For many migrant ethnic Chinese families, it is a challenge to retain their cultural and linguistic identities in their children; and the preschool years may be the only window for building adequate foundation in their Heritage Language (HL). Many of these parents/carers allow their children access to Mandarin language applications on mobile devices, hoping that this will help maintain the use of Mandarin at home and within their cultural community. However the effectiveness remains debatable.
This research sought to formulate a design framework by bridging an understanding of mobile technology and edutainment content, with the relevant socio- cultural theories in early childhood development, language learning and interaction design.
This exhibition showcases the documentation of different design probes adapted from the proposed framework. They not only pinpointed adult-led interaction as key to Heritage Language maintenance; but also the pairing of tangible and onscreen content, as a materially relevant yet imaginative approach, for the development of preschool language resources.