Graduate Studies Department College for Creative Studies 201 E. Kirby Detroit, MI 48202-4034
FINAL WRITTEN THESIS
HARMONIOUS INTEGRATION OF FOREIGN-BORN IMMIGRANT CHILDREN INTO U.S. SOCIETY
JIN SEOK KWON MFA INTEGRATED DESIGN ADVISOR: MARIA LUISA ROSSI DATE: MAY/ 14/ 2018
I declare that the work I am submitting for assessment contains no section copied in whole or in part from any other source unless explicitly identified in quotation marks and with detailed, complete and accurate referencing.
Abstract International migration is one of the most dominant global trends, and the amount of foreign-born population in the United States has been increasing drastically. For this reason, the percentage of foreign-born immigrant children is also increasing. Even though their adaptation is very important, they are exposed to many stressors which cause them to have higher risks of depressive symptoms and poor academic results. This thesis is pursuing better cultural and emotional adaptation of foreign-born immigrant children with the immigrant-centric perspective. In this thesis, stressors that can negatively affect the foreign-born children’s development during migration and resettlement have been analyzed holistically, and the design solution will improve their adaptation in the United States by enriching their experiences and interaction with peers, local communities, and the app platform. This project will help both immigrant and non-immigrant children respect each other and result in the harmonious integration.
Table of Contents 1.
Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1
2.
Methodology ........................................................................................................................ 1 A. Secondary Research ............................................................................................................ 1 B. Primary Research .................................................................................................................. 2 i. ii. iii.
3.
Survey ......................................................................................................................................................... 2 In-Depth Interviews .................................................................................................................................... 2 Open-Ended Survey ................................................................................................................................... 3
Background of Migration .................................................................................................... 3 A. Migration Trend ..................................................................................................................... 3 B. Foreign-born Immigrant Children ........................................................................................ 3 C. Why They Migrate ................................................................................................................. 4 i. ii.
Reasons for Migration ................................................................................................................................ 4 Push Factors and Pull Factors .................................................................................................................. 4
D. Dominant Motivations for Migration ................................................................................... 4 E. Interviewees’ Migration Motivation ..................................................................................... 5 4.
Latino-born Immigrant Children’s Risks ............................................................................. 5 A. College Completion .............................................................................................................. 5 B. Mental Disorders ................................................................................................................... 6
5.
Latino-born Immigrant Children’s Migration & Settlement ................................................ 6 A. Before Migration ................................................................................................................... 6 B. During Migration ................................................................................................................... 7 C. Settlement .............................................................................................................................. 7 i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi.
Poverty ........................................................................................................................................................ 7 Legal Status .............................................................................................................................................. 10 Language .................................................................................................................................................. 12 Discrimination........................................................................................................................................... 14 Other Information from Secondary Research ......................................................................................... 15 Length of Time in the United States ........................................................................................................ 16
D. Migration Support ............................................................................................................... 17 6.
Latino Children’s Identity .................................................................................................. 17 A. Bilingualism ......................................................................................................................... 17 i.
Benefits of Bilingualism ........................................................................................................................... 17
i. ii. iii.
Challenges of Multiculturalism in the U.S. .............................................................................................. 18 Limited Access to Latino Culture ............................................................................................................ 18 Latino Family ............................................................................................................................................ 18
i. ii.
Value of Migration .................................................................................................................................... 19 Cultural Adaptation .................................................................................................................................. 19
B. Multiculturalism ................................................................................................................... 18
C. Latino Children’s Adaptation ............................................................................................. 19
7.
Competitor Analysis .......................................................................................................... 19 A. Competitors ......................................................................................................................... 19 i. ii. iii. iv. v.
Doongle (App) ........................................................................................................................................... 19 Facebook and Instagram (App & Web) ................................................................................................... 20 Snapchat (App) ......................................................................................................................................... 20 YouTube (App & Website) ........................................................................................................................ 20 ASK.fm (App) ............................................................................................................................................ 21
B. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 21
8.
Analysis .............................................................................................................................. 21 A. Summary .............................................................................................................................. 21 i. ii. iii. iv. v. vi. vii.
Factors Which Affect Lower Academic Attainment ............................................................................... 21 Factors Which Cause Mental Disorders ................................................................................................. 22 Personal Motivation and Social Supports .............................................................................................. 22 Latino Families’ Identity ........................................................................................................................... 22 Important Age Group ............................................................................................................................... 22 Latino Family’s Story ............................................................................................................................... 22 Opportunity in Market .............................................................................................................................. 23
i. ii. iii.
Key Objectives ......................................................................................................................................... 23 Target Population ..................................................................................................................................... 23 Target Users ............................................................................................................................................. 24
B. Potential Solution ................................................................................................................ 23
9.
Design Solution ................................................................................................................. 25 A. Primary Scope ..................................................................................................................... 25 B. User test ............................................................................................................................... 26 i. ii. iii. iv.
First User Test .......................................................................................................................................... 26 Second User Test ..................................................................................................................................... 26 Third User Test ......................................................................................................................................... 27 Findings from User Test........................................................................................................................... 27
i. ii.
Experience Loop ...................................................................................................................................... 31 Experience Map ....................................................................................................................................... 35
C. Naming & Logo .................................................................................................................... 29 D. Functions ............................................................................................................................. 29 E. Scenario ............................................................................................................................... 31 F.
Safety Policy ........................................................................................................................ 37
i. ii. iii. iv.
Register .................................................................................................................................................... 37 Function Availability ................................................................................................................................. 40 Cyberbullying ........................................................................................................................................... 41 Activity Safety........................................................................................................................................... 42
i. ii. iii. iv. v.
Event Participation ................................................................................................................................... 46 To Make and Interact with New Friends ................................................................................................. 47 Group System........................................................................................................................................... 47 Culture Score and Language Score ........................................................................................................ 48 Incentives and Rewards .......................................................................................................................... 49
i. ii. iii.
Flow Map .................................................................................................................................................. 51 Workflow and Wireframe ......................................................................................................................... 52 Final Graphic User Interface .................................................................................................................... 61
G. Motivation Strategy ........................................................................................................... 46
H. Partnership .......................................................................................................................... 50 I. Final Design Visualization .................................................................................................. 51
10. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 67 A. Restatement of the Final Analysis ..................................................................................... 67 B. Benefits ................................................................................................................................ 68 i. ii.
Target Users’ Benefits............................................................................................................................... 68 Partners’ Benefits ..................................................................................................................................... 68
11. Bibliography ....................................................................................................................... 69 12. Appendix ............................................................................................................................ 71
1. Introduction International migration has remained a constant trend over the past decades (United Nations 5). The United States has been experiencing the largest number of the immigrants with the highest increase in the world (United Nations 18). Foreign-born immigrant children are exposed to various stressors that can negatively affect the children’s development and assimilation. When first-generation immigrant children are not well developed and integrated into society, the negative effects can spread to their second and thirdgeneration children (Potochnick and Perreira). For this reason, it is important for the foreign-born immigrant children to assimilate into society with an immigrant-centric perspective. Foreign-born Hispanic children who are the majority of foreign-born children are exposed to more at risk to not complete a college education than other students (Joo and Reeves). Second, Latino foreign-born immigrant children have more emotional risks, such as depressive symptoms, feeling hopeless, and considering suicide (Potochnick and Perreira). These are because they are exposed to various stressors before, during, and after migration. Many Latino immigrants have lived in poverty before their migration and have been exposed to crime, war, and violence. Mexicans and other Central Americans have limited access to authorized migration, so they migrate without legal authorization resulting in arduous migration experiences such as robbery, physical attacks, accidental injuries, and sickness during the migration (Perreira and Ornelas). During settlement, foreign-born immigrant children are more likely than non-immigrant children to live in or near poverty (Child Trends Data Bank). Latino immigrant families are also more likely to be undocumented than others (Rosenblum and Ruiz Soto). Immigration status is associated with foreignborn children’s wellbeing. This is because children with unauthorized status do not have access to Medicaid (Wallace, Torres and Nobari), and they have risks of experiencing deportation of their close family. Latino-born immigrant children are at more risk to have problems with English than children from other families(Camarota and Zeigler). Discrimination is associated with immigrant families’ depressive symptoms, ultimately diminishing children’s educational motivation and achievement. Of course, foreign-born immigrant children have benefits, such as bilingualism and biculturalism. Bilingualism is beneficial to children’s development and future opportunities. Bicultural adaptation of minority children and adults is considered to produce the healthiest and most successful overall outcomes (Toppelberg and Collins). In this thesis, the ultimate goal is harmonious integration of foreign-born immigrant children by enriching positive experiences and reducing negative stressors with an immigrant-centric perspective. It is expected that harmonious integration would be beneficial to not only immigrant population but also nonimmigrant population and the U.S. society.
2. Methodology A. Secondary Research In order to collect and analyze data from Latino-born immigrant children, data of migration phenomenon, foreign-born population, immigrant children, and the Latino population have been separately collected. The data used for this thesis came from these sources:
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• • • • •
The global level of information about international migration: United Nations and OECD The national level of information and statistics about migration and immigrants: Census Bureau and Pew Research Immigrant children’s issues and causes & effects of issues, including mental disorders, discrimination, and language: PMC and Vassar College Specific information about Latino-born immigrant children: Center for Immigration Studies and Child Trends Features of Latino families: online articles
B. Primary Research i.
Survey
The survey was conducted between October 19th and November 2nd 2017 with 65 participants. All participants were born outside of the U.S. and migrated during childhood. All participants were screened to see if they would be appropriate participants. The survey questionnaire was built using Google Forms, and the survey participant are Reddit users. They are from Mexico (29), Central America (6), Europe (6), Asia (6), South America (3), North America (3), Caribbean (2), and Africa (1).
Figure 1. Survey Participants' Countries of Origin
29
Mexico Central America
6
Europe
6
Asia
6
South America
3
North America
3 2
Caribbean Africa
1
ii.
In-Depth Interviews
Based on the results of the survey, In-depth interviews were conducted to obtain more qualitative data. With a semi-structure, the interviews were conducted in person and via phone. The interviewees who participate in the in-depth interview are: • •
A Latino-born immigrant adult who migrated during childhood A Coordinator, managers, and two directors of organizations for Latino youth in Detroit, such as LA SED, DHDC, and Living Art Detroit 2
• •
A director of organization in Southwest Detroit, Mexicantown Community Development Corporation A psychotherapist specializing in child development at Troy Psychotherapy
iii.
Open-Ended Survey
With the same structure as the in-depth interview questionnaire, an open-ended survey was conducted. Seven foreign-born immigrants who migrated during their childhood participated in the survey.
3. Background of Migration A. Migration Trend International migration has remained a fairly constant trend over the past decades. (United Nations 5). The United States has been accommodating the largest number of the immigrant population (47 million) with the highest increase (12 million) in the world (United Nations 18). It is expected that the number of foreign-born population in the U.S. would reach 78 million by 2065 occupying 17.7 percent of the total population of the United States (Pew Research). Migrants are filling in both fast-growing and declining business sectors and increasing the working age population. A new generation of migrants are becoming better educated and equipped with professional skills (OECD 1), so it is expected that they would contribute more to the technological development in the country than the past.
B. Foreign-born Immigrant Children The 80.4 percent of the total foreign-born population in the United States is occupied by working age immigrants (18 to 64 years old), and the population of people over 64 years old occupies 13.1 percent. The population under 18 years old occupies 6.4 percent of the total foreign-born immigrant population (Census Bureau). The foreign-born children also occupy 3.8 percent of the total number of children in the United States (Child Trends Data Bank). Foreign-born immigrant children are exposed to various stressors that can negatively affect the children’s development and assimilation. When first-generation immigrant children are not well developed and integrated into society, the stressors can spread to the second and third-generation children (Potochnick and Perreira). For this reason, it is important for the foreign-born immigrant children to assimilate into society with an immigrant-centric perspective. As of 2013, the total foreign-born population in the U.S., 52 percent is comprised of people from Mexico (28 percent) or other Latin American countries (24 percent), and 26 percent of the immigrants were born in South and/or East Asia (Pew Research). The majority of immigrant children, which includes both foreign-born and native-born, are Latino (55.1 percent) followed by Asian (16.9%) and White (16.1%) (Child Trends Data Bank). This data shows that the majority of the foreign-born immigrant children are Latino children from Mexico and other Latin American countries. It is expected that the population of Hispanic children that occupied 24.1 percent of the total U.S. child population in 2013 will reach 35.6 percent by 2050 and maintain the second largest group following non-Hispanic White children (36.4%) (Murphey, Guzman and Torres 5).
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C. Why They Migrate i.
Reasons for Migration
Reasons for migration are very different based on each individual. They are classified by 5 reasons for international migration: economic migration, social migration, political migration, environmental migration, and cultural migration. Economic migration is in order to find work or pursue a certain career path. Social migration includes pursuing a better quality of life and family unification or reunification. Political migration is to escape from political persecution or war. Environmental migration is from natural disasters, such as floods, and better climates. Cultural migration includes religious freedom and education (Ultimate Visa Corporation).
ii.
Push Factors and Pull Factors
These five causes can be divided into 2 factors: push factors and pull factors. Push factors are reasons why people leave a place and include unemployment, a lack of services or amenities, poor safety and security, concerns about high crime rates, crop failure, drought, flooding, poverty, and war. Pull factors are reasons why people migrate to another place, such as employment, better service provisions, a safer atmosphere, lower crime rates, fertile land, good food suppliers, less risk of natural hazards, greater wealth or affluence, and political security (BBC).
D. Dominant Motivations for Migration The most influential cause that motivates migration to the United States is for economic reason (49.2%) followed by family unification and / or reunification (41.5%) and educational purposes (30.8%). 15.4% of participants answered that they did not have any choice.
Figure 2. Motivation for Migration
49.2%
Economic reasons Family unification / reunification
41.5%
Educational purposes
30.8%
No choice (I did not have any choice)
15.4% 7.7%
To escape from conflict or violence Political reasons Environmental reasons Other
3.1% 4.6% 3.0%
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E. Interviewees’ Migration Motivation For Latino immigrant children who migrated to the United States during their childhood, a better quality of life means a living environment which ensures educational opportunities, better employment, and personal safety. For example, only around 10% of people in Peru have the opportunity to enter higher education, and one interviewee answered that if she had not migrated, she would not have had a chance for a college education. She earned her Master’s degree and is currently employed. Education and employment opportunities are the most important factors for her better quality of life. Two participants of the open-ended survey answered that the biggest reason for their migration was because of crimes in their home countries, such as violence and drugs, and they believe that they have achieved a better quality of life in the United States.
4. Latino-born Immigrant Children’s Risks A. College Completion Foreign-born Hispanic children are exposed to more at risk to not complete a college education than other students. First, the first generation of Hispanic immigrants are less likely to earn a college degree than other ethnic groups and generations. Both first and second-generation Hispanics have lower rates of college completion. First-generation Hispanics only have 11% of college completion which is almost half of second-generation Hispanic children (22%) (Joo and Reeves).
Figure 3. College Completion by Race and Generation 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 1st Generation
2nd Generation
Hispanic
1st Generation
2nd Generation
Asian
(Joo and Reeves)
5
1st Generation
2nd Generation
Black
B. Mental Disorders Latino foreign-born immigrant children have more emotional risks than non-immigrant and other immigrant children. Latino children have higher rates of depressive symptoms (22%) than White (18%), Asian American (17%), and African American (15%) youth. Latino children are also more likely to feel sad and hopeless (36.3%), seriously consider suicide (15.9%), and attempt suicide (10.2%), than white (26.2%, 14.0%, and 5.6%) and black African-American (29.2%,13.4%, and 7.7%) youth. (Potochnick and Perreira)
5. Latino-born Immigrant Children’s Migration & Settlement There are some main stressors that occur during migration and settlement which can have negative impacts on Latino-born immigrant children’s mental health. These include exposure to traumatic events, discrimination, loss of social status, difference in language and culture, and family rules and roles. (Potochnick and Perreira) Exposure to traumatic events includes all negative experience before and during migration such as separation from the primary care giver and experience with violence. Mexican immigrants are more likely to experience traumatic events than other immigrants. Social status includes both economic status and legal status in the United States. Latino immigrant families more likely to have fewer economic and social resources. To be specific, Hispanic immigrant children are more at risk to live in poverty than non-immigrant children and immigrant children of different races or ethnicities. Most immigrants are from non-English speaking countries. Specifically, Latino families are more likely to speak Spanish at home and Latino children more likely to have at least one parent who cannot speak English very well. Foreign-born Latino children have more risks of deterioration of academic achievement because significant correlation with language acquisition. (Camarota and Zeigler) Discrimination includes all kinds of unjust or prejudicial experiences. Discrimination can happen both in and outside of school. Discrimination in school reduces children’s sense of belonging and results in lower academic performance. Discrimination outside of school usually occurs in their neighborhood and parents’ workplaces. Stress from parents’ workplaces has a possibility to spread to the children and it can lead to children feeling less of a sense of belonging in the neighborhood and society. (Brown 1-7)
A. Before Migration Many immigrants who have lived in poverty before their migration have been exposed to crime, war, violence, and a lack of opportunities. Chronic poverty and unsafety prior to migration would potentially catalyze their decision of migration and settlement in a new place. Traditionally, males have undertaken the risk of migration while leaving their families behind, but women have increasingly migrated alone or with their husbands and leave their children in the care of friends or relatives. Parents may choose to migrate while leaving their children in their countries of origin and then bring their children to the United States at a late date. Approximately, one of three foreign-born children stayed with a relative in their countries of origin before reunification in the United States. It is expected that the parent-child separation would increase the stress of the migration and the risk of developing PTSD. (Perreira and Ornelas)
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B. During Migration Mexicans and other Central Americans have limited access to authorized migration, so they migrate without legal authorization. Many immigrants with legal authorization have lost their visa during their settlement in the Unite Sates as well. Entry to the United States without authorization involves arduous experiences (Perreira and Ornelas). About 3 out of 4 Latino immigrant adolescents had been separated from their primary caregiver, and 24 % of immigrant adolescents have experienced other traumatic events, such as robbery, physical attacks, accidental injuries, and sickness during the migration. (Potochnick and Perreira) “Children immigrating at younger ages are particularly vulnerable to victimization during the migration journey and can have fewer social resources to promote their resilience and forestall the development of mental health problems such as PTSD. Alternatively, young children may also be protected from developing PTSD after a traumatic exposure by lack of awareness due to cognitive immaturity. Adults can also mitigate the risk of trauma during migration for themselves and their children by traveling as part of a larger family unit that can both offer protection from potential assailants and buffer family members from the effect of stress.� (Perreira and Ornelas)
C. Settlement i.
Poverty
Foreign-born immigrant children are more likely than non-immigrant children to live in or near poverty. 28% of foreign-born immigrant children and their families live below the poverty line, which is 3% higher than native-born immigrant children and 9.4% higher than non-immigrant children. Additionally, more than half of the total foreign-born immigrant children live below or near the poverty line. (Child Trends Data Bank)
Figure 4. Percent of Children Living Below the Federal Poverty Line 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Below the poverty First Generation
100-199% of Poverty Second Generation
(Child Trends Data Bank) 7
200% + of poverty Non-Immigrant
Immigrant populations have different economic situations by race. The Hispanic first-generation immigrants have around $ 35,000 of average annual income which is a lower income than the same generation from other ethnic groups, such as Asian and Black (Joo and Reeves).
Figure 5. Medium Income for Three-Person Household $80,000 $70,000 $60,000 $50,000 $40,000 $30,000 $20,000 $10,000 $1st Generation
2nd Generation
Hispanic
1st Generation
2nd Generation
Asian
1st Generation
2nd Generation
Black
1st Generation
2nd Generation
White
(Joo and Reeves)
The seriousness of foreign-born immigrants’ poverty depends on their country of origin. People from Mexico, Central America or South America tend more to live in or near poverty. Immigrant poverty is associated with how long they have stayed in the country. 30% of immigrant families who have stayed in the country fewer than 4 years are living below the poverty line, and 28% do not have health insurance. On average, because younger immigrant families with foreign-born children have stayed in the United States shorter than elder immigrant families, it is expected that foreign-born immigrant children are more likely to be exposed to poverty and uninsured situations (Camarota and Zeigler).
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Figure 6. In Poverty and Near Poverty by Country of Origin 0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Guatemala Honduras Mexico Brazil Dominican Republic Cuba El Salvador Iran Pakistan China Russia Poland Haiti Colombia Peru Vietnam Korea UK Jamaica
immigrant in poverty
Immigrants & native born children in poverty
Immigrants in or Near Poverty
Immigrants & native born children In or Near Poverty
(Camarota and Zeigler)
1. Effects of Poverty Poverty and mental health correlate with each other. Experiences of poverty has risks for poor health, lower school performance, delinquent behavior, unemployment, and dependence on public assistance. Children in poverty are at risk for social, behavioral, and mental health problems (Ives). In an interview with a psychotherapist specializing in child development at Troy Psychotherapy, he states that parents living in poverty do not have enough time to pay attention to and interact with their children. Families in poverty have more risks to have psychologically unhealthy children than children who are not in poverty.
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ii.
Legal Status
According to Pew Hispanic, almost 74% of the total immigrant population are legal immigrants and includes naturalized citizens (41.8%), legal permanent residents (27.4%), and temporary legal residents (4.5%). 26.3% of the foreign-born population are unauthorized immigrants (Pew Research). However, Latino immigrant families are more likely to be undocumented than other immigrants. Even though Mexican immigrants occupy less than 30% of the total immigrant population, they occupy 56% of the total unauthorized immigrant population. Immigrants from Central America have a higher percentage of undocumented status as well (Rosenblum and Ruiz Soto). Legal status is associated with immigrant children’s anxiety. Without change of legal status, social supports cannot reduce children’s anxiety, but personal motivation can reduce it(Potochnick and Perreira).
Figure 7. Overall Foreign-born Population and Unauthorized Status by Country / Region of Origin 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Mexico
Asia
Europe/Canada /Oceania All immigrants
Caribbean
Central America Sotuh America
Africa
Unauthoized Immigrants
1. Health-Care Access Immigration status is associated with foreign-born children’s wellbeing. This is because children with legal status have access to Medicaid. However, it is hard for undocumented immigrants to have Medicaid so they are more likely to be uninsured the than U.S. born population and naturalized citizens. In fact, 51.3% of undocumented immigrants do not have health insurance, which is higher than documented immigrants (33.6%). Because of this reason, undocumented immigrants have the lowest number of emergency room visits in the past year (12.2%) and the highest number of no regular source of care (34.7%) and no doctor visits in the past year (28.4%) (Wallace, Torres and Nobari).
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Figure 8. Labor Force Participation Rates, Poverty Rates, and Uninsured Rates by Immigration Status 100%
75%
50%
25%
0% Labor market (men only) U.S. born
Naturalized citizens
Below the poverty line Lawful permanent residents
Uninsured Undocumented Immigrants
Figure 9. Health Care Access by Immigration Status 40%
30%
20%
10%
0% No regular source of care U.S. born
Naturalized citizens
No doctor visits in past year Lawful permanent residents
Emergency room visits in past year Undocumented Immigrants
(Wallace, Torres and Nobari 10, 12)
Undocumented immigrant children are at risk to have depressive symptoms and/or anxiety. Undocumented children with undocumented parents tend to have symptoms of depression. However, undocumented children with documented parents tend to have both symptom of depression and anxiety (Potochnick and Perreira). According to interviews with Latino organizations in Detroit, many foreign-born immigrant families come to Detroit without legal immigration status and proficiency in English. For this reason, they tend to work at farms without health insurance.
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2. Deportation of Family According to the interviews, one of the current serious issues is parent deportation. DHDC and Living Art Detroit have children who have experienced deportation of parents or very close family. This experience causes serious emotional distress to immigrant children because after the deportation, children cannot contact their families for a long time. For younger children, it is even harder to deal with. Moreover, this experience discourages the immigrant children from contacting public services such as emergency rooms and police.
iii.
Language
By region of origin, children from Latino families are at more risk to have problems with English than children from other families. Immigrants from Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean are more likely not to speak English at home and not speak English well or at all (Camarota and Zeigler). Maternal language abilities contribute to a large variation in children’s vocabulary growth (Toppelberg and Collins). Therefore, foreign-born immigrant children have more difficulty in learning English because their parents are less likely to speak English very well.
Figure 10. Language by Region 0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Mexico Cetral America Caribbean East/Southeast Asia South America Middle East South Asia Europe Sub-saharan Africa
not well or at all
Speaks language other than English at Home
(Camarota and Zeigler)
1. Age of Arrival Sukanya Basu argues that the age of arrival has a relationship with children’s adaptation and development in the new society. To be specific, the critical age for language acquisition and academic achievement is between 8 and 10 years old (4).
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Figure 11. Relation between Age of Arrival and Adaptation of Language, Culture, and Education
First language is acquired before 3 years old, second language is acquired after 3 years old. Having dual first languages is possible. The dominant language can also change depending on the children’s environment, and language shift and loss usually start occurring when children begin school. Early exposure to English leads to faster first language loss than late exposure. In other words, the maintenance and loss of first and second languages are influenced by the environment at home and school. Bilingualism does not cause language delay or disorder. Language competence is related to mental health in children. Mutism is a non-verbal period when children are suddenly immersed in a second language environment. This non-verbal period can be stressful for immigrant children depending on environmental support (Toppelberg and Collins). Immigrants arriving to the U.S. from non-English speaking countries every delayed year of entry after the age of 9 leads to language deterioration and education outcomes deteriorate at the age of arrival of 8 years old. Older immigrant children get significantly fewer years of education than infant entrants and how old they were when they moved is important for language acquisition. When children’s citizenship or English proficiency is controlled, outcomes from children who entered between ages 0 and 12 do not have a significant difference. Countries of origin can affect children’s language development and academic achievement. When Mexican children’s data is excluded, the critical age is moved to 2 years later (Basu 16-20). Infant immigrants have the same level of English skills with native-born children. Children who migrated before 7 years old have almost the same experience of American life with non-immigrant children. Because native-born children have more chances for scholarships and loans from their American citizenships, they are more likely to enter college than foreign-born children (Basu 4, 19). Teenage immigrants get less education than pre-teens and adult immigrants. Children who migrated between 13 and 14 years are 20 to 22 percent less likely to speak English as well as an infant entrant sibling. Children who moved between 16 and 18 years old are not affected by the compulsory education laws. It is assumed that their reason for migration is to enter the labor force in the United States. Teenage entrants may require assistance beyond language classes to navigate U.S. society better. An education gap exists among immigrant generations. Younger parents have more time to familiarize themselves with the U.S. so they would have more finances and information (Basu 17, 22).
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2. Mutism and Emotional Distress Exposure to a second language environment is very stressful for immigrant children. Older children are more likely to suffer more seriously than younger children. Mutism often lasts for a long time. For example, an interviewee stated that one student is very quiet when speaking English even though she has been in the states for 3 years and speaks Spanish to her family. Sometimes mutism is not overcome easily.
iv.
Discrimination
Discrimination is associated with immigrant families’ depressive symptoms, and experiences of discrimination in school ultimately diminishes children’s educational motivation and achievement. More than 60 percent of students have experienced at least one instance of discrimination from their peers. 42 percent have perceived discrimination from their teachers at least once by 4th grade. Approximately, half of the Latino adolescents thought they had been graded unfairly, and about 25 percent reported that their teachers discouraged them from taking part in advanced-level classes and disciplined them wrongly (Brown 1-4). Some of them suffer from teachers’ low expectations and stereotypes as trouble makers. Immigrant youth experience ethnic discrimination from teachers 2 or 3 times a year, and minorities in less diverse schools are more likely to face discrimination. When their teachers value diverse classrooms, Latino immigrant students tend to feel less peer discrimination and be more positive. Moreover, valuing children’s unique spoken languages has better effects than fixing language skills (Brown 4). Even though there is not data showing how many children have experienced discrimination in neighborhoods, neighborhoods play a significant role in immigrant children’s experiences of discrimination. Not only direct discrimination but also indirect discrimination can affect children negatively. For example, their parents would bring stress from a discriminatory experience from their workplace to home, and then the effect of discrimination can be widespread and systemic causing children’s and their families’ lower self-esteem and life satisfaction. The negative effects include hopelessness, depression, depressive symptoms, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The lower sense of belonging which can be created by discrimination is detrimental to students’ academic outcomes, and Latino students are more likely than others to score lower on academic achievement tests and be held back a grade with lower educational aspirations (Brown 6-10). Depressive symptoms can be reduced by both social supports and personal motivation. Because personal motivation can reduce both depressive symptoms and anxiety, to increase children’s personal motivation is very useful for children’s emotional health (Potochnick and Perreira).
1. Discrimination in Detroit According to interviews with Hispanic organizations in Detroit, discrimination in Detroit is different from the general discrimination in the United States. This is because Southwest Detroit has been a Latino enclave for almost one hundred years. A large portion of the population in Southwest Detroit is Mexican. In schools in this area, most students are Mexican or other Hispanic origin, so there is not serious discrimination from peers or teachers. However, there is a possibility that teachers from outside of Detroit may discriminate.
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More serious discrimination happens in other places. Latinos are discriminated against by police due to racial profiling. Even though the racial profiling is illegal, it occurs because the police’s target is illegal immigrants. Therefore, undocumented Latino families have serious limitations to explore Detroit and neighboring cities and usually stay within s 5mile radius. Because of this, many Latino immigrants have already started to leave Mexicantown in Detroit and newcomers do not prefer to stay in Southwest Detroit. This type of discrimination is connected with children’s immigration status; it can increase risks of both anxiety and depressive symptoms. Latino-born children’s depressive symptoms can come from feeling that they are not welcomed in the city or in the country. Children’s limited experience from this can affect their future experiences when they enter high school and college. Depressive symptoms from discrimination can also spread to their second and third generations.
v.
Other Information from Secondary Research
“Latino parents frequently share the goal to have their children develop instrumental competences and to preserve values related to intrapersonal (personalismo) and interpersonal (respeto) skills, family connections (familismo), the expression of affection (cariños) and the value of education (educación)” (Toppelberg and Collins) According to “America’s Hispanic Children: Gaining Ground, Looking Forward”, 58% of Latino children live with married parents (Murphey, Guzman and Torres 13). Half of this group live with at least one parent who cannot speak English very well (18). 25% of Latino children live with their mother only (13). 3 percent of the children live with their father only and another 3 percent live without a parent (13). Almost 30% of Latino children are in food-insecure households, which means that they lack regular and secure access to food (22). Even though half of Latino children live in mostly safe places, a quarter of them live in neighborhoods that are unsafe (10). Considering 1 out of 4 Latino children share a bedroom with 3 or more family members, Latino children are more likely to live in an overcrowded home (11). Latino families have interactive family values. 2 out of 3 teens said that their parents praise them for good behaviors nearly every day (Murphey, Guzman and Torres 13), and another 2 out of 3 teens answered that they have parents that they can share issues that really matter with (15). 90% of Latino adults strive to be good parents (Murphey, Guzman and Torres 13) and think a college education is extremely important for their children’s future (16). 33 percent of Latino parents of young children read to the children daily, but this number is half of white parents (14). Latino children in Kindergarten have well-developed social-emotional skills including self-control, positive interpersonal communication and problem-solving techniques (Murphey, Guzman and Torres 17). However, they tend to not have the necessary skills to make optimal progress in school, such as math, reading science, and writing skills compared to other students (16). Latino children in school are less likely to know the alphabet, numbers, how to write their names, or how to read written words (Murphey, Guzman and Torres 17). They are less likely to participate in early education programs and attend after-school sports but more likely to attend religious services (19). Latino teenagers are more likely to be overweight and obese. They are also ranked the second highest in teen pregnancy (Murphey, Guzman and Torres 23).
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vi.
Length of Time in the United States
It requires a great deal of time for immigrant families to fully settle in one place. On average, the rate of poverty and those without health insurance starts to decrease from 16 years after they migrated, and English speaking skills start to grow from 20 years after the migration. According to interviews, this is because of Latino parents’ hard-working ethic. Because immigrant children are attending schools in the United States, they have more chances to learn English. However, immigrant parents tend to have low paid jobs which do not require both legal status and language proficiency. For this reason, they tend to spend most of their time working and are losing chances to overcome poverty and language issues. Figure 12. Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage by Years in the U.S.
Figure 13. Ability to Speak English by Years in the U.S.
<4
<3 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10 11-12 13-14 15-16 17-18 19-20 21-22 23-24 25-26 27-28 29-30 31-32 33-34 35-36 37-38 39-40 41-42 43-44 45-46 47-48 49-50 51-52 53-54 55-56 57-58 59-60 61-62 63-64 >64
4-5 6-7 8-9 10-11 12-13 14-15 16-17 18-19 20-21 22-23 24-25 26-27 28-29 30-31 32-33 34-35 36-25 41-35 46-45 51-55 56-65 >65 0%
20%
Without Health Insurance
40% In or Near Poverty
60%
0%
Poverty
30%
Only English or Very Well
60% Well
90%
Not Well or At All
(Camarota and Zeigler)
16
D. Migration Support “General improvement in child functioning and adjustment, decrease in depressive symptoms may potentially lead to an increase in academic motivation.” (Elmelid) Because a negative relationship exists between depressive symptoms and academic motivation (Elmelid), it is important to reduce them. Social support from parents, teachers, and peers can buffer the negative effects perceived discrimination (Brown 15). Social support also reduces the odds of depressive symptoms (Potochnick and Perreira). However, children’s anxiety symptoms are not affected by social supports. Only personal motivation reduces the odds of both symptoms of depression and anxiety (Potochnick and Perreira). Therefore, migration support should improve children’s personal motivation. For example, setting goals is a positive way to maintain motivation. The individual will also reduce anxiety levels when performing a similar task in the future (Cheek). Immigrant children’s bicultural adaptation is considered the most successful overall outcome. Being able to communicate in multiple languages would enhance Latino-born children’s capacity to tap into protective resources. In terms of helping language and cultural acquisition and minimizing distress, nonlinguistic aspects of bicultural competence may have an important role in Latino-born immigrant children (Toppelberg and Collins). A psychotherapist specializing in child development at Troy Psychotherapy states that because Latinoborn immigrant children have less interaction with their parents, another support which keeps in touch and more frequently interacts with Latino children is necessary.
6. Latino Children’s Identity There are some benefits that Latino-born immigrant children have. These can positively work on the immigrant children’s assimilation when they are preserved appropriately.
A. Bilingualism Immigrant children are the dominant dual language learners in the U.S. schools. Immigrant children who have at least one immigrant parent occupied less than a quarter of the total number of students in public school, but they occupied 75 percent of the total foreign-language student population. 76 percent of all immigrant households in the U.S. speak languages other than English at home. This means that children from immigrant families have a higher possibility of English not being their first language (Camarota and Zeigler).
i.
Benefits of Bilingualism
Bilingualism is beneficial to children’s development. Proficiency in first language and second language affects growth in a host of verbal and non-verbal cognitive skills. For example, language competence predicts other reactions and consequences, such as gratification and impulse delay (Toppelberg and Collins). For example, grammatical development of verb tenses, lexical acquisition, narrative development, and conversation skills help children control impulse. Bilingualism has advantages such as metalinguistic awareness, concept formation, creativity and cognitive flexibility. It also has sociocultural advantages because each language has a differential emotional valence. However, there is not a significant relation between second language competence and psychiatric problems (Toppelberg and Collins). 17
According to interviews with LA SED and DHDC many Latino-born immigrant children are fluent in both English and Spanish. Bilingualism is beneficial for children to have more chances, such as educational benefits, more job opportunities in the future, more various perspective. Due to the huge benefits, all Latino organizations interviewed recommended keeping children’s bilingualism.
B. Multiculturalism Bicultural adaptation of minority children and adults is considered to produce the healthiest and most successful overall outcomes (Toppelberg and Collins). Latino organizations agree with the values of keeping Latino culture. They believe that keeping Latino culture helps children learn how to respect another culture which is not American or Latino. Latino immigrant children will become a representative of what America is supposed to be in the future. Parents also want immigrant children to preserve their traditional culture in the United States.
i.
Challenges of Multiculturalism in the U.S.
Children with a multicultural background face many challenges. Because of their or their parents’ immigration, they have trouble with exploring and experiencing the United States. To be specific, immigrant children have to stay in their enclaves because of many issues including racial profiling, their immigration status, discrimination, and their economic situation. This limited experience can cause negative effects on immigrant children’s development when they enter a high school or college, such as poor academic achievement and depressive symptoms. Latino organizations interviewed feel that Latino-born immigrant children have fewer opportunities than others and Latino children drop out college education frequently.
ii.
Limited Access to Latino Culture
After the migration, many children have not had a chance to visit their country of origin again. By interacting with the Latino population in Southwest Detroit, Latino children learn Latino culture, but some people in the organizations are not sure that children know Latino culture perfectly. Southwest Detroit has preserved Mexican culture, but it does not mean their culture is exactly the same as with the original Mexican culture. To be specific, 4th and 5th generations also live in Southwest Detroit, and this population speaks English rather than Spanish and do not know Latino cultures very well. For this reason, Southwest Detroit tries to adapt newcomers to become more Latino and Mexican.
iii.
Latino Family
Familism is an important Hispanic value. Latinos tend to have extended families with grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, and others who are not biological relatives (Carteret). Each family member is willing to sacrifice for the family and other family members. Latinos have made great sacrifices to migrate to the United States in order to provide their children with a better economic, educational and social life (Long). Immigrant children tend to be aware of their parents’ sacrifices and support their parents and family in return for their sacrifice. Even though Mexican-heritage families who have lived in the United States longer are likely to have lower level of familism than those who moved recently, second and thirdgeneration Latino children support familism more strongly than European-American children (Nolle, Gulbas and Kuhlberg). 18
According to interviews with immigrants, children need to understand how their parents sacrifice for them. That is the key for their family to keep healthy. One interviewee reported that understanding parents’ sacrifices were helpful for her to endure hardships and to adjust to a new language and environment, and served as motivation for academic achievement.
C. Latino Children’s Adaptation i.
Value of Migration
In the survey, foreign-born immigrants think that the better quality of life is the most valuable aspect of what they have gained from migration (57.4%). Other responses include advanced education opportunity (26.2%), bilingualism (4.9%), and higher income (4.9%).
ii.
Cultural Adaptation
70.5 percent of participants think cultural adaptation means embracing American values and lifestyles, and 16.4 percent think it means getting a legal status or citizenship. 50.8 percent said that for cultural adaptation, peers or friends play the most important role, followed by family (18.0%) and teachers (11.5%). 83.3 percent answered that a sense of belonging is what they get from these people.
7. Competitor Analysis There are not direct competitors who are targeting the same users, foreign-born immigrant teenagers, with the same purpose or perspective. However, there are some apps targeting teenagers offering either anonymity or social media interaction.
A. Competitors i.
Doongle (App)
Offers: • •
Global friendship by posting multimedia messages Real-time group chat with friends
Strengths: • • • •
Easy way to interact with people from different background Group chat with global friends A number of users: more than 1,000,000 users from 118 countries and 3,800 cities including adult users (Doongle Corp) Translation function
Weaknesses: • •
Little real life experience No interaction with family
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ii.
Facebook and Instagram (App & Web)
Offers: • • •
Social interaction with friends by posting multimedia messages Real-time chat with friends Information of local events and activities
Strengths: • •
Easy way to post & share multimedia messages with friends A number of users: 2 billion users(Facebook) and 700 million users(Instagram) over the world (Constine) Popular throughout the world
•
Weaknesses: • • •
No encouragement for real interaction No support to broaden global friendship Limited educational services for children’s diverse experiences
iii.
Snapchat (App)
Offers: • •
Social interaction using multimedia messages Real-time chat
Strengths: • • •
A great number of videos and users: More than 300 million users (Aslam) One of the most popular apps for teenagers Popular in the United States
Weaknesses: • • •
Little encouragement for real interaction No support to broaden global friendship Limited educational services for children’s diverse experiences
iv.
YouTube (App & Website)
Offers: • •
Video posting & sharing with other users Real-time video with group chat
Strengths: • • •
A great number of educational and/or interesting contents that can attract teenagers A number of users (1.5 billion) and easy access Popular throughout the world
20
Weaknesses: • • •
No encouragement for real interaction No service to broaden global friendship No social interaction with family and friends
v.
ASK.fm (App)
Offers: •
Q&A system with anonymity
Strengths: • A number of users: 32 million users (ASK.fm) Weaknesses: • •
Limited functions that are to only share concerns but do not attract teenagers’ interests Anonymous which does not help users to make new friends or have activities in the real world
B. Conclusion There is no direct competitor targeting foreign-born immigrant teenagers or children or broadening their real experience and/or interaction in the United States. Although there are many strong social media and other apps which are famous and popular for teenagers, none of these apps encourage users to make new friends, to interact with them in the real world, or to participate in activities with incentives. For example, Facebook simply offers information about local events and activities, but it does not have any incentives which motivate users’ participation. For this reason, a service for interaction with new friends and local activities would have a unique value proposition in the market.
8. Analysis A. Summary Latino-born immigrant children have more risks of mental disorders and lower academic attainment than other children. Not only before and during migration but also after migration, they are exposed to various factors which have negative effects on Latino families’ adaptation and their children’s development, such as poverty, economic status, social status, language, and discrimination.
i.
Factors Which Affect Lower Academic Attainment
Depressive symptoms affect immigrant children’s educational achievement and academic attainment. This is because depressive symptoms can reduce children’s sense of belonging in school, educational motivation, and academic achievement. Anxiety can also have effects on children’s academic achievement and attainment. Language proficiency is directly related to both academic achievement and mental health including depressive symptom and anxiety. When children’s experiences are limited, it can negatively affect their college completion. Therefore, we need to reduce children’s depressive symptoms for foreign-born children’s academic achievement and attainment. 21
ii.
Factors Which Cause Mental Disorders
Traumatic events before or during migration can cause immigrant children’s depressive symptoms. After migration, they are still exposed to various factors which may negatively affect children’s mental health, such as poverty, economic status, legal status, language, and discrimination. Depressive symptoms are usually affected by legal status, language, and discrimination. Children who experienced the deportation of very close family or lacked attention from parents are more likely to have depressive symptoms. Anxiety is caused by economic and legal status.
iii.
Personal Motivation and Social Supports
Even though social supports can immediately improve children’s language development, social supports cannot reduce their anxiety. Personal motivation can reduce both anxiety and depressive symptoms. Therefore, social supports need to enhance children’s personal motivation. In addition, Latino children’s college completion will be improved when social supports broaden their experiences in the United States.
iv.
Latino Families’ Identity
Bilingualism and multiculturalism are unique features that foreign-born immigrant children have, and preserving Latino culture in the United States is recommended. Familism is a very important value for Latinos. Awareness of parents’ sacrifice can increase Latino children’s personal motivation.
v.
Important Age Group
Foreign-born children between 13 and 16 years old are the most important population because of risks and possibilities. As stated, there is a relationship between foreign-born children’s arrival age and risks of not adjusting to a new environment due to many factors. To be specific, children who migrated after the age of 12 have risks of both language and education. However, children 16 years old or under 16 years old rarely have risks of language and education when social support and/or personal motivation has been applied. For these reasons, foreign-born immigrant children who moved between 13 and 16 years old need to be considered as the target users in this project.
vi.
Latino Family’s Story
Based on the research, a young Latino family’s migration & resettlement story is written. This Latino family has two children. One is 12 years old, and the other is 3 years old. Before migration, the young Latino family lived in a rural area in Mexico. They experienced poverty and violence, and parents decided to migrate to the United States. The parents moved to the United States leaving their children with their grandparents. The parents found jobs with their siblings’ help. One year later, the parents helped their children cross the border with their grandparents.
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The father is a construction worker and the mother works on a farm. Even though they work very hard, their earnings are low. They usually work until late at night, so they do not have enough time to interact with their children. They do not own a house, so they move frequently. The parents cannot drop their children off at the school because of their immigration status. Instead, the children use public transportation or transportation offered by the non-profit organization in the city. The children attend a Latino organizationsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; afterschool programs. The older child is not familiar with English, so she is very quiet when she needs to speak English. One day, an uncle was deported because of racial profiling. Because of it, the family has decided to not go out of their neighborhood anymore. Even though children have activities outside of their neighborhood, the parents cannot attend. The older child decides enter a college after her graduation. It is hard for her to seek financial support. After starting college, she has difficulty catching up in a class because of her limited experiences. She is currently considering dropping out of college.
vii.
Opportunity in Market
There are many strong social media and apps would be the potential competitors in the market. However, none of these services are not focusing foreign-born immigrant children or teenagers. Most of them do not offer enough educational contents and encourage participation in local activities and/or interaction between peers from different backgrounds. Considering the necessity of harmonious integration of foreign-born immigrant children, this project will have a unique value proposition in the market by enriching their experience in the United States.
B. Potential Solution i.
Key Objectives
The ultimate goal of Harmonious Integration of Foreign-born Immigrant Children is to provide enriched experiences which help foreign-born teenagersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; better adaption in the United States. This project will approach to not only foreign-born immigrant teenagers, but also native-born teenagers because good adaptation cannot be achieved without enough exploration in the society and interaction with nonimmigrant population. To achieve this ultimate goal, there are three ways that this project need to focus: 1. The design solution would offer diverse information and support for foreign-born immigrant teenagers to participate in local activities. 2. The design solution would encourage exchange of cultural experiences by enhancing interaction between peers from different backgrounds. 3. The design solution would create more opportunities for friendships between teenagers from different cultures.
ii.
Target Population
Young Latino families who recently migrated to the United States with their teenage child or children.
23
iii.
Target Users
The main target users are foreign-born immigrant teenagers between 13 and 16 years old. This is because they have the highest risks of poor adaptation and the most possibility to change. Additionally, native-born teenagers between 13 and 16 years old are also target audience in this project. This is because it is important to provide foreign-born immigrant teenagers with chances for enough exploration in the society and interaction with non-immigrant teenagers.
1. Foreign-Born Immigrant Teenagers Profiling: More than 50% of them are Hispanic mostly from Mexico, Central America, and Caribbean. They are more likely to not speak English well than immigrants from other continents when they first come to the United States. Additionally, this population is less likely to have legal immigration situation. They also have risks of poverty and tend to experience discrimination in their neighborhood. Needs: This project needs to focus on foreign-born immigrant teenagers from Latin culture, specifically targeting 13 to 16 years old by offering support for their immigration status, language, and poverty. Reducing discrimination experience would also be important for those teenagers to feel welcoming in the United States. Goal: The goal of foreign-born immigrant teenagers is better adaptation into the U.S. society in terms of reduction of symptoms of depression and anxiety and improvement of academic achievement and college completion. Motivation: Topics interesting to teenagers, chances to ask questions and share concerns, and make new friends from different backgrounds who live in neighbor cities and/or neighborhoods would be main motivation. Resources and supports for local activity participation could motivate these users.
2. Native-Born Teenagers Profiling: They feel very comfortable in speaking English regardless of what cultural background they have. In the case of native-born teenagers from immigrant families are more likely be bilingual. Compared to foreign-born teenagers, they tend not to know cultures other than American well. Needs: They need various experience to interact with people from diverse background. This is because the United States are getting more diverse and the portion of immigrant population is the most drastically increasing in the world. Goal: The goal of native-born teenagers is better understanding and empathy toward foreign-culture from various experiences and interaction with immigrant teenagers. Motivation: Stimuli which help teenagers to participate in local activities and events and get compensated after the local activity participation would motivate these users.
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9. Design Solution A. Primary Scope Through this project I would like to achieve: 1. Exposure to diverse local activities and events and encouragement of participation 2. Experience exchange between different cultural backgrounds 3. More opportunities to build new friendships To achieve these purposes, app & UX Design including system map, user journey, persona & scenario, app GUI design, app workflow, and a prototype will be delivered. The reason why a mobile application is designed is that apps have the biggest potential to access the target population, foreign-born immigrant teenagers. First, teenagers tend to be obsessed with their own phones. According to Pew Research, 73% of teenagers had access to a smartphone in 2015. In this research, 71 percent of Hispanic teenagers had their own smart phone (Pew Research Center). When I observed Latino teenagers at Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation, I was able to see teenagers spending their free time with their own phones. Second, mobile application is an economic solution for target users. Because the target users in this project are more likely to be in poverty, the solution should consider how encourage users to access to the solution without expensive costs. When mobile application is developed, it does not require high costs and can be distributed to users with lower prices than products. Moreover, mobile application would help to utilize all the high technology components that target users already have in their phone. For these reasons, mobile application is the most effective and efficient solution.
Figure 14. Purpose of ExPeeR: Interaction between foreign-born immigrant and non-immigrant teenagers
25
ExPeeR will mainly offer three features: First, ExPeeR helps immigrant teenagers to enjoy more various and beneficial experiences in the United States by encouraging participation in local events and activities. Second, ExPeeR connects immigrant and non-immigrant teenagers and offers better interaction to build positive attitudes and values in their minds by creating better experience and benefits from the interaction between them. Third, ExPeeR offers a virtual place where teenagers can share their concerns and opinions to find solutions or help when they are in trouble.
B. User test i.
First User Test 1. User Test with Program Manager
This user test was conducted on March 2nd, 2018 with a program manager at Living Arts Detroit. This user tested the prototype using a mobile app mock-up with this test structure: 1. Introduction, 2. Prototype Test, and 3. Interview. This test is completed to validate: 1. 2. 3. 4.
If ExPeeR has enough motivation and incentives to enrich Latino children’s experience If educational organizations are willing to be partners with ExPeeR If ExPeeR would be beneficial for foreign-born immigrant teenagers If there are unexpected issues in design process, such as discrimination and cyberbullying
2. User Test with Teenagers This user test was conducted on March 2nd, 2018 with two teenagers attending an afterschool program at Living Arts Detroit. The teenagers are from Latino immigrant families. One teenage participant who is 16 years old moved to the United States when she was 2 or 3, and the other teenager who is 14 years old was born in the United States. The users tested the prototype using a mobile app mock-up with the same structure which was used in the first user test with a program manager of Living Art Detroit: 1. Introduction, 2. Prototype Test, and 3. Interview. This test is completed to validate: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
If Latino teenagers are willing to use ExPeeR If ExPeeR has enough motivation and incentives to enrich Latino children’s experience If they are satisfied with graphic design and graphic user interface If they are satisfied with the usability If there are unexpected issues in design process, such as discrimination and cyberbullying
ii.
Second User Test 1. Usability Test with Non-English Speakers
Due to target users’ language issues, a usability test with people who have not been exposed to English was conducted on March 22nd. Two Korea people who participated in this test do not have any experiences in English-speaking countries. This test focused on how comfortable they feel with the application and if the graphic interface is understandable. The App design was updated based the results of the first user test, and the test was completed online with a short video and images. This is because these participants are not in the United States, 26
This test is conducted to validate: 1. 2. 3. 4.
If ExPeeR is comfortable for non-English speakers If all the buttons and icons are easy to understand without deep knowledge of English If they are satisfied with the usability If there are other issues which interrupt them from enjoying ExPeeR
iii.
Third User Test 1. User Test with an American Student
In order to validate if ExPeeR has attractive features for native-born teenagers, I had a user test with an American student on March 24th. The participant of this user test is a college student and 19 years old. This user test was completed with the same structure of the previous user tests with Latino teenagers and a program manager at Living Arts Detroit. However, this user tested another prototype which was updated based on the results of the previous user tests. This test is conducted to validate: 1. 2. 3. 4.
If features of ExPeeR can attract American teenagersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; interest If American students are willing to use ExPeeR If they are satisfied with graphic design and graphic user interface If they are satisfied with the usability
iv.
Findings from User Test 1. Main Features
Mainly, a function which offers information about local events and encourages participation using supports and incentives is the most popular function for all user participants. Both participants from immigrant families and a non-immigrant family loved this function, and they said that they would be more motivated to participate in local events due to coupons and incentives. The program manager said that encouragement of local events would be helpful for teenagers to have better experiences in the United States. In both interviews with immigrant teenagers and an American student, participants liked anonymity in the app because it can protect immigrant users from discrimination and issues which come from unauthorized immigration status. There were two different opinions about discrimination and cyberbullying from showing cultural backgrounds. One opinion was that showing usersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; cultural background would occasionally cause discrimination in the app, so some users with racism would be aggressive toward users from foreign culture backgrounds. However, the other opinion was that those users who are racists would not start to use this app. This is because interaction between teenagers from different cultures is an essential goal of ExPeeR, so racists would not start to use this app. Participants with the second opinion answered that showing cultural background would help users feel welcomed by existing users. The program manager was skeptical of incentives which motivate teenagers to interact with other users from different backgrounds. Even though motivation for activity participation is enough and would work well, incentives for teenagers to make new friends and have cultural interactions are not enough. However, the American student said that cultural exchange would happen if there are local events where teenagers can interact with peers from different backgrounds. 27
2. Usability Teenage users were quite satisfied with the interface of the app. Each function is separated from one another and offers functions independently unlike the new version of Snapchat which is getting more difficult and confusing to use than the old version of Snapchat. In Snapchat, many functions are connected and related now, and teenage users donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like this change. The main colors grey, yellow, and white are complementary color composition, so this reduces confusion when they were using. To sum up, teenage users prefer clear distinction of functions in order not to be confused by various functions in the app. In two user tests with non-English speakers and an American student, participants said that there are too many icons on the main tap bar, and it is confusing a little. Even though they were satisfied with definite separation of functions, they wanted to see fewer icons on the main navigation bar. The American student wanted five icons including Check Post, Check Event Information, Create Post, Friends, and Message. The American participant said that there are too many pages which convey similar information, so it is necessary to reduce the number of pages by combining some pages. For example, recommended friends should be shown in My Friend List, and group invitation should be shown in My Group List.
3. GUI Design In the case of graphic design, all participants loved the overall graphic design. They liked the logo and its meaning. Latino teenagers said that the contrast of colors, yellow and gray, help them to enjoy the app without confusion. All participants said that all of icons in the application are easy to understand. However, non-English speakers did not like the composition of darker backgrounds and lighter fonts, so this has been changed in the final version. Table 1. Before and After of Graphic User Interface
Before
After
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C. Naming & Logo The meaning of ExPeeR is expanded experience with peers. This name has been created to have similar pronunciation with the original meaning, ‘expanded experience with peers, and repeat letters which are used the most in the words. The logo is designed to emphasize the expansion using letter X. These two colors have been chosen based on the result of the user test with Latino teenagers in which they prefer complementary colors because this color composition reduces confusion in user interface. Figure 15. Logo of ExPeeR
Logo Color • •
Yellow: RGB 250/181/27, #f9b41b Dark Grey: RGB: 66/66/66, #424242
D. Functions Figure 16. Graphic User Interface of ExPeeR
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ExPeeR basically offers three kinds of functions. The first function is connection between users to broaden their friendship. The second function is to offer places to talk about topics that teenage users are interested in and to share concerns anonymously. The third function is to provide information about local events and activities based on each user’s location information with a variety of supports which would motivate users to participate. For this purpose, there are four main functions: Activity offers information about local events and programs with motivations. In this function, supports and incentives for activity participation will be shown and it is expected that this would encourage teenagers to participate in and create more activities and reduce users’ lack of experience in the United States. In Post, users will talk about their favorite topics, such as movies, TV dramas, sports, and others. They can also share their concerns and find answers anonymously. Normal users can share local event information using Post. This function will increase users’ level of involvement in the app. Friend shows the users’ friend list. With Message, users can talk to other users and share their coupons and local event information. The first conversation through Message will be the first step to learn a new language including not only English but also other languages and various cultures.
Table 2. Main Functions of ExPeeR
Reasons: Small geographical area (5 miles of radius) and lack of experience can affect teenagers’ poor academic achievement and college completion. Event & Activity
Benefits: They would have chances to get information and support to participate local events and activities. Reasons: Foreign-born teenagers have various concerns from social factors, such as deportation and immigration status. ExPeeR also needs to attract teenagers’ interest.
Post
Message
Benefits: They can easily find answers when they have concerns from peers. This function would also attract teenagers’ interest by posting multimedia messages about what they are interested in.
Reasons: Lack of experience can affect teenagers’ academic achievement and college completion. Many foreign-born teenagers have language and cultural issues because most of them are from non-English speaking countries. Benefits: By interacting with peers from different backgrounds, they would have chances to learn both languages and cultures.
Social
These are also auxiliary functions which increase the usability of the main functions: Quests shows users’ challenges in order to encourage them to have activities. For example, when users welcome newcomers by talking or becoming friends, they would receive coupons. Coupons and free tickets from Quests and activity participation will be stored in their Inventory. Users will collect and share discount coupons and free tickets with their friends with this function. Users can use Anonymous Mode anytime they want. Anonymous Mode is designed to protect teenage users in the cyberspace and encourage emotional communication. It is expected that this function would help teenagers to be open-minded to share their concerns. 30
Table 3. Auxiliary Functions of ExPeeR
Reasons: Small geographical area (5 miles of radius) and lack of experience can affect teenagers’ poor academic achievement and college completion. Quests
Benefits: They would be motivated to use ExPeeR actively, such as posting multimedia messages, participating in activities, and welcoming new users. Reasons: Small geographical area (5 miles of radius) and Lack of experience can affect teenagers’ poor academic achievement and college completion.
Inventory
Benefits: They would get support to participate local events and activities. Inventory would also encourage participation in activities and interaction between peers. Reasons: Foreign-born teenagers have various concerns from social factors, such as deportation and immigration status. Most of immigrant teenagers have experienced discrimination.
Anonymity
Benefits: Anonymity would protect them from discrimination and other negative issues coming from their social status. Benefits: Users can find all the data in ExPeeR including event information, users, groups, and topics.
Search
E. Scenario i.
Experience Loop
ExPeeR will mainly offer three features: First, ExPeeR helps immigrant teenagers to enjoy more various and beneficial experiences in the United States by encouraging participation in local events and activities. Second, ExPeeR connects immigrant and non-immigrant teenagers and offers better interaction to build positive attitudes and values in their minds by creating better experience and benefits from the interaction between them. Third, ExPeeR offers a virtual place where teenagers can share their concerns and opinions to find solutions or help when they are in trouble.
In the app, teenage users will follow this process: 1. Registration: By putting information such as language, cultural background, nickname, role model, and basic personal information a user starts to use ExPeeR. All information which is necessary for users’ safety is collected in this step. 2. Receiving welcome message: After a user signs into the app, he or she will receive a message from an existing user. During this time, they will talk anonymously, and the new user will get a chance to get to know what is going on in this app by talking to peers through sending messages. This is the first step of making new friends in ExPeeR. Users can skip this process if they do not want.
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3. Talking with other users: ExPeeR provides a place where users can post their topics of interest and concerns with or without anonymity. They share thoughts and opinions about what they are interested in, such as TV dramas, movies, sports, and others. They can share their concerns, such as family issues and their school life, with other users anonymously. 4. Making friends: with the previous process, users will have new friends who do not live in the neighborhood, so that they will have more various friends with more diverse backgrounds. 5. Planning activities and inviting friends to the activities: ExPeeR provides information about local events and recommends with supports to help them to participate in activities, such as transportation free tickets, and incentives, such as local restaurant discount coupons. Users will plan activities and share information with their friends. They also share their coupons and tickets that they have with their friends. Those things will help them to encourage them to explore the U.S. and have deeper friendship with friends. 6. Welcoming other users: When users get familiar with the app, they start to welcome newcomers. Welcoming newcomers is also beneficial for existing users because it is a challenge which gives them incentives. 7. Achieving goals and benefits and getting compensated: All of this process will encourage users to make new friends, share concerns, have fun with their favorite topics, and explore the United States. Based on their achievement, users will get compensated, and compensation will include scholarships for educational programs and free membership opportunities from their local non-profit organizations and museums.
Figure 17. Process of ExPeeR
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Figure 18. Receiving Welcome Message and Joining a Group
Figure 19. Sharing Concerns Anonymously
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Figure 20. Conversation about Topics Users are Interested in
Figure 21. Categories
Topics: The parent category includes 6 topics, art, dancing, movie and TV dramas, music, sports, and video games, and the number of topics is managed by ExPeeR. Each topic also has many subcategories, and they are created and managed by users unlike the parent category.
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Figure 22. Participating in Events and Activities
ii.
Experience Map
In order to understand the process of ExPeeR that users will experience, the scenario map has been created. The scenario map shows how information flows, how stakeholders act, what safety issues are expected to happen, and when these issues would occur. The four sections in red are periods in which safety issues can happen. In order to deal with various emergency situations and make ExPeeR safer, some steps have been added when users start to use ExPeeR. To be specific, teenage users need consent from both their parent and teacher. Parents will get informed of what events their children are planning to participate in, how safe and reliable these events are, and their children’s location when they are going to or participating in an event. Teachers will also play proactive roles in children’s safety. All teachers are from schools or organizations that teenage users are involved in, and only those who are authorized by ExPeeR can play this role. All of these teachers are ExPeeR’s partners, so they will have some duties in ExPeeR, such as monitoring events periodically. Like users’ parents, teachers will also receive information about children’s location and their event particpation. Online connection between a user’s parent and teacher will be created in order to prepare for bad situations. More specific information about safety will be explained in another section of this paper. The three sections in blue are periods in which ExPeeR will motivate teenage users. By using diverse incentives, rewards, and motivation, ExPeeR will encourage diverse activities with peers and local communities. More specific motivation strategy will be explained in another section of this paper. 35
Figure 23. Experience Map of ExPeeR
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F. Safety Policy Because ExPeeR is a complex place which offers both virtual and real experiences to immigrant and non-immigrant teenagers, a safety policy which holistically deals with their demographics such as immigration status, economic status, and their age is necessary. For this reason, ExPeeR’s safety policy has been designed with a reference to services such as PayPal and ASK.fm. The safety policy will protect teenage users from various problem, such as cyberbullying, bullying in events and activities, sexual predators, and drugs. Safety in ExPeeR will be achieved by all stakeholders’ efforts including teenage users, their parents and teachers, partners, and ExPeeR.
Table 4. Stakeholders’ Roles for Safety in ExPeeR
Type of Stakeholder
Roles to Make ExPeeR Safe
Teenage Users
Reporting bad users and posts Rating events and activities after the participation
Parents
Monitoring events and activities when they want Checking their children’s location and event information
Teachers
Monitoring events and activities Checking their students’ location and event information
Partners
Monitoring events and activities Monitoring bad users and posts online
ExPeeR
Monitoring bad users and posts online Collecting and reflecting on all stakeholders’ feedback
i.
Register
For teenage users’ safety in the app and their activities, there are some steps to activate users’ accounts. After putting personal information which is required to sign up, they have to be identified using their phone number and then connect their accounts to both their teachers and their parents. Without personal identification, users will not be able to use any services in ExPeeR. On the other hand, when they do not have connection with either their parent or teacher, they cannot use functions related to event participation. Functions related to posts, such as creating posts and checking posts, are available for them. The connection with a parent and a teacher will create a new relationship between them which will be useful when a teenage user encounters an emergency situation.
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Figure 24. Connection among Users, Parents, and Teachers
Figure 25. Interface when Connection Is Not Completed
Table 5. Availability of Functions without Connection
Function
Availability
See and comment on posts
Available without connection with a parent and/or teacher
Create posts
Available without connection with a parent and/or teacher
Event information
NOT available without connection with a parent and teacher
Event participation
NOT available without connection with a parent and teacher
Supports and incentives to encourage event participation
NOT available without connection with a parent and teacher
Coupon-sharing
NOT available without connection with a parent and teacher
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Table 6. Interface of Personal Identification and Authorization
Personal Identification
Parentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Authorization
Connection with Teacher
1. Personal Identification Personal identification is the first step for users to sign up for ExPeeR. Users have to put their phone number, and they will get a verification code through their SMS. Without the personal identification, users cannot enjoy ExPeeR. This is because the personal identification is one of the most effective way to manage online and offline safety. Even though there are many functions which can be used anonymously, users are required to pass this step to enjoy ExPeeR.
Figure 26. Anonymity and Identification in ExPeeR
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2. Teacher Authorization Teachers who can manage teenage users’ activities are authorized by ExPeeR. All teachers must be from schools and educational organizations, and these organizations will be ExPeeR’s partner. This is because educational organizations for immigrant children usually have good relationships with not only children but also with their parents. They are also good at both English and a foreign language, such as Spanish. Additionally, they have connection with other educational organizations and other organizations which specialize in different things, such as settlement, legal issues, and job searching. They have abilities to solve various issues and problems when users are in trouble.
3. Parent Authorization Users also have to connect with one of their parents. Without parents’ authorization, users cannot enjoy functions related to events including sharing and using coupons, checking event information, participating in events, and getting rewards. After parents’ authorization, parents will get children’s information, such as their decisions to participate in events and their location information when they are participating in events through SMS. Text messages are provided in two languages based on their preferences. Differently from teachers, parents do not have to sign up for ExPeeR.
ii. Function Availability Even though anonymity in ExPeeR is designed to protect users, it was also necessary to consider negative effects of anonymity. For this reason, functions have been divided into two types, functions which can be used anonymously and functions which can never be used anonymously. To be specific, users can create and comment on posts either anonymously or openly, but they cannot post event information anonymously. Users can check information about local events anonymously. However, the most important thing is that even though there are many functions which can be used anonymously, this anonymity is only between users. Users are not anonymous to ExPeeR.
Table 7. Functions Which Can Be Used Anonymously and Cannot Be
Anonymous Mode
Identified Mode
Post
O
O
Create Post
O
O
Friend
O
Coupon-Sharing
O
Friend Profile
O
User Profile Event-Organize and Post
O Only authorized organizations can organize and post events O (Event information which is created by unauthorized users will be gone over before being open to the public)
Event Post Event Participation
O
O
Message
O
O
Group
O 40
iii. Cyberbullying 1. Report Cyber harassment is an issue easily expected to happen in the virtual space, and this will be regulated by the report system. All users have the right to report users who harassed virtually or in person. After verification, users with bad history will be not only banned but also accused of a crime when the level of his or her harassment is too serious. This report system also affect users’ achievement score. Users with bad history in messaging and/or posting will not get compensation and benefits on their achievement. Racism and sexual harassment in the virtual space will also be dealt in this scope. Because users who have reported cyberbullying have contributed online safety, they will receive activity scores based on the number of report. The scores reflect only verified reports, and wrong or false reports will not be counted.
2. Block Block is a function to prevent a user without ExPeeR’s verification while report system is to punish users who cyberbullied. Block does not include any kinds of punishment, but it removes all the connection between two users when one user block the other. After you block a user, you will not see anything related the user you block including this user’s posts, messages, comments, and profile.
Table 8. Interface of Report and Block
GUI in which users can report or block a user
GUi in which users can explain why a user should be punished
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3. Post Monitoring All online contents including posts, comments, and event information will be monitored 24/7. There are three essential steps which monitor online contents proactively. First, a wordfilter which automatically scans users’ posts, comments, and messages will change or remove bad language. Second, partners will participate in monitoring posts. They will monitor posts and report bad users and posts while checking the public opinions about their services such as movies and TV dramas. Third, ExPeeR will monitor all contents by itself.
iv. Activity Safety 1. Information Flow about Teenage Users’ Event Participation For teenage users’ safety in local events and activities, information including their location and decision of event participation will be sent to their parents and teachers. First, when a user clicks ‘Going’ on an event information page, event information including date, location, safety level, and event organizer’s information is sent to both parents and teachers with a link. Second, when a user is going to or participating in events, their location information is also sent to his or her parent and teacher, so that they can check on the user’s safety anytime. Parents and teachers can also participate to monitor events, and they will have chances to give feedback to ExPeeR and event organizers.
Table 9. Interaction with Teenage Users’ Parents and Teachers
When a parent is listed
When a user decided to participate in an event
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When a user is going to an event
Figure 27. Location Information Flow When a Teenage User Is Participating an Event
2. Help for Teenage Users Teenage users can ask for help through ExPeeR when they are exposed to dangers. With one click, teenage users can let their parents and teachers know that they are in an emergency situation. ExPeeR also informs users of how to reach local events that they are going to and answers users’ questions in real time. Telephone counselling is also open to users. Table 10. How Safety Policy Works in the App
SMS Message sent to users’ parent and teachers
Teenage Users’ Interface
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3. In Emergency Situation ExPeeR plays a leading role in emergency situations. Connection among teenage users, parents, and teachers is created by ExPeeR in order to prepare for emergency situations. This is because many foreign-born immigrant children’s parents do not have authorized legal status, so it can be very difficult for them to appropriately deal with various issues, such as legal issues, by themselves. For this reason, ExPeeR encourages new connections with other professionals and organizations. Based on users’ location, ExPeeR will find and suggest non-profit lawyers or professionals from the partnership. Teachers and educational organizations would also have connection with other organizations in local areas. This connection in ExPeeR will help to deal with emergency situations holistically by using all available resources.
Figure 28. Connection of Stakeholders to Deal with Emergency Situations
4. Organization and Event Assessment In order to keep all activities and events safe, there will be three types of assessment. These will be conducted by teenage users, parents, and partners. Teenage users will rate events and activities that they participated in. Parents also can participate in local events and activities and rate if they want. Parents’ assessment will be conducted through the website because they do not have accounts in ExPeeR. Partners including teenage users’ teachers will have a minimum number of local activities that they have to monitor local activities in person. Based on these three assessment, each organization will have its own scores and this information will be shown on event information and shared with teenage users’ parents through text messages.
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Table 11. Interface of Rating Event and Reliability of an Organization
Rating Event
Event Organizerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Information
Figure 29. Comparison Between Interfaces of Reliable and Unreliable Events
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Figure 30. Comparison between interfaces of reliable and unreliable events
G. Motivation Strategy i. Event Participation Here are four types of motivation which enhance users’ participation in local activities and events, such as Quests, Activity Support, Incentives, and Rewards. Quests is designed for users’ action in the virtual space. When a user completes a mission in the quests, he or she would get compensated. Activity support helps users participate in activities, such as transportation ticket and discount coupon. With this support, teenagers would access events and activities with lower costs. Incentives are compensations for users’ activity participation. Every time users participate in local events or activities, they would get incentives such as coupons for local restaurants and markets, exhibition free tickets, and promotion codes for free movies and TV dramas. Rewards are the ultimate compensation. Scholarships for educational programs, museum membership, and additional credits in school are included. Rewards are distributed based on each user’s achievement. Achievement would consist of activity participation, quest completion, multimedia message posting, and comments on posts.
Table 12. Motivation Strategy of ExPeeR
Activity Support
Activity Incentives
Quests
Rewards
When users decide to participate in activities
After users participate in activities
When users complete the quest
After the specific period ends
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Table 13. Interface of Motivation Strategy
Activity Support and Incentives
Quests
Achievement Scores
ii. To Make and Interact with New Friends It was necessary to develop incentives for making new friends and interacting with them because they are not clear and attractive. This is because interaction between teenagers from different backgrounds is an important factor in this project. For this reason, I divided motivating factors into two: incentive and motivation. Incentive is support which helps them to make new friends and interact with them. Motivation increases their personal motivation to make and interact with new friends by expanding their interest.
iii. Group System Group system based on interests and location will motivate the user to make and interact with new friends: Users can create groups based on what they are interested in or where they live. For example, users living in Detroit would be involved in Detroit group at first. User can also be members of a topic that they are interested in. Each group will be managed by ambassadors who would be in charge of managing a group and other members. Groups will create and participate in activities and group members would be invited to and motivated to participate in activities.
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Table 14. How Motivation Works in the App
Group
Welcome Message
iv. Culture Score and Language Score By interacting with other users, users can develop their Culture Score and Language Score that users set up the first time they use the app. To be specific, when user interact with another user from a different background, the user can improve his or her culture score. For example, when a user from Mexican culture interacts with another user from Korea, the Mexican user can improve his Korean culture score. Language also works in the same way. Based on what language users have used when they are posting and sending messages, usersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; language scores can be enhanced. By participating in language programs, users can also improve their language score. This function would provide another motivation and incentive that motivate users to make new friends and interact with them.
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Table 15. Culture Score and Language Score in the App
Culture Score
Language Level
v. Incentives and Rewards First, friend recommendation system will provide points and other incentives. Through this function, users would see friend recommendation. When users add a new friend, who is recommended by ExPeeR, users would get incentives. Second, there would be Quests related to making new friends. Quests would encourage users to send messages to newcomers, make new friends, talk to them, and participate in local activities with them. Third, if users make friends while users are participating in an activity or event, they will get incentives. Finally, group system would also give compensation to users. Group members of each group will get reward points based on their group’s achievement based on these criteria: • • • •
How many diverse activities they have created and/or participated in How many new users they have invited and/or made friends How many multimedia messages they have posted How many group members they have
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Table 16. How Incentives Work in the App
Friend Recommendation
Quests to Make Friends
New Friends from Events
H. Partnership Based on the list of stakeholders, partners who have potentials to help ExPeeR to be widely known to the public, attract both immigrant and non-immigrant teenagers’ interest, and motivate them to use ExPeeR continuously have been included in this partnership: Entertainment companies such as Netflix: They will offer interesting TV drama and movie topics for teenagers’ posts. They are necessary to offer incentives which encourage teenagers’ participation and achievement. They would get two benefits from ExPeeR: They will get to know teenagers’ opinions and preference about their films. Additionally, they will have opportunities to make teenagers’ loyalty toward their brand and create society-beneficial brand images. Museums and non-profit educational organizations: They will offer information about local events, activities, and exhibitions. They would also offer free membership or scholarships to children with good achievement. By offering these things to users in ExPeeR, they would get better public awareness which is the most important motivation for them. Public transportation businesses: They will offer discount coupon and/or free tickets for teenagers to visit events more easily. Private businesses would get better reputation about social responsibility, and public businesses would help teenagers have better familiarity toward their services. Considering characteristics of public transportation, the number of users would not drastically affect their expenses. Schools are also considered to be involved in this partnership. When students can get additional credits through ExPeeR activities, there would be various incentives and rewards which encourage users to enjoy the app actively. Immigrant-friendly schools would have better quality of curriculum with ExPeeR and students’ better achievement.
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I. Final Design Visualization i.
Flow Map Figure 31. Flow Map of ExPeeR
51
The app works based on this flow chart. In the Hub, users will access main functions, additional functions which help users to enjoy the main functions, and access to auxiliary functions. Main functions include Activity, Post, Friend, and Message. Additional functions include Discover which shows new or popular activities and multimedia messages and Find which is a search function in ExPeeR. Auxiliary functions include Anonymity On/Off, Quests, and Inventory. Except for Anonymity On/Off users can access in the hub, the other two auxiliary Functions including Quests and Inventory can be approached through access to auxiliary.
ii.
Workflow and Wireframe
Registration Registration is the first step when user starts ExPeeR. By putting personal information such as language, cultural backgrounds, and email address, users can sign up. After putting personal information, users will set role model and topics that they are interested in. The role model will work for their anonymous mode in ExPeeR.
Figure 32. Flow Map of Registration
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Figure 33. Wireframe of Registration
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Posts Posts is the first interface when users sign up or log in to ExPeeR. The first page of Post shows new posts. From the second tap, new posts are arranged by topics that users are interested in. The number of taps in Posts depends on the number of topics that users are interested in.
Figure 34. Flow Map and Wireframe of Posts
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Events Events shows information of local events and activities. The first tap, This Week, shows events which will happen within 7 days. The second tap, Upcoming, shows events that your friends or groups invited you to, users are planning to attend, and they are interested in. When users click an event, users can see detailed information about the event. Users can check how many users would participate in the event, how many friends and who is going to participate in the event, and what supports and incentives are included in the event.
Figure 35. Flow Map and Wireframe of Events
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Creating Post Using Create Post, users can post multimedia messages and local event information. Through this function, users can share opinions about topics that they are interested in and concerns anonymously. Figure 36. Flow Map and Wireframe of Creating Post
Message Using Message, users can check messages from other users and comments on their posts. Figure 37. Flow Map and Wireframe of Message
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Social Social shows not only usersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; friend list but also group list that they are involved in. Using Friends tap, users can see their friendsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; profile, send messages, and share coupons with them. Users can also delete a friend in their friend list. Groups also works in the same way.
Figure 38. Flow Map and Wireframe of Social
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Search Using Search, users can find all the data in ExPeeR including event information, users, groups, and topics.
Figure 39. Flow Map and Wireframe of Search
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Auxiliary Function Auxiliary Function shows usersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; achievement scores with post score, activity score, and the number of coupon that users have. Users can check their Quests and Inventory where usersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; coupons are stored. Users can also update their profile and personal information including topics they are interested in and change settings.
Figure 40. Flow Map and Wireframe of Auxiliary Function
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Anonymous Mode off Users can easily turn off Anonymous Mode anytime by touching the button on top and right side. All the functions of ExPeeR will work the same, whether Anonymity is on or off.
Figure 41. Wireframe of Anonymous Mode
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iii.
Final Graphic User Interface
Registration Figure 42. Graphic User Interface of Registration
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Identification and Connection with a Teacher and Parent
Figure 43. Graphic User Interface of Personal Identification and Connection
62
Posts and Comment on Post
Figure 44. Graphic User Interface of Posts and Comment on Post
63
Events Figure 45. Graphic User Interface of Events and Creating Post
Creating Post and Event Information
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Messages Figure 46. Graphic User Interface of Messages
Social and Search Figure 47. Graphic User Interface of Social and Search
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Auxiliary Function Figure 48. Graphic User Interface of Auxiliary Function
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Friend Profile, User Profile, and Group Information Figure 49. Graphic User Interface of Friend Profile, User Profile, and Group Information
10.
Conclusion
A. Restatement of the Final Analysis This thesis, Harmonious Integration of Foreign-born Immigrant Children into U.S. Society is designed to provide enriched experiences which help foreign-born teenagersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; better adaption in the United States. Latino-born immigrant children who occupy the largest number of foreign-born immigrant children in the United States have more risks of mental disorders and lower academic attainment than other children. Not only before and during migration but also after migration, they are exposed to various factors which have negative effects on Latino familiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; adaptation and their childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s development, such as poverty, economic status, social status, language, and discrimination. When foreign-born immigrant children are not well developed and integrated into society, the negative effects can spread to their second and third-generation children (Potochnick and Perreira). For this reason, it is necessary to offer enriched experiences for their better adaptation. In this thesis, a mobile application, ExPeeR has been designed with an immigrant-centric perspective. ExPeeR will help not only foreign-born immigrant teenagers but also native-born teenagers to share their concerns with peers, get help from professionals from various organizations, participate in local events and activities, and interact with peers from various backgrounds. It is expected that ExPeeR will:
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1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Offer diverse information and support for foreign-born immigrant teenagers to participate in local activities. Encourage the exchange of cultural experiences by enhancing interaction between peers from different backgrounds. Create more opportunities for friendships between teenagers from different cultures. Create a safe place where both immigrant and non-immigrant teenagers share their concerns and have conversations about what they are interested in Enhance foreign-born immigrant families’ safety in the United States
B. Benefits i. Target Users’ Benefits It is expected that these benefits will be created when ExPeeR is offered to users. Foreign-born immigrant teenagers who are the main target of this project would have: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
More enriched experiences in the United States New friends from more diverse backgrounds beyond 5mile radius from their neighborhood Chances to exchange their cultural experiences and learn American culture more effectively A safe place where they can share their concerns and get advice Safer environment which is created by connection with teachers, organizations, and ExPeeR
Native-born teenagers will also get chances to learn foreign languages from immigrant teenagers and develop empathy toward immigrant population. 1. 2. 3. 4.
More enriched experiences in the United States New friends from more various backgrounds Chances to exchange their cultural experience and learn about immigrant cultures A virtual place where they can share their concerns and get advice
ii. Partners’ Benefits All of ExPeeR’s partners will get chances to have society-beneficial brand images. Entertainment companies such as Netflix: Entertainment companies will get to know teenagers’ opinions toward their content, such as what they want or dislike, and what movies and TV dramas are popular among them. Additionally, they will have opportunities to make teenagers’ loyalty toward their brand by being close to each other and creating society-beneficial brand images. Museums and non-profit educational organizations: By offering information about local events, activities, and exhibitions to users in ExPeeR, they would get better public awareness which is the most important motivation for them. This would also be a chance for them to find a new sponsor. Public transportation businesses: Private businesses would get a better reputation about social responsibility, and public businesses would help teenagers have better familiarity with their services. Considering characteristics of public transportation, the number of users would not drastically affect their expenses. In a long-term view, public transportation would be more familiar to the public, so it could be the first step to make public transportation safe and comfortable. Schools: Schools will have many chances to have well-educated students with low costs. This will also reduce the costs that they have to spend for underachieving students. Diverse experiences with ExPeeR will educate teenagers and help their adaptation in the local areas.
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11.
Bibliography
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12.
Appendix
A. Survey Questionnaire Screening Questions 1. 2. 3. -
Do you live in the U.S? Yes / No Are you a foreign-born immigrant? Yes / No When did you move to the U.S? Under 18 / Over 19
Questionnaire
1. How old were you when you were moving to the U.S? (0-18 years) _________________________________________
2. What did motivate you to migrate to the U.S? (Checkboxes: Choose one or more than one -
answer) Economic reason Political reason Environmental reason To escape from conflict or violence Family unification/ reunification To seek superior healthcare Educational purposes No choice (I did not have another choice) Otherâ&#x20AC;Ś
3. What is the most valuable out of you have gained from migration? (Multiple choice: Choose one o o o o o o o
answer) Self-confidence Multi-cultural background Bilingualism (new language skills) Advanced education opportunity Better quality of life High income Otherâ&#x20AC;Ś
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4. What was/were bad thing(s) that you could not expect before migration? (Checkboxes: Choose -
one or more than one answer) Language Discrimination Culture shock Negative effects from illegal status Financial problems Less sense of belonging Lack of access to support from the government Lack of access to support from the non-profit organizations Low academic achievement Other…
5. How did you get help to resolve what you answered at #4? (Checkboxes: Choose one or more -
than one answer) From family From teachers With help from organizations and/or communities From website and/or books From peers/friends Other…
6. What did you get from them (#5)? (Checkboxes: Choose one or more than one answer) -
Language learning Empathy/ Mental care Introducing friends Being involved in a community Job opportunity Financial support After school programs Others…
7. What is a meaning of cultural adaption? (Multiple choice: Choose one answer) o o o o o
Having American food in usual life Embracing American values and lifestyles Legal status and/or Citizenship Speaking English very well Preserving my traditional culture
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8. Who did play the most important role for your cultural adaption? (Multiple choice: Choose one o o o o o o
answer) Family Teachers Peers/friends Organizations, communities, or government Information from Websites, books, or etc. Otherâ&#x20AC;Ś
9. Why do you think that? (Checkboxes: Choose one or more than one answer) -
Empathy/ Mental care Diet/ physical health Having more friends Sense of belonging Economic benefits Educational support Otherâ&#x20AC;Ś
10. Your age/ race/ gender/ education level _________________________________________
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B.
Thesis Interview Guide (20-30 minutes)
Interview Format: Notes + Records Interview Objective: In order to check if the results of the survey are true or not and to develop a deeper understanding about immigrant children’s and their families’ migration and resettlement
Findings from Survey: 1. Economic reasons are the first motivation which caused migration, followed by family (re)unification and educational reasons. Also, many participants answered no reason. 2. The most valuable thing that immigrants have gained is better quality of life. Education opportunity is the second. 3. What they could not expect before migration is negative effect from illegal status followed by a lack of government support. Less sense of belonging and discrimination were third and fourth. 4. Mostly, survey participants received help from their families. 5. Empathy and involvement in a community are the types of support they received from their family. 6. For foreign-born immigrant children, cultural adaptation means embracing American values and lifestyles followed by obtaining a legal status and/or citizenship. 7. They think FRIENDS are more important than families for cultural adaptation. 8. #7 is because of sense of belonging.
What to find: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Meaning of better quality of life? Adult/Parent What are the differences that American culture has from native home/ countries? A/P Meaning of embracing American culture and lifestyle? A/P What is important in order to embrace American culture? How did they open your mind? A/P/T Issues in making friends? A/Teacher Did you (or do your children) have emotional distress? A/P/T Parents’ or teachers’ concerns about their children? P/T Parents’ thoughts about their children’s future, what they expect and want? P Biggest issues in their living? – What is the biggest issue in your life or lives? A/P/T What makes them feel at home?
Interview Script Part1: Opening with brief explanation about thesis Hello, my name is Jin. I am a graduate student in the MFA Integrated Design program at the College for Creative Studies. My thesis is about foreign-born immigrant children’s assimilation in the United States. The purpose of this thesis is to find out what could help foreign-born immigrant children to deal with 74
differences in language and culture and the specific stressors associated with migration and resettlement. As part of my final thesis project, I am engaging with people throughout the design process. I will ask your experience and concerns about you or your children your children as a parent or a teacher. This interview will take approximately 20 to 30 minutes. (2:00) 1. Hi, how are you doing? (3:00) 2. Can I record this interview? (3:30) 3. Please let me know when you are not comfortable with a question or prefer not to answer it. (4:00) 4. Again, thank you so much for your participation. (4:30) Part2: Get to It (Questions Related to Project Topic) Question for adults who moved during their childhood 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
When did you move? How long have you been in the U.S? (5:30) How old were you when you were migrating? (6:00) Do you think you had a better quality of life after migration? Why? (7:30) What are American values and lifestyles that are different from yours? (9:00) What is the most important value in embracing American culture? (10:30) Do you think you have embraced American culture very well? Why? (12:00) What was the most difficult thing for you to adapt into the U.S society? (13:00) Was it difficult making American friends? (14:30) -1: if yes, would you let me know why? 9. Did you experience emotional distress at that time? Can you describe it? (17:30) -1: If not, what helped you? -2: If yes, what helped you most? 10. Do you currently have some emotional distress associated to those times? (19:00) 11. What would you recommend to a current foreign-born immigrant child? (21:00) Question for parents 1. When did you move? How long have you been in the U.S? (5:30) 2. How old was your child when you were migrating? (6:00) 3. (If a child was over 8 or 10) Did you have your child participate in making a decision or not? Why? (7:00) 4. Do you think your children would get better quality of life from migration? Why? (8:30) 5. What are American values and lifestyles that are different from yours? (9:30) 6. What is the most important value for your children to embrace American culture? (10:30) 7. Did your children experience any emotional distress from migration? (12:00) -1: if yes, would let me know what your children have and how you dealt with it? -2: if yes, who helped you and your children? 8. What is an important role that parents play during their childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s adaptation into the society? (13:30) 9. Is there anything that is difficult for you in caring about your children? (15:00) - 1: if yes, would you share it with me? 75
10. Do you have any concerns associated to your children these days? (16:30) 11. What do you hope for your children’s future? (What do you want your child to be and what do you want your child to do?) (18:00) 12. Are there other issues you want to share with me? (19:30) 13. What would you recommend to other foreign-born immigrant children or their parents who experiencing similar things with you? (21:00) Question for teachers and organization managers 1. Would you explain your organization and your role in the organization? (6:00) 2. How long have you worked here? (6:30) 3. Do you experience particular challenges with foreign-born kids? (8:00) -1: If yes, can you describe them? 4. Have you noticed children with serious emotional distress? (9:30) -1: If yes, how do you cope with this? 5. Do you feel properly trained for this kind of situation? Why? (11:00) 6. Did you have a student with a challenge in peer relationships? (12:30) -1: If yes, how did you deal with this? 7. What do you think about foreign-born children’s cultural adaptation? (14:00) 8. What is the most important value in embracing American culture? (15:00) 9. Is there any factor that inhibits the children from embracing American culture? (16:00) 10. How important is it to keep their home culture and tradition in the integration process? (17:30) 11. What kind of support from their families is necessary for the children’s assimilation? (19:00) 12. Would you share some tips for children’s adaptation that you gained from your experience? (20:00) 13. Is there any other issue that I should know? (21:00)
Part3: Closing questions 1. Do you have anything else you want to share for this research? (22:00) 2. Can I contact you again if I have a question? (22:30) “Thank you so much for your time and help. This interview with you is very useful to get to know various issues related to my thesis. Thank you again. I appreciate it.” (23:00)
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C. User Test Instruction User test script for teenagers/ program managers in educational organization Part1: Opening with brief explanation about thesis “Hello, my name is Jin. I am a graduate student in the MFA Integrated Design program at the College for Creative Studies. My thesis is about foreign-born immigrant children’s harmonious integration into the United States. The purpose of this thesis is to help foreign-born immigrant children to deal with differences in language and culture and the specific stressors associated with migration and resettlement. As part of my final thesis project, I am engaging with people throughout the design process. I will ask questions about using the app I designed. This interview will take approximately 20 to 30 minutes. (2:00) 1. Hi, how are you doing? (3:00) 2. Can I record this interview? (3:30) 3. Please let me know when you are not comfortable with a question or prefer not to answer it. (4:00) 4. Again, thank you so much for your participation. (4:30) Part2: Get to It (Questions Related to Project Topic) 1. Do you think it would be useful for you to have more diverse experiences in the U.S.? -1: if yes, what is your favorite function? -2: if no, would you let me know the reason? 2. Do you think this app would help teenagers to explore more such as visiting museums and attending afterschool programs? -1: if no, why? 3. Do you think this app would help exchange cultural experience between teenagers? -1: Why? 4. Would there be any safety issues in this app? (visiting events or verbal abuse in the app) -1-1: if yes, what kind of issues would be? -1-2: Do you think how can these issues be prevented? 5. Do you think showing users’ cultural information would increase discrimination? -1: if yes, how can we prevent discrimination without reducing cultural exchange chances? 6. What do you think about usability? What were inconvenient for you? 7. What do you think about design? (color, icon, interface, and etcs) 8. Are you willing to use this app? 9. Is there anything else you want it to be changed or suggestions to develop? Part3: Closing “Thank you so much for your time and help. This interview with you is very useful to get to know various issues related to my thesis. Thank you again. I appreciate it.” (23:00)
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