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Key research themes
1. How does unschooling as a learner-centered, self-determined educational approach challenge traditional schooling paradigms and promote learner autonomy?
This research theme investigates unschooling as an educational philosophy emphasizing self-directed learning, freedom from coercion, and learner autonomy. It explores how unschooling opposes compulsory, standardized schooling by promoting environments where learners control their learning trajectories, fostering intrinsic motivation and holistic development.
Key finding: This paper foregrounds unschooling as a hyper-decentering educational model that shifts voice, agency, and power from teachers and institutions to learners themselves. It articulates how self-directed learning, freedom from... Read more
Key finding: Rolstad and Kesson provide an empirical comparison of unschooling across two eras, revealing that despite technological advancements facilitating access and social networking, the core unschooling principle of trusting... Read more
Key finding: This article revisits Ivan Illich's concept of deschooling and unschooling in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, advocating self-regulated, intrinsic motivation-based learning networks outside traditional schooling. It... Read more
Key finding: This work critiques compulsory schooling as detrimental to student well-being and deep learning, arguing that systemic schooling structures undermine intrinsic motivation and self-directed learning. It proposes 'de-schooling'... Read more
2. What are the intersections and distinctions between unschooling and Indigenous education as forms of anti-colonial, experiential learning?
This theme explores how unschooling and Indigenous education subtly converge in their emphasis on decolonizing pedagogy, centering relational, experiential, and community-engaged learning outside Western standardized schooling frameworks. It examines how both reject hegemonic education's colonial legacies and foster autonomy, cultural continuity, and emancipatory praxis through localized epistemologies and critical resistance.
Key finding: The authors analyze the resonances between Indigenous education and critical unschooling, highlighting their shared emphasis on experiential learning, community engagement, and anti-colonial pedagogy. Through historical and... Read more
Intensifying Multicultural Education Through Critical Pedagogy, Antiracism, and the Need to Unschool
Key finding: This article situates unschooling within critical multicultural education informed by critical pedagogy and antiracism, arguing that traditional schooling perpetuates dominant power structures and inequality. It advocates... Read more
Key finding: Echoing similarly critical perspectives, this article advances critical multicultural education by integrating unschooling as both theory and practice. It articulates how unschooling disrupts schooling's reproduction of... Read more
3. How do alternative and nonformal education initiatives address challenges of school dropout, deschooling, and educational equity?
This research theme investigates strategies outside formal schooling—alternative education, community learning centers, and nonformal education—and their effectiveness in reducing dropout rates and fostering inclusive learning environments. It examines policy frameworks, socioeconomic factors influencing dropout, and how deschooling perspectives inform alternative pedagogies to enhance educational equity.
Key finding: This study evaluates the effectiveness of alternative education programs at the Community Learning Center of Rumah Pelangi Sangkrah, Indonesia, finding that tailored, flexible curricula responsive to students' socioeconomic... Read more
Key finding: The paper critically synthesizes decades of research on early school leaving, emphasizing the multiplicity and interplay of causal factors beyond individual characteristics—structural inequalities, family, school contexts,... Read more
Key finding: Utilizing Bronfenbrenner's ecological framework, this qualitative study reveals that early school dropout correlates with unstable family environments, bullying, and lack of structure, resulting in feelings of frustration and... Read more
Key finding: This article critically examines the impact of decentralization policies on nonformal education initiatives in West and East Africa, revealing mixed local interpretations and challenges despite international support. It... Read more