How to include the members of remote ethnic communities into the design process of the endangered language learning application : a case study with Nganasan community

• Main Author: Nukala, Mariia
• Other Authors: Informaatioteknologian ja viestinnän tiedekunta - Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences, Tampere University
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2021
• Subjects: Master's Programme in Human-Technology Interaction; participatory design; endangered languages; indigenous peoples; mobile apps; participatory planning; ethnic minorities; participatory research; language technology; Taymyr; Nganasan*; Taymyr Peninsula
• Online Access: https://trepo.tuni.fi/handle/10024/135009

More and more indigenous languages nowadays are getting endangered, which makes people lose the diversity of their cultural values. Previous studies and professional literature suggest that digital language learning can be used to address this issue and contribute to language and culture revitalization. Participatory design became a trendy method to create interactive digital products together with the users. However, the concept of endangered language learning is not still fully studied in the field of Human-Computer Interaction, and there is not enough knowledge of how co-creation can be used to engage people from ethnic minorities in order to motivate them to use the application for learning their native language. This thesis work presents remote experimental research and contributes to the knowledge in the participatory research field, presenting the study in which children in the role of co-creators designed the materials for Nganasan language learning application. This study aims to understand how a digital language learning application called NganasanMe, will be used by remote community members, whose experience with the technology is limited, and how it will affect users’ motivation while using the application outside the educational environment. This research was conducted involving indigenous members of the Nganasan community, living in different parts of the Taymyr Peninsula. The research was divided into two parts, depending on the quality of the Internet connection in the homes of the participants. First, the offline study was conducted to explore how Nganasans would use the NganasanMe application and measure their motivation. The feedback from Nganasans was collected by using the questionnaire and interview. Then the participatory design sessions were facilitated with two Nganasan families. As a result, Nganasan kids produced the drawings as an asset for future application development. The results of the research demonstrate the potential of applying participatory design to increase motivation and ...