ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the dilemmas related to researching the choice to unschool in Australia. It presents the approach taken by one researcher to explore the reasons families choose unschooling. The chapter examines the ways that one researcher has attempted to overcome the problems associated with researching communities on the margins of education while employing techniques and tools that are not traditionally used in education research. It argues that the using of blogs, Facebook, Meetup and Yahoo Groups, unschool families were not only able to be accessed but were found to be keen to talk to a researcher. Black notes that the reality of being what she calls 'socially close' to the participants prove significant for the data that is collected. The chapter suggests that the parents see the choice as on the continuum of private schooling, a major part of Australia's educational landscape. The methods used to reach these participants troubled the researcher/researched dialectic that is valued in educational research.
