Digitally Mediated Support for Lifelong Culture and Language Learning

Learning to thrive in a new culture is a cognitively and emotionally demanding task that requires a lifetime of exploration, goal setting, and intentional effort. Lifelong learning is the reality for millions of immigrants in Canada, young and old, who leave behind the familiar to pursue social, economic, and education opportunities in unpaved landscapes. Learning independently in non-learning settings, such as the home, is particularly challenging because learning moments are sporadic, unstructured, and tacit. As a result, immigrants are at heightened risk of experiencing adverse consequences when they do not meet their learning goals, such as missing out on employment opportunities or facing relationship stress. The ill-defined pathways for supporting lifelong learning for immigrants creates barriers to full participation in their new society. In the absence of structural support, alternate possibilities for fostering the informal learning process must be identified. Toward this goal, I investigated two lifelong learning contexts and created tools that serve three generations of immigrants. In my first project I uncovered the dynamics of immigrant grandparent-grandchild storytelling practices, and I designed and evaluated a digital crafting tool that prompts two-way language and culture learning. In my second project I built and deployed a peer-feedback platform for adult immigrants learning to write in English. In my dissertation I integrate these two projects to answer three research questions. First, I have mapped the unique multifaceted learning landscapes faced by immigrants regarding (1) language and culture, (2) age, (3) attitudes, and (4) external structures. Second, I evaluated digital interventions informed by my mapping and showed how manipulating (1) flexibility and structure, and (2) shared spaces can springboard learning moments into meaningful engagement. Third, I reflect on the participatory approaches I adapted to better serve marginalized users. I advance knowledge in Human-Computer Interaction by validating design mechanisms that enrich social learning experiences, and the learning sciences by demonstrating how the interplay of internal psychosocial constructs and external sociocultural context influence the learning process for immigrant populations. Broadly, I contribute a body of interdisciplinary evidence for designing digital tools to capitalize on learning moments that arise from daily routine.

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