DIVERSITY OF EDUCATING METHODS FOR YOUNGER SCHOOL AGE PUPIL IN A HOME ENVIRONMENT

The individual form of education, known to the public as homeschooling, is legislatively supported in the Slovak education system by the School Act No. 245/2008 Coll. A student who has been granted permission for individual education takes commission exams at the mainstream school once every six months (School Act, §24, para. 7). The process of education, selection of educational methods and activities leading to the mastery of these exams, lies in the hands of the parent or an external educator. This paper aims to present the results of a conducted pedagogical research study with a mixed design, which collected data in the field with 24 respondents from a community school, 6 families, and 116 respondents in an online space. Through a qualitative-quantitative research study focused on the issue of diversity in the methods used for educating younger children in a home environment, we found that individualized forms of education, which respect the unevenness in a child's development, their interests, the need for safety, security, and a stronger family bond, are preferred by families with multiple children, highly educated parents, as well as families living in rural areas. The home environment provides suitable conditions for the implementation of innovative educational methods.