1. Parenting 21st Century Learners: How Parental
Expectations, Support and Concerns Affect
Children’s Acquisition of New Skills in the Digital Age
Christi Trucks
The University of Alabama
MSERA Presentation
christitrucks@gmail.com

2. Introduction
 Technology is part of our daily lives. Parents
today must ask themselves, “How will I respond to
technology and the role it will play in my
children's life?”
 Parental expectations, support and concerns are
areas which affect children’s encounters with
technology.

3. Research Questions
1. What are parents’ expectations for their
children’s knowledge and application of
various forms of technology?
a. Where do parents believe their children acquire
their technological knowledge and skills?
b. How do parents believe their children acquire
their technological knowledge and skills?
c. What do parents expect schools to do to prepare
their child for a technologically advanced world?

4. 2. How do parents support their children’s
technologically driven life?
a. How do parents monitor technology and Internet usage
at home?
b. What tangible means of support do parents and family
members offer their children?
c. What intangible means of support do parents and other
family members offer their children?
d. Are parents supportive of emerging technologies and
trends such as bring your own device (BYOD) and
educational gaming that they may not know as much
about as their children?

5. 3. What concerns do parents have
regarding technology usage and their
child?
a. How do these concerns affect their children’s
acquisition of new
technological skills?

6. Framework
 Epstein’s six types of parental involvement will provide
the conceptual framework for this study. The
framework was developed to benefit the parent –
school relationship. It is implied that both want the
best for children and by using this framework as a
guide children will benefit.
The six types of parental involvement include:
 Parenting
 Communicating
 Volunteering
 Learning at home
 Decision Making
 Collaborating with Community (Epstein, 1997)

7. Review of the Literature
Parental Expectations
 Davies’ nationwide mixed method study “emphasizes the
importance of providing their children with the opportunity to
gain experiences and skills seen as essential for participation
in a future information society” (Davies, 2011).
 Livingstone’s 2007 study entitled “Young People, New Media”
showed that 95% of mainly middle class parents are positive
about computers and technology. They feel that the Internet
is a necessary component of life and expect their children to
learn how to use it for both educational and personal needs.
 Parents essentially want their children to be able to utilize
technology to function in society (Livingstone, 2008).

8. Parental Support
 Parents have always been considered important
stakeholders in their children’s education (Kong, 2009).
 Research indicates that the “home learning
environment is an incredibly fertile ground for making
change” (Demski, 2011).
 “Parental involvement is considered a critical variable
influencing learning performance” (Bourgonjon, 2011).
 Parental support can be evident in both tangible and
intangible means (Cranmer, 2006).

9. Tangible Support
 Tangible support is given to children through the purchase of
computers, iPads, iPods, smart phones, Internet connectivity
and other forms of hardware needed to perform a
technological task.
 Parents want to ensure lifelong learning”(Kong, 2009). They
feel that by purchasing technology they are doing this.
 Parents of a 9 year old stated:
“it wouldn’t be fair on him for his future to deny him to get the
exposure of a computer […] the more skill he has, the more he
understands how people use them you know, it just gives him a
better chance in life with jobs and you know his work future and
studies)” (Davies, 2011).

10. Intangible Support
 Valke’s 2010 empirical study of Internet parenting styles
describes “parental warmth” as a factor in children’s
understanding and use of technology. The research
includes Baumrind’s definition of parental warmth as:
“the extent to which parents intentionally foster
individuality, self-regulation, and self-assertion by being
attuned, supportive, and acquiescent to children’s
special needs and demands” (Baumrind, 1991).
 Children who feel trusted and respected when
engaged in technology practices are more likely to
attain more skills and try new things than those who
feel constantly questioned (Clark, 2009).

11. Support of Emerging Technologies
 The 2012 Horizon Report for K-12 Classrooms predicts
mobile devices and apps are a technology that will be
adopted into the mainstream within the next year.
According to an initiative entitled Speak Up, the amount
of students in grades 6-12 who own a cellular device has
risen 42% in the last year (Project Tomorrow, 2011).
 Digital game-based learning is another emerging area.
According to the 2012 Horizon Report for K-12 classrooms,
“Game based learning refers to the integration of games
or gaming mechanics into educational experiences”. It is
identified as a technology two to three years from
becoming mainstreamed. This will likely be the next area
where parents are forced to make decisions regarding
their children’s technology usage.

12. Parental Concerns
 Many parents expressed concern over their teens
knowing more about the Internet and technology
usage than they do. They are unsure how to “maintain
authority” over their children (Clark, 2009).
 The most frequently expressed concerns include
interactions with strangers, online abuse of children,
online bullying and cheating online (plagiarism)
(Sharples, 2009).

13. Methodology
 A mixed method approach will be used to collect
data.
 A parent survey will be administered to collect data
concerning their children’s technology usage. The
survey will be distributed to approximately 100 high
school parents in a low to middle class school.
 Following the survey a focus group will be formed to
discuss the aspects of the study. Follow-up questions
for the focus group will be determined by the
responses to the initial survey.

14. Summary
 Digital media has caused parents to form new
expectations for their children’s learning. No longer
are the “three r’s” sufficient. Parents must determine
what is important and realistic for their children to
eventually master.
 Smedts states, “We have arrived at an age in which
technologization is the way in which we understand
education and what it means to be a parent”
(Smedts, 2008). We must therefore learn how to use it
to benefit our children both now and for the future.

15. References
 Anastasiades, P. V. (2008). Collaborative learning activities at a distance via interactive
videoconferencing in elementary schools: parents' attitudes. Computers
and Education , 50, 1527-1539.
 Bourgonjon, J. (2011). Parental acceptance of digital game-based learning. Computers
and Education , 57, 1424-1444.
 Cankaya, S. &. (2009). Parental controls on children's computer and Internet use. Procedia
Social and Behavioral Sciences , 1, 1105-1109.
 Davies, C. (2011). Digitally strategic: how young people respond to parental views
about the use of technology fr learning in the home. Journal of computer
assisted learning , 27, 324-335.
 Heidegger, M. (1993). The question concerning technology. London: Routledge.
 Kong, S. &. (2009). Collaboration between school and parents to foster information
literacy: Learning in the information society. Computers and Education ,
52, 275-282.
 Livingstone, S. &. (2008). Parental mediation of Internet use. Journal of
Broadcasting and Electronic Media , 52, 581-599.
 Sharples, M. G. (2009). E-safety and web2.0 for children aged 11-16. Journal of
Computer Assisted Learning , 25, 70-84.
 Smedts, G. (2008). Parenting in a technological age. Ethics and Education , 3 (2),
121-134.
 Valke, M. B. (2010). Internet parenting styles and the impact on Internet use of
primary school children. Computers & Education , 55, 454-464.

16. Contact Information
 Christi Trucks
The University of Alabama
christitrucks@gmail.com