| The main purpose of this research was to explore and determine how the use of multiple social media tools, such as microblogs (e.g., Twitter) and social networking sites (e.g., Facebook) can build a positive sense of community for rural educators, considering the declines in population, jobs, resources, and schools. In addition, the research provided valuable feedback for educational leaders on the importance of developing a comprehensive communication plan that includes the utilization of multiple social media platforms. The Social Media and Community Engagement Instrument, sixty-three items which included yes/no answers, Likert-type scale value statements, extended response items, and demographic questions, was developed and administered online via Qualtrics to 233 parents or grandparents of rural (as defined by Ohio Department of Education) public school children (K-12). Once respondents with incomplete data were removed, the final response count was 170.;Upon examining the data, the researcher determined that there were three strong factors - "Community Pride", "Classroom/Building Level Involvement in Social Media", and "Sharing/Marketing". The researcher notes four conclusions based upon the data in regards to use of social media by rural public school districts: 1) school districts develop a comprehensive communication plan that utilizes multiple social media sites; 2) school districts provide venues for constructive 2-way communication; 3) school districts utilize social media to market their district and provide accurate, transparent communication; and 4) and school districts incorporate use of social media in their crisis plans.;In regards to future studies, the researcher makes two recommendations: 1) build upon this research to determine whether positive sense of community results in increased physical community engagement; and 2) utilize the Social Media Hyperdrive Communication Theory (Filon, 2015) to create a positive sense of community in an urban district or community. |
