Enriching conversations at the dinner table

One space where there is an obvious interaction between the family is at the dinner table. While some families may not eat together every night, the value behind the conversations and moments that happen there are some of the best a family can have. So what is so great about what goes on at the dinner table and how does it impact those who are present. This study sought the root of family conversation through specialized tableware.

This explorative qualitative study investigated how families engage in mealtime conversations supported with decorated plates that were specially designed to promote family conversations. Our aim was to examine the main thematic and discursive patterns that naturally occurred in these conversations.

In our study, we were specifically interested in the role of decorated tableware in mealtime conversations. Various artists have used tableware to prompt conversations between meal companions, young and old. For example, designer Bilge Nur Saltik’s Share Food dining collection consists of plates that are designed to be tipped toward a dining companion, thus serving as an invitation for conversation (https://www.bilgenursaltik.com/share-food).

Our main research question was: What are the key thematic and conversational patterns during family mealtime conversations that include discussions mediated by plates designed to stimulate conversations?

Our analysis revealed that the six participating families engaged in thematically rich talk during which they drew on diverse discourse types with different references to the plates. At the thematic level, the plates were discussed as either (1) objects that may have specific functions or serve specific purposes, (2) as prompts that evoked certain attitudes on the children’s part, (3) as prompts for language and concept explorations and (4) as prompts for discussions about various social issues. At the discursive level, the conversations represented a continuum with non-extended talk, such as labelling, basic vocabulary recall and brief clarifications of the pictorial content of the plates, at one end, and variably extended talk in the form of narratives, explanations or argumentation, at the other.

[...] the integration of decorated tableware in family mealtimes has the potential to facilitate dialogues that may not only serve as a platform for children’s linguistic and conceptual growth but also hone their critical thinking through joint enquiry

The creative use of object that every family needs for dinner is a genius way to spark design research intervention. It makes me think about what there could possibly be in a car that everyone has or something that is preexisting that already inspires conversation.

The fact that the researchers were able to pinpoint how the family dinner conversation helps children grow and what specifically allows that to happen gives me hope for the way we approach rear seat innovation and shows me that very little intervention is needed to create a big difference in a family environment.

References

Figgjo norway market - etsy. etsy.com. (n.d.). https://www.etsy.com/market/figgjo_norway_market

Kucirkova, N., & Bubikova-Moan, J. (2024). Parent–child mealtime conversations stimulated with decorated tableware. Early Childhood Education Journal, 53(7), 2591–2601. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-024-01771-0

Nur Saltik, B. (n.d.). Share.food. bilgenursaltik.com. https://www.bilgenursaltik.com/share-food