An inquiry into the TUI design space for parent-child math engagement at home

Abstract

Preschoolers' early-math development is vital for their later math and academic achievement. Tangible user interfaces (TUI) may support early math as they feature physical objects imperative to math development and multimedia to support engagement. As a potentially meaningful context for TUIs, developmental studies highlight the need to support the home math environment (HME) that covers math-related interactions among parents and children. Therefore, we focus on HME as a design space that has not been investigated in TUI literature. We conducted an observational study involving physical-object based math activities and semi-structured interviews with 13 parent-child dyads. Our findings revealed the multifaceted nature of the HME, where children's agency is valued and providing lasting materials is challenging. Also, we realized that parents juggled their child's demands and the object-based physical activity at once. By reflecting on these findings, we propose design directions for supporting the home-math environment with TUIs.