5th ISA Forum of Sociology (6-11 July 2025)

Individuals, adults or minors, are increasingly becoming reliant on information and communication technologies for their daily needs, activities and socialization. The internet and social media mediate and facilitate people communication, which is becoming more imminent, more flexible and more dynamic. Moreover, relationships are now formed in a virtual context and evolve through social networks and other types of social media. Personal contact and face-to-face communication are no longer a prerequisite for a satisfactory personal or professional relationship.

School-family relationships and communication could not be exempt. Initially imposed by Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, online communication among education actors has been constantly growing. Teachers-parents’ contacts take place through various types of online media more often than ever before, while online meetings between educators and families have become the preferred way of communication and face-to-face parents’ update has been replaced by mass e-mails. Technology has been increasingly demonstrating what it can offer in terms of relationship building and as a facilitator of school-family communication.

In this context, the present session invites research proposals concerning:

• Teachers-parents digital/online communication
• School-family digital/online information exchange
• Dealing with students’ problems without the need for physical interaction between teachers and parents
• Parental online training by school members/community
• Schools’ presence and activity in social media
• The role of online communities in supporting and informing teachers and parents
• Family education/school choices and the role of social media