Learning about Learning through Participatory Design with Families

The value of family in the physical, emotional, and intellectual growth of children is indispensable. Family life is a primary context for children to learn, and the importance of the family unit is widely accepted as a driver for academic achievement (Goldman & Booker, 2009). Families also influence a child's personal, social, and cultural development, and events that happen at home have the ability to affect a child's progress in school (Bronfenbrenner, 1986). The vital role that families play in children's development and achievement underscores the need to understand how learning occurs within family contexts. Similarly, we must also understand family interactions that directly or indirectly affect how technological systems used by families are designed.