Parental support challenges for K-12 student online engagement

Citation

Guo, Q., Graham, C. R., Borup, J., Sandberg, B., & West, R. E. (2024). Parental support challenges for K-12 student online engagement. Distance Education, 1–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/01587919.2024.2397481

Abstract

This research seeks to understand parental support for online students. Using a survey, this study examined perceptions from 567 parents from eight online K-12 programs in a Midwestern state regarding their support for students’ online affective, behavioral, and cognitive engagement. Guided by the Academic Communities of Engagement Framework, our analysis identified eight main challenges parents faced when supporting their online student: (a) focus; (b) keeping on pace; (c) lack of motivation; (d) lack of organization, learning materials, live sessions, and support from online schools; (e) lack of feedback, support, and communication from teachers; (f) parents in need of additional skills in supporting students’ online engagement; (g) schedule issues at home and (h) parents’ unawareness of students’ online learning. Practical recommendations to help parents are shared at the end of the study.

Authors

• Borup, Jered
• Graham, Charles R
• Guo, Qi
• Sandberg, Bobbie
• West, Richard E

Reference Type

Journal

Keywords

• K-12 online learning
• Parents
• Student engagement