Intersectional Approaches for Supporting Casual Language and Culture Learning in Immigrant Families

Abstract

In multigenerational immigrant families, everyone is a lifelong learner. Grandparents must learn to foster social connection with their grandchildren despite language and culture barriers, while grandchildren seek to learn their heritage language and culture to better connect with their grandparents. Educational support tools for this context are sparse as language learning apps are often Eurocentric in design and do not fit in the existing routines of immigrant families. In my research, I design educational tools for marginalized immigration populations, such as apps for learning language, preserving family stories, and sharing culture. I design for people at the margins, which requires interdisciplinary intensive approaches. After providing an overview of my research, I present my ongoing project to build a storytelling tool for immigrant families called CrossRoads. CrossRoads employ human-centered approaches that are better suited for uncovering the needs and practices of marginalized immigrant populations. I design and evaluate a tool that fits within the routines of immigrant grandparents and grandchildren by employing the familiar activity of storytelling. I discuss preliminary findings, and implications of my work in the development of educational technology for supporting marginalized, lifelong learners in casual contexts.