A Preliminary Investigation of the Effectiveness of Homeschool Instructional Environments for Students With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Abstract

An exploratory study that involved two male and two female elementary students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was carried out in homeschools and public schools. The general purpose of the study was to determine whether parents could provide instructional environments that facilitated the acquisition of their children's basic skills over time. Students were observed using the Mainstream Version of the Code for Instructional Structure and Student Academic Response (MS-CISSAR), an eco-behavioral direct classroom observation instrument that produces information on ecological, teacher, and student behavior processes. Pre and post standardized achievement test scores and rate-based measures were analyzed to determine gains in reading and math for all students. The results indicated that homeschool students were academically engaged about two times as often as public school students and experienced more reading and math gains. The key variable appeared to involve student to teacher ratios that existed between the two settings.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Steven F. Duvall

Steven F. Duvall received his PhD from the University of Kansas in Developmental & Child Psychology in 1990 and is currently an Assistant Professor and Director of the School Psychology Training Program at Fort Hays State University. Prior to his present position, he served as a public school psychologist for 21 years. His research interests include parental involvement/home-school partnerships, homeschooling, reading achievement, and service delivery models.

Joseph C. Delquadri

Joseph C. Delquadri received his PhD from the University of Kansas in Developmental & Child Psychology in 1978. After working as a school psychologist in the northwest, he served as a Research Associate and Director of Reading Research at Juniper Gardens Children's Project and the Life Span Institute at the University of Kansas. His research interests included development and verification of effective reading instructional models and systems for assessing active academic engagement in school settings. Dr. Delquadri is recently retired and living in Boise, ID.

D. Lawrence Ward

D. Lawrence Ward received his PhD from the University of Kansas in Special Education in 2000. During the last 27 years, he has taught children with mild mental retardation and served as a school psychologist in public schools and in a residential treatment facility for children with developmental disabilities. His research interests involve homeschooling and students with emotional disorders.