Parental Involvement in Distance K-12 Learning and the Effect of Technostress: Sustaining Post-Pandemic Distance Education in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This study explored the effect of parental involvement in K-12 distance learning activities on their perceived technostress and behaviours of support toward their children’s learning in Saudi Arabia. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyse the data. Applying the person-technology (P-T) fit model, this study proposed a model comprising five factors to answer the research questions. The five factors were parental involvement, parents’ technostress, parents’ self-efficacy, school support and behaviours of support. Analysis of 651 parent responses showed an insignificant relationship between parental involvement in distance learning activities and parents’ technostress. However, there was a significant and positive relationship between parental involvement and parents’ behaviours of support toward their children’s learning. The results also indicated that when parents’ technostress increases, their supportive behaviours rise accordingly. The level of technostress among parents in this study was found to reduce with an increase in both parents’ self-efficacy levels and the level of school support provided by administration and teachers to parents in distance learning environments. The findings of our study suggested several important implications that contribute to providing more effective and successful distance education and supporting the future of post-pandemic digital education in Saudi Arabia.