Week 13- final action research paper

Parent Communication and Smart Phone Application

Erika Apathy

EDET 636

University of Alaska Southeast

Introduction

Last semester during my student teaching I was in one classroom where the teacher tried to implement a parent communication app to increase parent involvement. I noticed that this teacher was not successful getting parents signed up for the smart phone app. There is another teacher in the same school that has very successfully implemented the Remind app in her class. When I began looking into topics for this paper I wanted to look more into how these applications are helpful when they are implemented correctly.

I am also interested in how to increase parent involvement and to find a more reliable communication method between parents and teachers. With the increased use of technology in the classroom there are many different options, so some may work better than others.

Research Question

Does technology including smart phone applications like Remind increase the success of parent to teacher communication and what affect does technology have on parent involvement in their child’s education?

Review of Literature

Selection Criteria

The seven articles selected for this review of the literature: (a) examined the way technology affects parent involvement in schools; and/or (b) explored the affect technology has on parent-teacher communication. These articles were published in professional journals related to the field of education and published between 1993 and 2013.

Search Procedures

I search two data bases that related to the field of education to locate articles related to my research topic. This database was Google Scholar and the US department of Education website. I used the search term combination to conduct advanced searches of each database: (“technology and parent involvement”); (“communication and technology”).

Emergent themes

A number of themes emerged from this body of literature. In a world saturated with technology is is not shocking that many researchers have found that it plays a key role in parent involvement in their child’s education and communication between the teacher and parent. It has been shown that “parents who monitor their student’s school work and daily activities, communicate frequently with teachers, and help develop their children’s plans for education or work after high school have children who are move likely to graduate from high school and to presume post-secondary education (Olmstead, 2013). This article discussed how technology can be used to effectively increase parent involvement in schools.

Throughout this document it is discussed that technology can be an effective tool to increase parent involvement because it allows for parents to be more involved in their child’s school and stay in the know of what is happening in their child’s classroom. When families are more aware of activities or projects they will be more likely to be involved by preparing their student by helping study for a test, bring any needed materials, and follow the students progress through the unit.

As discussed earlier it has been shown that when parents involved in their child’s education they perform better in school. It has been proven that it can have a positive affect on student’s performance in elementary and secondary level education.

According to Child Trends (2013), “students with parents who are involved in their school tends to have fewer behavioral problems and better academic performance” (pg 2). This may be a result of students who have involved parents may be quicker to notice their child falling behind and reach out to the schools about additional support. They may also be more responsive and follow through at home to correct any behavioral problems that the student may be exhibiting at home.

It is also important for schools to reach out to parents to try to get them involved. Schools must have opportunities for families to be involved including parent teacher meetings, school activities, and teachers who are fully trained in different ways to communicate with families. In an article written by Jacquelynne Eccles and Rena Harold “both teachers and parents think that family involvement in the schools is important and can have positive effects” (pg 2).

While this is true there may be barriers that prevent parent involvement. These can include lack of time, energy and/or economic resources, lack of knowledge, feelings of incompetence, failure to understand the role parents play, or a long history of negative interactions with schools. Teachers can also be a barrier if they are not properly trained, practice poor reporting and/ or are hostile towards parents. 

In the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act, the United States Government provided and outlined four principles to serve as a framework through which families, educators, and communities can work together to improve teaching and learning (pg 7). These principles stressed accountability between schools and educational services for low-performing students, developing local parent involvement plans, and build parents’ ability to use effective practices to improve their own child’s education (No Child Left Behind Act 2001).

As a classroom teacher it is key to be in communication with the families of the students in your classroom. As teachers work to expand their knowledge of effective modes of communication parents must also be willing to try new pieces of technology in order to maintain a line of communication with their student’s teacher. As discussed in Empowering Parents Through Technology to Improve the Odds for Children (2010) “computers and broadband can effectively enhance communication between the home and school, engage families in learning with their child, inform parents about student academic progress and attendance, promote beneficial educational practices, enable teachers to better engage parents in school activities, and connect families to resources that can improve their life prospects” (pg 1).

An article written by Ellen Lunts (2003), there are many effective ways teachers can communicate with families including hot lines and helplines, automated calling systems, voice mail and voice messaging systems, email, and cable channels and teleconferencing. All these modes of communication are available for teachers use but they must be trained to effective use of each one. Some may be more useful depending on many factors including age of student, and location of the school.

“Smart phones can increase access to communication via social media and expand the modes of parent-teacher communication” according to Mazer (2015). With the high percentage of individuals owning smart phones this presents itself as a very useful mode of effective communication between parent and teacher. This article concluded that parents will be more responsive to communication when the mode chosen is to their own specific preference (pg 3). This means that a parent who prefers to talk on the phone with their student’s teacher will be more effective than if they used social media. This plays an important part in understanding why parents are more responsive to different modes of communication and how teachers can get parents more interested in a certain type.

While many of these modes of communication may be beneficial on their own, smart phone applications like Remind or Bloomz combine these into one streamlined application that can easily be viewed on a smart phone. These applications have features like mass texting, linking parents to material students are covering in class, and parent involvement sign up sheets. According to Remind.com this application is a free text messaging app that helps teachers, students, and parents communicate quickly and effectively with over 2.5 million registered teachers (Remind.com).

Data Collection Method

I will only be looking at quantitative data when approaching the results of my findings. This is because I am not in my own classroom to conduct a test to get actual statistical results. I have a first hand account of a first grade teachers use of the smart phone application Remind. I have also sent out a survey to determine how involved parents of children in a first grade classroom are and how if at all their demographics affects the results.

Qualitative data

Survey

In order to collect more specific data I created the below survey and it was sent to parents through the Remind application. I asked families to complete the anonymous survey online. The survey consisted of 26 questions regarding family involvement and communication

1.     How involved are you with your own child’s elementary education?

a.     Very involved

b.     Somewhat involved

c.     Not involved

2.     Select how important each type of family involvement in schools is to you? (very important, important, somewhat important, not very important, and not important at all)

a.     Communicating with my child’s teacher

b.     Reading with my child or encouraging my child to read

c.     Checking my child’s back pack

d.     Following my child’s progress

e.     Staying informed about school events

3.     Select how valuable each type of family involvement is to you (very important, important, somewhat important, not very important, and not important at all)

a.     Volunteering at the school

b.     Chaperoning field trips

c.     Donating items to the classroom

d.     Attending open house

e.     Attending PTA meetings

f.      Attending family Nights

4.     Select how much you agree or disagree that each barrier is why families do not want to get involved in their child’s education. (strongly agree, agree, agree just a little, disagree, strongly disagree)

a.     I don’t speak or understand English

b.     I don’t have time due to work or families needs

c.     I think it’s the schools job to education my child

d.     I am not comfortable talking to my child’s teacher

e.     I do not feel welcomed at the school

f.      I do not know how to get involved

5.     How do you feel your child has done in elementary school?

a.     Very good

b.     Good

c.     Average

d.     Poor

6.     Do you have access to a computer at home that allows access to the internet?

a.     Yes

b.     No

7.     Do you have access to a smart phone or table that allows access to the internet?

a.     Yes

b.     No

8.     What is your preferred method of communicating with the teacher?

a.     Phone

b.     Email

c.     In person

d.     Letter sent home with child

e.     Remind (smart phone application)

9.     Do you own a cell phone?

a.     Yes

b.     No

10.  Has your child’s teacher provided you with their personal cell phone number?

a.     Yes

b.     No

11.  Have you used the text message feature of Remind to communicate with your child’s teacher?

a.     Yes

b.     No

If you have not is this a form of communication you would like to use?

a﷒  Yes

b﷒  No

12.  Have you used email to communicate with your child’s teacher?

a.     Yes

b.     No

13.  If you have used email to communicate with your child’s teacher what was the reason for the email communication?

a.     Academics

b.     Behavior

c.     Volunteering

d.     Other

14.  Do you use Twitter?

a.     Yes

b.     No

If the school had a Twitter would you follow it?

a.     Yes

b.     No

15.  If the School/class had a facebook would you follow it?

a.     Yes

b.     No

16.  Has your child’s teacher sent home any information about the Remind App?

a.     Yes

b.     No

17.  Are you signed up for Remind?

a.     Yes

b.     No

If you are not signed up for Remind why?

                   a. I don’t own a smart phone

                   b. Confused with how to sign up

                   c. I am not interested in communicating with my child’s teacher

18.  Are you aware Remind is a free smart phone application?

a.     Yes

b.     No

19.  What is your age?

a.     Under 35

b.     35-50

c.     50+

20.  What is your gender?

a.     Male

b.     Female

21.  What is your marital status?

a.     Single

b.     Married

22.  What is the highest education level you received?

a.     Not a high school graduate

b.     High school graduate

c.     College graduate

d.     Master’s degree

e.     Doctorate degree

23.  What is the primary language spoken at home?

a.     English

b.     Spanish

c.     Tagolog

d.     Other

24.  What is your employment status?

a.     Employed full time

b.     Employed part time

c.     Manage home

d.     Retried

e.     Unemployed

f.      Other

25.  What is your household income level?

a.     $0-$50,000

b.     $50,001-$100,000

c.     $100,001- $150,000

d.     $150,001-$200,000

e.     $200,000+

26.  How many children are living in the home?

a.     1

b.     2

c.     3

d.     4+

Data Analysis

The data used for this came from 36 responses to a survey created using Google Forms. Respondents were from Sitka and all over the United States. The survey was opened for approximately 2 weeks. A first grade teacher at Baranof Elementary School in Sitka sent parents the link to the survey through Remind, which had poor results. Only two responses were submitted after the link was shared. With poor responses the survey was sent to other families of elementary age children via Facebook.

Results

1.     How involved are you with your own child’s elementary education?

a.     Very involved- 66.7%

b.     Somewhat involved- 30.6%

c.     Not involved- 2.7%

The results of this question showed that more than half of the individuals surveyed responded they are very involved and 30.6% said they are somewhat involved. This was interesting because it leads me to wondering what the reason some families are more involved than others.

2.     Select how important each type of family involvement in schools is to you? (very important, important, somewhat important, not very important, and not important at all)

a.     Communicating with my child’s teacher- very important- 31, important-4 somewhat important-1

b.     Asking my child about his/her day- very important- 33, important-2, somewhat important-1

c.     Reading with my child or encouraging my child to read- very important- 33, important-2, somewhat important-1

d.     Checking my child’s back pack- very important-24, important- 8, somewhat important-1, not very important-3

e.     Following my child’s progress- very important- 30, important-4, somewhat important-2

f.      Staying informed about school events- very important-  19, important-12, somewhat important-2, not very important-3,

This question drew the conclusion that what those surveyed believe that asking their child about his/her day and reading with their child are the most important types of family involvement. Communicating with the child’s teacher was next, followed by following their students progress, staying informed about school events, and lastly checking their child’s backpack.

3.     Select how valuable each type of family involvement is to you (very important, important, somewhat important, not very important, and not important at all)

a.     Volunteering at the school- very important- 10, important-12, somewhat importan-10t, not very important-4, and not important at all-1

b.     Chaperoning field trips- very important-1, important-13, somewhat important-9, not very important-2, and not important at all-0

c.     Donating items to the classroom- very important-13, important-11, somewhat important- 9, not very important-3, and not important at all- 0

d.     Attending open house- very important- 22, important-11, somewhat important-1, not very important-2, and not important at all- 0

e.     Attending PTA meetings- very important-7, important-10, somewhat important-11, not very important- 4, and not important at all-4

f.      Attending family Nights- very important-15, important- 10, somewhat important- 6, not very important-4, and not important at all-1

This question focused on how each respondent valued family involvement. The highest reported type of family involvement was attending open house. This result makes sense because it is an opportunity for families meet their child’s teacher and be a part of the transition into a new classroom. Chaperoning field trips scored the lowest which showed that those surveyed don’t believe it is a very important type of family involvement.

4.     Select how much you agree or disagree that each barrier is why families do not want to get involved in their child’s education. (strongly agree, agree, agree just a little, disagree, strongly disagree)

a.     I don’t speak or understand English- strongly agree- 0, agree-6, agree just a little-5, disagree- 10, strongly disagree-16

b.     I don’t have time due to work or families needs- strongly agree-8, agree-8, agree just a little-6, disagree-11, strongly disagree-4

c.     I think it’s the schools job to education my child- strongly agree-2, agree-5, agree just a little-11, disagree-9, strongly disagree-9

d.     I am not comfortable talking to my child’s teacher- strongly agree-1, agree-2, agree just a little-5, disagree-14, strongly disagree-14

e.     I do not feel welcomed at the school- strongly agree- 2, agree-1, agree just a little-16, disagree-15, strongly disagree-12

f.      I do not know how to get involved- strongly agree-0, agree-5, agree just a little-7, disagree-13, strongly disagree-11

Question 4 focused on whether the respondents agree or disagreed with existing barriers to family involvement. From this question it appears that het biggest barrier for those surveyed is the lack of time due to work or family needs. I was happy to see that not feeling welcomed at their students school was a very disagreed with responses to why families may not be involved in their child’s education.

5.     How do you feel your child has done in elementary school?

a.     Very good- 58.3%

b.     Good- 16.7%

c.     Average- 19.4%

d.     Below average- 2.8%

e.     Poor- 2.8%

6.     Do you have access to a computer at home that allows access to the internet?

a.     Yes- 91.7%

b.     No- 8.3%

A much higher percentage of respondents have access to a computer with internet at home. I was shocked to see almost 10% do not.

7.     Do you have access to a smart phone or table that allows access to the internet?

a.     Yes- 97.2%

b.     No-2.8%

I was shocked to see even this small percentage of respondents did not have access to a smart phone or table that allows access to the internet. In this day and age of technology saturation this was a shocking result.

8.     What is your preferred method of communicating with the teacher?

a.     Phone- 16.7%

b.     Email- 30.6%

c.     In person- 22.2%

d.     Letter sent home with child- 2.8%

e.     Remind (smart phone application)- 27.8%

According to this question most families prefer to use email to communicate with their child’s teacher.

9.     Do you own a cell phone?

a.     Yes- 94.4%

b.     No- 5.6%

10.  Has your child’s teacher provided you with her personal cell phone number?

a.     Yes- 58.3%

b.     No- 41.7%

11.  Have you used the text message feature of Remind to communicate with your child’s teacher?

a.     Yes- 52.8%

b.     No- 47.2%

This question was interesting because it showed how about half the respondents use Remind and use the text message feature of the application.

If you have not is this a form of communication you would like to use?

c﷒  Yes- 77.4%

d﷒  No- 22.6%

12.  Have you used email to communicate with your child’s teacher?

a.     Yes- 72.2%

b.     No- 27.8%

This question demonstrates how the majority of families surveyed prefer to communicate with their child’s teacher via email.

13.  If you have used email to communicate with your child’s teacher what was the reason for the email communication?

a.     Academics- 44.4%

b.     Behavior- 33.3%

c.     Volunteering- 27.8%

d.     School events- 30.6%

e.     Other- 52.8%

The majority of respondents email their child’s teacher regarding academics.

14.  Do you use Twitter?

a.     Yes- 22.2%

b.     No- 77.8%

If the school had a Twitter would you follow it?

c.     Yes- 33.3%

d.     No- 66.7%

15.  If the School/class had a Facebook would you follow it?

a.     Yes- 99.4%

b.     No- 5.6%

If the School had a Facebook page would you follow it?

a.     Yes- 91.7%

b.     No- 8.3%

With the results of this question it seems like Facebook would be an effective method of communication.

16.  Has your child’s teacher sent home any information about the Remind App?

a.     Yes- 52.8%

b.     No- 47.2%

17.  Are you signed up for Remind?

a.     Yes- 50%

b.     No-50%

If you are not signed up for Remind why?

                   a. I don’t own a smart phone- 4.5%

                   b. Confused with how to sign up- 90.9%

                   c. I am not interested in communicating with my child’s teacher- 4.5%

It was interesting to see that exactly half the surveyed says they are signed up for Remind. For those who are not signed up the most common reason was because they are confused about how to sign up.

18.  Are you aware Remind is a free smart phone application?

a.     Yes- 36.1%

b.     No- 63.9%

Most were not away Remind was a free application. This may be a deciding factor if they would like to use to as a method of communication because families are more likely to sign up for something that is free.

19.  What is your age?

a.     Under 35- 58.3%

b.     35-50- 38.9%

c.     50+- 2.8%

20.  What is your gender?

a.     Male – 8.3%

b.     Female- 91.7%

21.  What is your marital status?

a.     Single- 28.6%

b.     Married- 71.4%

This question is interesting to me because as a single mother I was interested to see if marital status has an effect on family involvement.

22.  What is the highest education level you received?

a.     Not a high school graduate- 0

b.     High school graduate- 25%

c.     College graduate- 55.6%

d.     Master’s degree- 16.7%

e.     Doctorate degree- 2.8%

23.  What is the primary language spoken at home?

a.     English- 100%

b.     Spanish- 0%

c.     Tagolog- 0%

d.     Other- 0%

24.  What is your employment status?

a.     Employed full time- 38.9%

b.     Employed part time- 19.4%

c.     Manage home- 25%

d.     Retried- 0

e.     Unemployed- 8.3%

f.      Other- 0.3%

25.  What is your household income level?

a.     $0-$50,000- 41.7%

b.     $50,001-$100,000- 41.7%

c.     $100,001- $150,000- 13.9%

d.     $150,001-$200,000- 0%

e.     $200,000+- 2.8%

26.  How many children are living in the home?

a.     1- 19.4%

b.     2- 41.7%

c.     3- 27.8%

d.     4+ 11.1%

Conclusion

The goal of this research was to learn more about incorporating technology like smart phone applications to increase parent teacher communication and what affect it has on parent involvement.

With the abundance of technology available it is important to find a mode that works best for each individual class. With the vast amount of different options teachers may need to explore different options before finding the one that works best for that particular class. It appears that families place great value on the effectiveness of communication between their child’s teacher. Each teacher needs to strive to create and maintain an open line of communication with each of their student’s families.

After concluding this research, it appears that a large majority of families wish they would be involved more in their child’s education. While the problem of not having enough time to come into the classroom they are many other ways families can be involved in their child’s education. Studies have shown children succeed more in school when their families who are involved and invested in their education.

As a future classroom teacher I am excited to implement Remind to allow for my student’s families to communicate with me and stay involved in their child’s education.

Works Cited

Child Trends. (2013). Parent Involvement in Schools. Retrieved from www.childtrendsdatabank.org?q=node/186

Christopher, B., Mazer, J. P., & Flood-Grady, E. (2015). The Changing Nature of Parent-Teacher Communication: Mode Selection in the Smartphone Era. Communication Education, 64(2), 187-207. Retrieved November 22, 2017.

Empowering Parents Through Technology to Improve the Odds for Children (2010). The Children’s Partnership, 7, 1-12. Retrieved November 22, 2017.

Lunts, E. (2003). Parental Involvement in Children’s Education: Connecting Families and Schools by Using Telecommunication Technologies. Meridian, 6(1), 1-32. Retrieved November 22, 2017.

Olmstead, C. (2013). Using Technology to Increase Parent Involvement in Schools. Tech Trends, 57(6), 28-37. Retrieved November 22, 2017.

Parental Involvement (NCLB act)

Remind. (n.d.). Retrieved November 22, 2017, from https://www.remind.com/how-it-works/teachers