Dare to home school: Faith and cultural experiences of Chinese Christian mothers

Since the 1990s, homeschooling has become a new option among some of the Chinese immigrant parents. Research indicates that commitment and conviction often grounded in cultural values and schooling experiences are the focal characteristics for success in Chinese education. The purpose of this study is to explore and investigate to what degree Christian faith conflicts with the academic cultural experience of Chinese homeschooling mothers; and to what degree the commitment and conviction contribute to these mothers' personal growth and development. The four hypotheses are: (1) Chinese Christian mothers choose to homeschool mainly based on their Christian faith which counters the academic Chinese cultural experiences they have. (2) A strong support system, such as home, church, and community, plays a critical role to sustain their homeschooling. (3) Homeschooling makes a positive impact on the Chinese homeschoolers' family relationships. (4) The convictions and commitments to homeschool their children contribute to these Chinese mothers' personal growth and development.;The four research questions guiding the study are (1) What are the major reasons that Chinese Christian mothers choose to homeschool? (2) What does an ideal support system for Chinese Christian mothers look like? (3) What is the co-relationship between homeschooling and the family relationships of Chinese homeschoolers? (4) To what degree does faith-learning integration relate to their homeschooling?;This case study employed multiple methods for gathering in-depth descriptive data including a pilot study, participant observation, descriptive surveys, semi-structured interviews, projective techniques, and field notes. Through snowball sampling, the author identifies an estimated total of 200 Chinese mothers who homeschooled in the Unites States. This study focuses on 100 participants of homeschoolers.;While the study's findings support concerns raised in other research, the overall outcome drawn from this study is that positive experiences, especially with regard to faith, establishing a supportive network, and engaging in cultural activities, enable Chinese mothers to surmount difficulties and thrive in the American society. As data findings answer all four of the research questions and confirm all four of the research hypotheses, this study concludes with recommendations and implications for future studies, as well as practical applications.