The Lived Experiences of Secondary School Parents in Raising Responsible Digital Citizens in a One-to-One Learning Environment

As technology use increases among adolescents both in and out of school, parents face the new challenge of teaching their children to successfully navigate learning in a digital world. A review of the existing literature provided a history of both the benefits and risks of one-to-one learning. Research revealed a lack of parent voice. The purpose of this transcendental, phenomenological study was to look at the experiences of 10 parents whose students had access to one-to-one technology required or provided for educational purposes at a private, faith-based secondary school in California. Baumrind’s (1967, 1968) parenting style theory and Potter’s (2004) media literacy theory provided a theoretical framework. This study collected data using Moustakas’ (1994) methods for transcendental, phenomenological research. The central research question asked, “How do parents describe their experience of training their children to be responsible digital citizens in the context of a hyper-connected society?” The study utilized convenience sampling for selecting participants (Petty, Thomson, & Stew, 2012). Data included interviews, journals, and a focus group. Data analysis methods following Moustakas’ (1994) approach to phenomenological research included: creating coded categories, identifying key themes, writing individual structural and textural descriptions, writing composite structural and textural descriptions, and creating the essence statement (Moustakas, 1994). The analysis produced the following 10 themes: (a) challenges in maintaining a healthy lifestyle; (b) the educational benefits of learning with technological devices; (c) questions related to digital versus print learning; (d) mixed feelings about technology; (e) the weight of parenting; (f) the importance of ongoing communication; (g) preparing children for adulthood; (h) holding children accountable; (i) the importance of trust; and (j) providing instruction at an early age