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:
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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.
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Herbert D. W. (1930). Experiment in Self-Directed Education. School and Society, 31, 715-718.
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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
Humans have the right to freedom of speech, of movement and association. Children are humans. Children in almost all countries on the Earth are required by law to go to school for several years. In some countries (i.e. the US, European countries, etc.) children must stay in class in specific periods of time, they must move in the ways that their teachers approve of, they must not talk with others for some periods of time, and if they don’t answer the test with the correct answers they are downgraded, which can affect their future lifes. Sometimes if they refuse to go to school for long enough they could be sent to a juvenile detention center, a psychiatric institution or given medications.
I think that compulsory schooling violates children’s human rights to freedom of speech, movement and/or association. I think that children need to have the right to not go to schools and opportunities for play and exploration that are not compulsory.
What do you think of this? Am I right, or wrong on some points? Even if you think that this isn’t a pressing issue, what ideas do you have for ameliorating this issue?