Understanding Remote Communication between Grandparents and Grandchildren in Distributed Immigrant Families

TL;DR

This study explores the unique challenges faced by Chinese immigrant families in Canada during remote communication with grandparents and grandchildren, highlighting barriers and suggesting technological improvements.

Contribution

It provides empirical insights into the communication needs and barriers of distributed immigrant families, addressing a research gap in this area.

Findings

Language and cultural barriers are amplified in remote communication.

Technology can be improved to better support immigrant families.

Empirical data from interviews reveal specific communication challenges.

Abstract

Grandparent-grandchild bonds are crucial for both parties. Many immigrant families are geographically dispersed, and the grandparents and grandchildren need to rely on remote communication to maintain their relationships. In addition to geographical separation, grandparents and grandchildren in such families also face language and culture barriers during remote communication. The associated challenges and needs remain understudied as existing research primarily focuses on non-immigrant families or co-located immigrant families. To address this gap, we conducted interviews with six Chinese immigrant families in Canada. Our findings highlight unique challenges faced by immigrant families during remote communication, such as amplified language and cultural barriers due to geographic separation, and provide insights into how technology can better support remote communication. This work offers empirical knowledge about the communication needs of distributed immigrant families and provides directions for future research and design to support grandparent-grandchild remote communication in these families.