Building Virtual Community in a K-6 School:An Action Research Project

摘要

Virtual communities (VCs) potentially increase community interaction, social support, civic engagement, and social capital.rnConcurrently, education research suggests that one important factor in improving student achievement is community andrnparent involvement. Would building a VC in a K-6 school to support information exchange facilitate parents’ involvement inrnschool activities? How can a K-6 public school with limited resources build a VC? This paper reports on an action researchrnproject conducted in a public school to build a VC including such components as dynamic website and discussion forum.rnFindings suggest that school and community’s access to technology, teacher training and static websites are not enough tornattract parents. Extensive analysis of needs and facilitation by a change agent is necessary to design and implement VCrntechnology, to encourage community information exchange and interaction, and to ultimately realize the benefits of buildingrnsocial capital and increasing parental involvement.