Unlocking Interactive Learning: Applying Bioecological Theory to Parent-Child Interaction in Educational Product Design

The existing educational products of parent-child interaction have lost the two-way reciprocal nature of parenting education. The Bioecological Theory concept of interaction between multi-layer systems is consistent with the theory of Product Design Theory. In view of this, the purpose of this study is to explore the potential links between these two areas and to explore whether Bioecological Theory can help improve product innovation for children and parents. We conducted a case study with an industry-leading provider in Shenzhen. In the first stage, we distributed questionnaires to 99 parents of K6-K9 children to understand their views, daily interactions with children, communication styles, and preferences for learning devices. In the second stage, 12 children and their parents were selected from people in the first stage of the study for Non-participatory observation. From the data obtained, we established a framework to describe the interaction model based on the concept of interaction between multi-layer systems of Bioecological Theory, and sorted out an improvement strategy ‘Dynamic Interaction, Two-way Reciprocity, Long-term Participation, Adaptability’. These outputs were subsequently evaluated with company experts and received positive feedback. This study affirms the two-way reciprocal and dynamic development of parent-child interaction. The Bioecological Theory reveals that the complex interaction between different systems needs to be considered in the design of parent-child interactive education products. At the same time, it also provides a reference for how to correctly apply Bioecological Theory in the study of parent-child relationship.