Parental Roles in K–12 Online Education

• In Event: Creating Inclusive Learning Environments That Empower Families to Learn Together

Abstract

This study delineates parental support roles in K-12 online learners’ affective, behavioral, and cognitive (ABC) engagement. Parents assumed primary responsibility for behavioral engagement support but wanted teachers to take primary responsibility for cognitive support. Parents believed they had shared but differing affective engagement responsibilities with teachers, namely that teachers should make content more interesting while parents provided for students’ emotional needs. Parental roles beyond the ABC dimensions include choosing to move to an online school, increasing personal availability, leveraging resources, teaching themselves, and encouraging students to develop independent engagement skills. Given the inequity of parental support across online learners, online schools should support parents in their roles, assuming a dual-support role for both students and parents.

Authors

• Bobbie Sandberg, Brigham Young University

• Rocio Vaneza Quiroga Velasquez, George Mason University

• Richard E. West, Brigham Young University