Factors Influencing Parent Decisions: Student Transfers from Public to Cyber Charter Schools in Pennsylvania

The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify decision-making factors from parents of Southeast Rural School District (SRSD) who chose to transfer their children to one of 14 cyber charter schools within Pennsylvania amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. This research study utilized a phenomenologic...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author Esche, Richard
Format Dissertation
LanguageEnglish
Published ProQuest LLC 2023
Subjects
Charter Schools
COVID-19
Decision Making
Influences
Pandemics
Parent Attitudes
Public Schools
School Choice
Transfer Students
Virtual Schools
Pennsylvania
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Summary:The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify decision-making factors from parents of Southeast Rural School District (SRSD) who chose to transfer their children to one of 14 cyber charter schools within Pennsylvania amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. This research study utilized a phenomenological design, consisting of qualitative electronic surveys and one-on-one follow-up interviews with participants. Twelve participants completed the initial survey, with nine participants engaging in follow-up interviews through Zoom video conferencing. Thematic analysis of collected data identified four primary themes: decision-making factors, information gathering, impact of COVID-19 pandemic, and future schooling intentions. Themes were analyzed through the theoretical lens of an adaptive decision-making framework. Findings in this study indicated that the precipitating factors surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic directly impacted parent decisions to transfer their children from SRSD schools to cyber charter schools. Parent-to-parent communication was identified as having a significant impact in the decision-making process. Cyber charter school experiences contributed to new participant expectations in the areas of flexibility, curricular offerings, and support from their schools. Recommendations for practice included expanded elementary course offerings, flexibility in learning environments, and redesign of the SRSD virtual school offering. SRSD stakeholders will have the opportunity to analyze current operations through the lens of data collected within this research study to inform future district decisions and improve student opportunities. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
ISBN:9798379401344