I tried to find on Google Scholar at least one experimental study that compared schooling with unschooling (sometimes defined as “learning without a curriculum”), in many cultural contexts, and that came to the conclusion that schooling was better on some dimensions. I thought that there would be dozens, if not hundreds, of such studies. But I didn’t find that. I know that absence of evidence isn’t evidence of absence. But when I searched further I found that there were studies (although not always experiments) that compared those two and found that unschooling had some benefits. Unfortunately, the experiments weren’t exactly rigorous, but at least there are some.
I wish there were more studies that compared schooling with unschooling, so that we’d be sure that we’re on right track as societies when it comes to education. If I’m right and those experiments are few, then it could possibly mean that we’re doing education in a way that handicaps students.
Who knows, maybe if unschooling was more popular, then more students would know their perfect jobs, would be less inclined to support authoritarianism, would be more resilient, less depressed and anxious, would be better at their jobs, and so on? Or would they be less conscienscious, less willing to discipline themselves, less atuned to their cultural roots, and so on?
It’s sad that these experiments seem to be few and far between. Or maybe I’m just bad at searching for them online? What do you think of this?
Some studies:
Benezet, L. P. (1935/1936). The teaching of Arithmetic: The Story of an Experiment. Originally published in Journal of the National Education Association in three parts. Vol. 24, #8, pp 241-244; Vol. 24, #9, p 301-303; & Vol. 25, #1, pp 7-8.
Herbert D. W. (1930). Experiment in Self-Directed Education. School and Society, 31, 715-718.
Gray, P., Riley, G. (2013) The Challenges and Benefits of Unschooling, According to 232 Families Who Have Chosen that Route. Journal of Unschooling and Alternative Learning Vol. 7 Issue 14. ISSN:1916-8128
Unfortunately I don’t know anything at all about this literature, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there weren’t many studies. There are certaintly non-altruistic reasons for existing governments to favor schooling as we have it—teaching rule-following, instilling patriotism, ability to mold young minds in a particular kind of way.
My guess would be that there are huge improvements to be had in the ways that most countries do education, and that more experiments would be helpful. More radical education attempts seem valuable.
I tried to find on Google Scholar at least one experimental study that compared schooling with unschooling (sometimes defined as “learning without a curriculum”), in many cultural contexts, and that came to the conclusion that schooling was better on some dimensions. I thought that there would be dozens, if not hundreds, of such studies. But I didn’t find that. I know that absence of evidence isn’t evidence of absence. But when I searched further I found that there were studies (although not always experiments) that compared those two and found that unschooling had some benefits. Unfortunately, the experiments weren’t exactly rigorous, but at least there are some.
I wish there were more studies that compared schooling with unschooling, so that we’d be sure that we’re on right track as societies when it comes to education. If I’m right and those experiments are few, then it could possibly mean that we’re doing education in a way that handicaps students.
Who knows, maybe if unschooling was more popular, then more students would know their perfect jobs, would be less inclined to support authoritarianism, would be more resilient, less depressed and anxious, would be better at their jobs, and so on? Or would they be less conscienscious, less willing to discipline themselves, less atuned to their cultural roots, and so on?
It’s sad that these experiments seem to be few and far between. Or maybe I’m just bad at searching for them online? What do you think of this?
Some studies:
Benezet, L. P. (1935/1936). The teaching of Arithmetic: The Story of an Experiment. Originally published in Journal of the National Education Association in three parts. Vol. 24, #8, pp 241-244; Vol. 24, #9, p 301-303; & Vol. 25, #1, pp 7-8.
Herbert D. W. (1930). Experiment in Self-Directed Education. School and Society, 31, 715-718.
Gray, P., Riley, G. (2013) The Challenges and Benefits of Unschooling, According to 232 Families Who Have Chosen that Route. Journal of Unschooling and Alternative Learning Vol. 7 Issue 14. ISSN:1916-8128
Unfortunately I don’t know anything at all about this literature, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there weren’t many studies. There are certaintly non-altruistic reasons for existing governments to favor schooling as we have it—teaching rule-following, instilling patriotism, ability to mold young minds in a particular kind of way.
My guess would be that there are huge improvements to be had in the ways that most countries do education, and that more experiments would be helpful. More radical education attempts seem valuable.