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Balancing Sleep and Study: Cultural Contexts in Family Informatics for Taiwanese Parents and Children

Yang Hong, Ru-Yun Tseng, Ying-Yu Chen

TL;DR

This study investigates how Taiwanese family dynamics shape children's sleep amid intense academic pressure, using 11 families with 16 children and 12 parents who contributed two semi-structured interviews and a 14-day diary. Framing sleep as both health need and sociocultural practice within a family informatics lens, the authors foreground care and attunement as design primitives for sleep-tracking technologies. Key findings show that academic demands compress sleep to about 6–7 hours nightly, with families deploying daytime efficiency and flexible naps to cope, highlighting a need for culturally responsive, collaborative technology design. The work extends family informatics beyond Global North assumptions and argues for open-ended, context-aware sleep technologies that support family negotiation between health and academic priorities.

Abstract

This study examines the intersection of academic pressure and sleep within Taiwanese families, revealing how cultural norms and expectations shape sleep practices. Through interviews and two-week diaries from eleven families, we found that academic demands significantly influence children's sleep patterns, leading to reduced sleep duration and varied sleep schedules. Our research highlights the importance of integrating care and attuning into the design of sleep-tracking technologies, advocating for a family informatics approach that considers both health needs and social expectations. By exploring these dynamics, we contribute to a broader understanding of family contexts in diverse cultural settings and offer insights for more inclusive technology design.

Balancing Sleep and Study: Cultural Contexts in Family Informatics for Taiwanese Parents and Children

TL;DR

This study investigates how Taiwanese family dynamics shape children's sleep amid intense academic pressure, using 11 families with 16 children and 12 parents who contributed two semi-structured interviews and a 14-day diary. Framing sleep as both health need and sociocultural practice within a family informatics lens, the authors foreground care and attunement as design primitives for sleep-tracking technologies. Key findings show that academic demands compress sleep to about 6–7 hours nightly, with families deploying daytime efficiency and flexible naps to cope, highlighting a need for culturally responsive, collaborative technology design. The work extends family informatics beyond Global North assumptions and argues for open-ended, context-aware sleep technologies that support family negotiation between health and academic priorities.

Abstract

This study examines the intersection of academic pressure and sleep within Taiwanese families, revealing how cultural norms and expectations shape sleep practices. Through interviews and two-week diaries from eleven families, we found that academic demands significantly influence children's sleep patterns, leading to reduced sleep duration and varied sleep schedules. Our research highlights the importance of integrating care and attuning into the design of sleep-tracking technologies, advocating for a family informatics approach that considers both health needs and social expectations. By exploring these dynamics, we contribute to a broader understanding of family contexts in diverse cultural settings and offer insights for more inclusive technology design.
Paper Structure (31 sections, 2 figures, 1 table)

This paper contains 31 sections, 2 figures, 1 table.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Related Work
  3. Sleep is a social practice
  4. Family Sleep and Family Informatics
  5. Method
  6. Study Procedure
  7. Participants
  8. Data analysis
  9. Findings
  10. Parents' Value Tensions between children’s sleep and study
  11. Children’s Value Tensions in Adhering to Family Sleep Norms
  12. Academic Responsibilities v.s. Bedtime Requirements
  13. Personal Time v.s. Sleep Time
  14. Parents and Children’s Collaboration to Carve out More Sleep Time
  15. Maximizing daytime efficiency to gain more sleep time
  16. ...and 16 more sections

Figures (2)

  • Figure 1: An overview of our study procedure: Part I consisted of an in-home interview session including parents and children, Part II involved an online diary activity, and Part III included a follow-up interview.
  • Figure 2: A typical day for a Taiwanese Fourth-Grader based on diary and interview data.