The Impact Social Networks Have On Parent School-Choice Decision Making

Asmussen, Christopher Thomas (2021) The Impact Social Networks Have On Parent School-Choice Decision Making. Doctoral thesis, Northern Arizona University.

Text Asmussen_2021_impact_social_networks_have_on_parent_school-choice_deci.pdf - Published Version Restricted to Repository staff only Download (768kB) | Request a copy

Abstract

Parents have been afforded the right and the responsibility to choose the school that they feel best fits the academic and social emotional needs of their children, and they are expected to choose a school within a reasonable choice set of school-choice options. This phenomenological study aimed to understand how parents of kindergarten through third grade students gather information to make this decision, and to know if their social networks influence their school-choice decisions. Finally, this study sought to describe how parents experience choosing a traditional public school. The researcher found that parents use internet searches, take tours, and speak with their friends, family, and colleagues to make a school-choice decision. Participants of this study decided to enroll their child at their chosen tradition public school when they were, simultaneously, making a home-choice decision. They made their decisions when their children were pre-school aged. They sought to join a community, and they were aware of their responsibility and empowered to choose the right school for their child. Because these participants were confident in their ability and their knowledge of their child, they were not influenced by the feedback their social networks provided. They used their social networks to gain information on schools they may place in their choice set, or to confirm what they believed the school reputation to be or their decision to enroll. The participants of this study shared a common experience in getting married, having a child, and finding the right community to raise their family.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Publisher’s Statement:	© Copyright is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the Cline Library, Northern Arizona University. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.
Keywords:	School Choice; Social Networks; Primary school;
Subjects:	L Education > LB Theory and practice of education L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB1501 Primary Education
NAU Depositing Author Academic Status:	Student
Department/Unit:	Graduate College > Theses and Dissertations College of Education > Educational Leadership
Date Deposited:	18 Feb 2022 16:38
Last Modified:	18 Feb 2022 16:38
URI:	https://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/5715

Actions (login required)

IR Staff Record View

Downloads