This paper provides an overview of the homeschooling movement in Finland
focusing on the methods used to monitor the progress of compulsory
education of home-educated children. Although the child’s home
municipality is obliged to monitor the progress of compulsory education,
there are currently no national uniform instructions on how monitoring
should take place. Therefore, home-educated children are treated
differently depending on where they live. In this article, the authors
argue that the current monitoring methods not only decrease the child’s
motivation to learn but are also inexpedient, illegal and, in many
cases, impossible to carry out. The study is based primarily on the
qualitative approach, but it combines both qualitative and quantitative
methods including surveys, interviews, observation and documents. It is
the first empirical research conducted on the monitoring methods of
home-educated children in Finland.