Search graduate:

Derin Baykal

  • Inter­action Design
  • MA
  • Second Language Acquisition in a Foreign Country
  • Tutor: Mike Jader de Oliveira Ramos, Lead Product Designer at Lingvist
  • Interaction Design

The purpose of this project is to explore the experience of an adult who migrated and is required to acquire a foreign language. Based on this I experimented with the tools of interaction design to alleviate the problems encountered during this journey. To study this process, I conducted extensive research on themes ranging from linguistic alienation and its emotional aspects to self-compassion, self-interaction, and integrative motivators. I also conducted semi-structured interviews with twelve people to get an understanding of the user’s experience.

My research shows that it is critical for the learner to be aware of the challenges of the language acquisition process by emphasizing self-reflection. With the help of language learning and interaction design, this study illustrates the need of considering the emotional aspect of language acquisition in a foreign country.