness and Talent by Françoys Gagné was used as an inspiration. The conducted research allowed to describe and interpret parents’ activity in developing children’s abilities – to categorize and describe their actions, the types of ability they identify and help develop, and to present reflections which accompany parents while realizing those tasks. It can be concluded that homeschooling parents concentrate on creating the appropriate conditions for their children to develop abilities, and on equipping them with corresponding skills and competences.