Blair Thompson

Characteristics of Parent–Teacher E-Mail Communication

In the past decade, the use of computer-mediated communication such as e-mail has reportedly increased the level of parental involvement and parent–teacher communication at the elementary and secondary level. However, research has not yet examined the characteristics of parent–teacher e-mail communication. Thirty parent and 30 teacher interviews were conducted, resulting in 667 pages of data for interpretive analysis in addition to 341 parent–teacher e-mail messages. Analyses revealed central characteristics that constituted the rather complex parent–teacher e-mail communication process. The findings provide teachers, parents, and students with important information on parent–teacher e-mail exchanges.

How College Freshmen Communicate Student Academic Support: A Grounded Theory Study

This grounded theory study was designed to generate theory to understand how student academic support is communicated between students during the freshmen transition. No literature exists on the process of how students informally communicate support for academics during the college transition. The diary–interview method was utilized with college freshmen and analyzed using a constant comparative method. A theoretical model was developed describing causal, contextual, and intervening conditions influencing academic support strategies. The results of student support and implications of the developed model are addressed.

The Syllabus as a Communication Document: Constructing and Presenting the Syllabus

This interpretive study explored the communicative strategies teachers employ when constructing and presenting course syllabi to overcome challenges teachers face surrounding the syllabus. Data included 13 classroom observations, 19 teacher interviews, and document analysis of the instructors’ syllabi. Communication strategies teachers used to welcome students, balance tensions when presenting the syllabus, and focus students’ attention during the presentation emerged. The findings offer teachers suggestions on how to present and construct the syllabus more effectively.

College Student Ratings of Student Academic Support: Frequency, Importance, and Modes of Communication

Research suggests that student academic support plays a vital role at the college level as students often view communication with peers as their primary source of academic support (Thompson, 2008). This research advances the Student Academic Support Scale (SASS) as a method of assessing the frequency, importance, and mode of communicating academic support among college students. Study one details scale development procedures, presents the results of factor analysis, and advances the SASS. Study two examines the frequency and importance of specific supportive behaviors and explores the modes commonly used by students to communicate academic support. Implications for teachers, scholars, and university administrators are discussed.

Development of the Parental Academic Support Scale: Frequency, Importance, and Modes of Communication

Parent-teacher communication represents a primary form of parental support, a phenomenon meriting significant attention given the connections between support and academic achievement (Thompson, 2008b). A series of studies advance the Parental Academic Support Scale (PASS) to assess the frequency, importance, and modes parents use to communicate support with teachers at the elementary, junior high, and secondary school levels. Phase one details scale development procedures, presents the results of exploratory factor analysis, and advances the PASS. Phase two applies confirmatory factor analysis, examines the frequency and importance of specific supportive behaviors, and implements media richness theory to explore the modes commonly used by parents to communicate with teachers. Implications for teachers, scholars, and school administrators are discussed.

The Validity of the Student Academic Support Scale: Associations with Social Support and Relational Closeness

This study validates the Student Academic Support Scale (SASS), a 15-item multidimensional measure assessing informational, esteem, motivational, and venting support. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) revealed good model fit and replicated prior CFA tests (Mazer & Thompson, 2011; Thompson & Mazer, 2009). Correlations between student academic support and traditional social support measures provided convergent validity evidence. A positive association between student academic support and relational closeness suggests that the SASS construct is related to other theoretically similar constructs, providing evidence for construct validity. Discriminant validity evidence was established, suggesting that the SASS is distinct from measures of traditional social support.

Parent–Teacher E-Mail Strategies at the Elementary and Secondary Levels

Parent–teacher e-mail communication represents an increasingly prevalent form of computer-mediated communication at the elementary and secondary levels. Research is needed to identify the problems parents and teachers encounter when communicating via e-mail, as well as the strategies they employ to address these issues. The author conducted 30 parent and 30 teacher interviews and analyzed 341 parent–teacher e-mail messages. The findings revealed several noteworthy problems including misinterpretations, reductions in face-to-face communication, new boundaries crossed, and impacts on student responsibility. The findings also revealed a variety of e-mail strategies, providing teachers and parents ways to address problems they may encounter.

Student Academic Support: A Validity Test

Given the significant support system changes that students often experience at the university level, college students often view fellow students as their primary source of academic support. This study offers validity evidence for the Student Academic Support Scale (SASS), a 15-item, multidimensional measure that assesses informational, esteem, motivational, and venting support. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the SASS revealed close model fit, replicated prior CFA tests (Thompson & Mazer, 2009), and ultimately provided additional evidence for content validity. More important, correlations between student academic support, student motivation, affective learning, and engagement suggest that the SASS construct is related to other theoretically similar constructs, providing initial evidence for construct validity. Pedagogical implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Social Media and Active Shooter Events: A School Crisis Communication Challenge

In recent years, the need to study the communication challenges schools face during crises has become essential. The current study included semi-structured interviews with 56 crisis team members from 21 P–12 districts. Participants identified the social media challenges and strategies districts employ during crisis events. Implications for scholars and P–12 administrators are discussed.

Parental Academic Support: A Validity Report

This study offers validity evidence for the Parental Academic Support Scale, a 16-item multidimensional measure that assesses support related to a childs academic performance, classroom behavior, preparation, hostile peer interactions, and health. Confirmatory factor analysis of the Parental Academic Support Scale (PASS) revealed a close model fit and replicated prior confirmatory factor analysis tests, and ultimately provided additional evidence for content validity. Correlations between parental academic support and the Teacher–Parent Contact Scale provided concurrent validity evidence. More importantly, associations between parental academic support and a childs success in school suggest that the PASS construct is related to other theoretically similar constructs, providing initial evidence for construct validity. Implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.