"We had time for ourselves" – Israeli Homeschooling Graduates Talk about Their Learning and Activities in Homeschooling

This study focuses on the homeschooling experiences of Israeli homeschool graduates. The phenomenon of homeschooling has been evolving in recent years as more and more parents choose to educate their children at home. In the world, and also in Israel, many studies have been conducted on homeschooling, but in Israel no research has been conducted on homeschooling graduates. Homeschooling is a relatively new phenomenon in Israel and only in recent years has a significant group of graduates been formed. This qualitative, phenomenological study focused on Israeli homeschooling graduates who had reached the age of eighteen and studied most of their elementary and high school years at home. Using semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 15 homeschooling graduates, the study sought to understand how homeschooling graduates spent their time in childhood and adolescence, the educational approach used in their homes, and their perceptions of their learning experiences. The findings uniquely detail homeschooling from the perspective of homeschooling graduates and interpret them in light of intrinsic motivation theories. The parents’ and homeschool graduates’ educational approaches and attitudes fostered children’s intrinsic motivation to learn.