The Parent-Teacher E-mail Relationship

Abstract: This study focused on the relationship between parents and teachers who communicate via email and the effects of e-mail communication on the formation and development of the parentteacher relationship. By interviewing parents and teachers on the subject of e-mail communication, an understanding of how relationships are formed and maintained was achieved. Parents and teachers described their experiences using e-mail to communicate with one another, as well as what they perceived were the biggest advantages and disadvantages. The interviews were analyzed using Social Information Processing Theory (SIPT) which describes three different communicative phases (Impersonal, Interpersonal, Hyperpersonal) that influence how relationships are formed when communicating via Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC). After applying the three phases of CMC to the acquired interview data, it became apparent that parents and teachers often communicated from different phases. It appears that e-mail communication has a complicating effect on the parent-teacher relationship. The results from this study suggest that parents and teachers struggle to manage impressions and form relationships when communicating via e-mail. It is possible that when parents and teachers communicate from different phases of CMC, frustration and misunderstanding occurs, resulting in complications to the formation and development of relationships. It is therefore recommended that parents and teachers discuss, create, and agree upon a protocol that will serve as a standard for the type of communication they are willing to engage in. By working together to determine an appropriate e-mail etiquette, parents and teachers might have a better chance of achieving mutual understanding in their communication, thereby facilitating the formation and development of the parent-teacher relationship.