Consejero automatico: chatbots for supporting Latino parents' educational engagement

Abstract

Parents' participation and actual engagement in their children's education is one of the most important predictors of children's academic success. However, inequities in information access prevent many parents in the United States from engaging in ways that allow their children to achieve such success. We present preliminary research that holistically captures everyday technology and information practices of low-income Latino immigrants in Atlanta, Georgia. Our findings identify assets mobilized by these parents to design Consejero Automatico, a chatbot for WhatsApp that helps parents improve their information-seeking practices. We use Consejero as a probe for uncovering design goals and constraints when leveraging everday assets, and present a preliminary results that emphasize the role of trust in driving the adoption of tools for enhancing information sharing amongst the targeted group.