Characteristics of Parent–Teacher E-Mail Communication

In the past decade, the use of computer-mediated communication such as e-mail has reportedly increased the level of parental involvement and parent–teacher communication at the elementary and secondary level. However, research has not yet examined the characteristics of parent–teacher e-mail communication. Thirty parent and 30 teacher interviews were conducted, resulting in 667 pages of data for interpretive analysis in addition to 341 parent–teacher e-mail messages. Analyses revealed central characteristics that constituted the rather complex parent–teacher e-mail communication process. The findings provide teachers, parents, and students with important information on parent–teacher e-mail exchanges.