When initially planned, this Special Issue sought to consider an under-represented topic in the research literature: ‘Parents/guardians, education and digital technologies’. Whilst there has been previous literature published in this field, recent contextual changes have potentially affected this field in major ways. Our understanding of these recent contextual changes and related factors, such as how relationships associated with home learning and uses of digital technologies in home situations have been affected, immediately prior to and across the period of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequently, is not widely known.
Through this Special Issue, an intention was to understand practices developed either prior to, during and from the Covid-19 pandemic period, or across that time period, which may have influenced parents/guardians in their engagement with teachers and educational institutions, through interaction or intervention with digital technologies. As will be seen, the papers published in this Special Issue have explored this context, where implementation and uses involving digital technologies have not only been used within specific home and educational settings and contexts, but also prior to transitioning into education. Practices are shown that have been developed and have both enhanced challenges and engagement between parents/guardians and teachers, when supporting the education of young people, prior to, during and after the Covid-19 pandemic period, or across that period of time, in all educational sectors. The papers consider how digital technologies have been used, and what the social and interactive outcomes of those uses are, in national and regional contexts, as well as, in one case, through comparison between national and regional contexts.
The papers in this Special Issue highlight relationships between research, practice and policy, highlighting possible recommendations from research for policy and practice, as might be expected in this field. We, the guest editors, explore these dimensions, and we offer perspectives in this editorial that focus on relevant points arising for research, practice (including those from a developing country context), and policy.
