Date of Award

7-2014

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

School of Education

First Advisor

Dr. Suzanne Harrison

Second Advisor

Dr. Terry Huffman

Third Advisor

Dr. Scot Headley

Abstract

This project performed a qualitative study using in-depth interviews to determine the reasons families enrolled their students in virtual education and to collect their reflections on their experience in virtual education after enrolling. I interviewed the parents or guardians of eight credit-deficient high school students at risk of not graduating who were enrolled in a virtual high school in Oregon. The interviews used 11 open-ended questions in order to answer the two research questions: 1. What are parental reasons for choosing online education for children who are at risk of not graduating from high school with their cohort due to credit deficiency? 2. What are the parents’ experiences with online education after their child has been in the program? The findings revealed that the most-referenced reason families enrolled in virtual education was due to a negative relationship with a former school setting, and that all participants reported a positive experience after enrolling in virtual education.

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