Unschooled kids more likely to go into the arts, tech, science


Maria writes, "Could 'unschooling' be the best route to an entrepreneurial STEAM career? Two new studies of grown unschoolers show that a disproportionately high percentage have gone into science, technology and creative arts careers. They are also much more likely to be self-employed."

"Which came first: did the disposition toward self-direction and creative STEAM careers lead to unschooling, or did the unschooling help those talents develop? Research Professor Peter Gray speculates that it's a bit of both."

All but three of the 75 respondents felt the advantages of unschooling clearly outweighed the disadvantages. Almost all said they benefited from having had the time and freedom to discover and pursue their personal interests, giving them a head start on figuring out their career preferences and developing expertise in relevant areas. Seventy percent also said "the experience enabled them to develop as highly self-motivated, self-directed individuals," Gray notes on his blog. Other commonly cited benefits included having a broader range of learning opportunities; a richer, age-mixed social life; and a relatively seamless transition to adult life. "In many ways I started as an adult, responsible for my own thinking and doing," said one woman who responded to Gray's survey.

"Very few had any serious complaints against unschooling," Gray says, and more than a third of the respondents said they could think of no disadvantages at all. For the remainder, the most significant disadvantages were: dealing with others' judgments; some degree of social isolation; and the challenges they experienced adjusting to the social styles and values of their schooled peers.

How do Unschoolers Turn Out? [Luba Vangelova/Mindshift]

(Image: Jane Mount/MindShift)

(Thanks, Maria!)