Abstract
For families that choose to transition from traditional school to homeschool there is no compass providing directions to a successful transition. There is a dearth of research investigating the process of transitioning. The current study uses a mixed-methods cross-sectional survey to determine what factors contribute to individuals’ decisions to transition to homeschool and what opportunities and barriers exist to providing effective instruction. The responses came from 746 global participants. Closed-ended responses were analyzed by descriptive statistical frequency analysis and open-ended responses were analyzed with constructivist grounded theory. The results showed that families that transition from traditional school to homeschool have different reasons for homeschooling than those that have never attended traditional school. Additionally, it was found that families would benefit from increased access to financial resources, enrichment activities, and instructional support. To improve the educational experience of homeschooled students, traditional schools should adopt a collaborative working relationship with the homeschool community. Additionally, defining a specific roadmap for transition success is not possible due to the variance in needs, but families transitioning would benefit from following a general pathway.