Browsing by Author "Vargas-Diaz, Daniel"

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    Evaluation of Interactive Demonstration in Voice-assisted Counting for Young Children
    Karunaratna, Sulakna; Vargas-Diaz, Daniel; Kim, Jisun; Wang, Jenny; Choi, Koeun; Lee, Sang Won (ACM, 2024-11-11)
    In recent years, the number of AI voice agent applications designed to help young children learn math has increased. However, the impact of interactivity within these applications on children’s learning and engagement remains unexplored. While current apps may employ various levels of interactions, such as visual, haptic, sound, and animation, the efficacy of these interactions in facilitating children’s learning remains uncertain. This research investigates how varying levels of interactivity in touch-based interfaces, combined with an AI voice agent, affect the learning of counting skills in children aged 2 to 4 years.We examine three conditions: baseline (no demonstration), animated demonstration, and interactive demonstration. By examining how these different levels of interactivity influence children’s engagement with math apps, this study seeks to enhance our understanding of effective design strategies for educational technology targeting early childhood education. The findings of this research hold the potential to inform the development of interfaces for math games that leverage both touch-based interactions and AI voice assistants to support young children’s learning of foundational mathematical concepts.
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    TaleMate: Collaborating with Voice Agents for Parent-Child Joint Reading Experiences
    Vargas-Diaz, Daniel; Karunaratna, Sulakna; Kim, Jisun; Lee, Sang Won; Choi, Koeun (ACM, 2023-10-29)
    Joint reading is a key activity for early learners, with caregiver-child interactions such as questioning and feedback playing an essential role in children’s cognitive and linguistic development. However, for some parents, actively engaging children in storytelling can be challenging. To address this, we introduce TaleMate—a platform designed to enhance shared reading by leveraging conversational agents that have been shown to support children’s engagement and learning. TaleMate enables a dynamic, participatory reading experience where parents and children can choose which characters they wish to embody. Moreover, the system navigates the challenges posed by digital reading tools, such as decreased parent-child interaction, and builds upon the benefits of traditional and digital reading techniques. TaleMate offers an innovative approach to fostering early reading habits, bridging the gap between traditional joint reading practices and the digital reading landscape.