Table 4.
Literature Review: Alignment Between Digital Inclusion and Effective Parent Involvement
| Components of Digital Inclusion | Parents Reading at Home | Parental Encouragement and Support for Leaning | Parents Holding High Academic Expectations/Aspirations | Communication Between Parents and Children Regarding School) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Affordable, robust broadband internet service | The internet provides a gateway for parents to read millions of free books and other content to their child, who cannot afford or access physical books | Internet is a prerequisite for remote learning and online homework. Parents without home internet will not have the same opportunities to support their children in this learning | Internet is a prerequisite to access Learning Management Systems (LMSs) such as Canvas, Blackboard, or Google Classroom | Internet is a prerequisite for parents to access LMSs and receive emails from teachers and the school. Updates on student progress prompt communication regarding school between parents and children |
| Internet-enabled devices that meet the needs of the user | Parents access these books through a range of devices including smartphones, tablets, computers, and E-Readers | Parents with desktops or laptop access can adequately navigate and utilize all LMS functions, where some LMSs are not adequately formatted for mobile phones | Parents with basic phones can only receive calls or texts from the school. Parents with smartphones or other computer devices can receive additional communication via LMS, email, text, social media, or other tools | |
| Access to digital literacy training | Parents with adequate digital literacy training have a greater capacity to find and evaluate online books and content to read with children | Parents with internet and computer access are likely to have more leisure time to explore, practice, and gain digital literacy skills necessary to support their children’s learning. (Hollingworth et al., 2011) | Parents with tailored digital literacy training can navigate LMSs, including the many features and updates | Parents with adequate digital literacy training have a greater capacity to communicate with their child and teachers using these communication tools |
| Applications and online content designed to enable and encourage self-sufficiency, participation, and collaboration | Many apps and online content available are designed to help parents read, practice, and learn with their children | LMSs are tools where parents can monitor and evaluate their child’s progress to hold them to high academic expectations | Phone calling systems, SMS software, and other tools provide translated messages to improve school and teacher communication with parents | |
| Quality technical support | Parents with the capacity to provide technical support can troubleshoot challenges related to their child’s homework or remote learning | |||
| Affordable, robust broadband internet service | “Internet connectivity matters…” | |||
| Internet-enabled devices that meet the needs of the user | “I have one guardian who doesn't know how to use tech and doesn't answer phone calls from anyone not in her phone. We have worked out a plan for the special ed teacher, and social worker to contact her with our issues.” | |||
| Access to digital literacy training | “Families that were more responsive understood the technology better and were able to access the materials needed to help their child learn and keep up with daily curriculum.” | “Parents that understood how to use online tools were more responsive. Older parents/ grandparents were not very responsive.” | ||
| Applications and online content designed to enable and encourage self-sufficiency, participation, and collaboration |
“Also, [more responsive parents] were likely to be following or observing my LMS.” “If my parents or caregiver could prompt students, it made a big difference. My students were much more attentive [during online instruction].” |
“Some parents don't check their email often.” “Willingness to begin an email exchange on email.” |
||
| Quality technical support |
Alignment between Digital Inclusion and Effective Parent Involvement*
*Based on Survey Question 3 that asks “What differences did you observe between families who were more responsive versus those who were less responsive [during online instruction]?”