Views on the Usage of Social Media Tools in School-Family Communication

Abstract

This study, it was aimed to reveal the views of parents and teachers about the usage of social media tools in school-family communication. In this study, which was carried out with the phenomenological method, which is one of the qualitative research methods, the data were collected using a semi-structured interview form. As a result of the content analysis conducted on the data obtained, it was concluded that social media tools, especially WhatsApp, are widely used in school-family communication. It has been found that the advantages of these tools are free, fast, and easy to use, and they prevent waste of time and workload by sending mass messages. The disadvantages were determined to be used out of purpose and timeless, causing misunderstanding and violation of privacy. Participants suggested that while using these tools, they should not deviate from their purpose, some restrictions in terms of time and content should be introduced and their use should be expanded. The results obtained are expected to contribute significantly to the studies to be done to increase family participation in education and the practices to be developed in this sense.