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Articles

Vol. 3 No. 3 (2023): Parents/guardians, education and digital technologies

Virtual connections for parental engagement: What do digital spaces offer?

DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21428/8c225f6e.8843e9fa
Submitted
12 August 2026
Published
15-08-2026

Abstract

The engagement of parents in their children’s education is a well-established expectation in many countries. However, pressures on time and resources (in classrooms and homes) threaten the communication that is a fundamental element of that engagement. This article examines the potential of digital technologies for parental engagement by focusing on the popular e-portfolio app Seesaw and drawing on Harrison’s (2018) analytical framework for the spatial analysis of learning spaces. It focuses on how the Seesaw platform transforms ordinary routines of parental engagement and how teachers and parents make sense of and negotiate these transformations. It is based on observations in a single case study school, which is state-run, English-medium, urban, and co-educational, with a diverse socio-economic community in Aotearoa New Zealand. The analysis draws on data from semi-structured interviews (n=6), specifically on the use and experience of Seesaw of three teachers and three parents (one from each class). These were supplemented with transcripts from semi-structured interviews (n=21) of staff and parents from a broader study on parental engagement. Findings show there are opportunities for teachers using the Seesaw app to enhance communication between school and home, increase and sustain parent-child learning conversations, and support parent-teacher partnerships for learning. The article concludes, however, that without a clear purpose following principles of parental engagement and supportive training and guidance, schools risk replicating and perpetuating well-established parent subjectivities, where schools retain agency so that parental engagement in learning is not maximised.

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