Staying engaged in child-robot interaction:A quantitative approach to studying preschoolers’ engagement with robots and tasks during second-language tutoring

Inleiding Covid-19 heeft laten zien dat onze traditionele manier van lesgeven steeds meer afhankelijk is van digitale hulpmiddelen. In de afgelopen jaren (2020-2021) hebben leerkrachten kinderen online les moeten geven en hebben ouders hun kinderen moeten begeleiden bij hun lesactiviteiten. Digitale instrumenten die het onderwijs kunnen ondersteunen zoals sociale robots, zouden uiterst nuttig zijn geweest voor leerkrachten. Robots die, in tegenstelling tot tablets, hun lichaam kunnen gebruiken om zich vergelijkbaar te gedragen als leerkrachten. Bijvoorbeeld door te gebaren tijdens het praten, waardoor kinderen zich beter kunnen concentreren wat een voordeel oplevert voor hun leerprestaties. Bovendien stellen robots, meer dan tablets, kinderen in staat tot een sociale interactie, wat vooral belangrijk is bij het leren van een tweede taal (L2). Hierover ging mijn promotietraject wat onderdeel was van het Horizon 2020 L2TOR project1, waarin zes verschillende universiteiten en twee bedrijven samenwerkten en onderzochten of een robot aan kleuters woorden uit een tweede taal kon leren. Een van de belangrijkste vragen in dit project was hoe we gedrag van de robot konden ontwikkelen dat kinderen betrokken (engaged) houdt. Betrokkenheid van kinderen is belangrijk zodat zij tijdens langere tijdsperiodes met de robot aan de slag willen. Om deze vraag te beantwoorden, heb ik meerdere studies uitgevoerd om het effect van de robot op de betrokkenheid van kinderen met de robot te onderzoeken, alsmede onderzoek te doen naar de perceptie die de kinderen van de robot hadden. 1Het L2TOR project leverde een grote bijdrage binnen het mens-robot interactie veld in de beweging richting publieke wetenschap. Alle L2TOR publicaties, de project deliverables, broncode en data zijn openbaar gemaakt via de website www.l2tor.eu en via www.github.nl/l2tor en de meeste studies werden vooraf geregistreerd

Designing for Autonomy, Competence and Relatedness in Robot-Assisted Language Learning

The current number of immigrants has risen quickly in recent years due to globalization. People move to another country for economic, educational, emotional, and other reasons. As a result, immigrants need to learn the host language to integrate into their new living environment. However, the process of learning the host language for adult immigrants faces many challenges. Among those challenges, maintaining intrinsic motivation is critical for a long-term language study process and the well-being of adult immigrants. Self-Determination Theory (SDT) is a popular theoretical framework that explains human motivation, especially intrinsic motivation, through a psychological approach to understand its nature. According to SDT, humans are intrinsically motivated through the satisfaction of the three basic needs of Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness. Many researchers have applied the theory to different topics and directions, including language learning. On the other hand, social robots have been used extensively in the language learning context due to their physical embodiments and the application of artificial intelligence in robotics. Furthermore, research has proven that social robots can create a relaxed and engaging learning environment, thus motivating language learners. The thesis designs and implements a RALL application called SAMQ using QTrobot, a humanoid social robot capable of producing body gestures, displaying different facial expressions, and multilingual communication. The study aims to investigate SAMQ’s ability to evoke intrinsic motivations of adult immigrants in learning the Finnish language. While previous research focuses on English as the second language (L2) and targets children, this thesis’s L2 is Finnish, and the learners are adult immigrants. The thesis conducts semi-structured interviews during the Pre-study phase (N=6) to gather real insights from adult immigrants living in Finland, to understand demotivating factors in their language learning experience and the unsatisfied aspects of the three basic needs. The qualitative findings from the Pre-study contribute to the design and implementation of two versions of SAMQ, aiming at evoking intrinsic motivations through satisfying unmet needs. The first version is a Quiz-only program that tests several assumptions regarding human-robot interaction (HRI). The final version of SAMQ is a more comprehensive language learning application that supports two modes of study: Learning and Quizzes. It consists of multiple modifications that address all adult immigrants’ basic needs while additionally promoting intrinsic motivation through media. The final Evaluation of SAMQ (N=6) includes a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. The quantitative results of the questionnaire validated the ability of using social robots to evoke adult learners’ intrinsic motivation in the RALL context. The qualitative findings from the research high-light the importance of social robots’ physical embodiments in eliciting intrinsic motivation for adult learners through satisfying Relatedness. In addition, the use of voice modality creates a genuine HRI for adult learners, fulfilling both Autonomy and Competence, resulting in an engaging and smooth learning experience. Besides that, the use of adult learners’ L1 plays a crucial role in facilitating a relaxed and familiar learning environment, supplying both Competence and Relatedness. Moreover, multimedia learning materials make the learning experience more vivid and attractive. Ultimately, the result shows that accessibility and flexibility are essential attributes for adult learners to maintain their motivation for long-term language study through the satisfaction of Autonomy. Finally, the thesis proposes a design guideline for the RALL context. It consists of five design implications for evoking intrinsic motivation in adult learners through satisfying the three basic psychological needs of Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness. The design guideline acts as a proposal for future design and implementation of RALL programs for adults and contributes to developing the human-robot interaction field

Self-determination theory in HCI: shaping a research agenda

Self-determination theory (SDT) has become one of the most frequently used and well-validated theories used in HCI research, modelling the relation of basic psychological needs, intrinsic motivation, positive experience and wellbeing. This makes it a prime candidate for a ‘motor theme’ driving more integrated, systematic, theory-guided research. However, its use in HCI has remained superficial and disjointed across various application domains like games, health and wellbeing, or learning. This workshop therefore convenes researchers across HCI to co-create a research agenda on how SDT-informed HCI research can maximise its progress in the coming years

Explicit reading strategies instruction for the improvement of reading skills of 11 grade learners

This study seeks to instruct a group of learners on reading and vocabulary skills through different tasks. The purpose was to implement a course in order to explicitly instruct the students in the application of specific reading and vocabulary strategies to facilitate their reading practice in English. The research was carried out with a group of 26 eleventh grade students from Camilo Torres School in Santa Marta (Magdalena). Based on the context analysis and the problem definition, it was made the decision to carry out a qualitative action research based upon a Strategy Based Instruction (SBI) intervention to see its influence on the learnersï reading skills, to foster their motivation to read in English and to help them become more autonomous and efficient readers. The data collection was applied in different stages along the process, and according to the instruments which were applied during the inquiry. Preliminary instruments such as an interview, a questionnaire, and a class observation were applied and analyzed at the beginning of the research with the purpose of identifying the problem related to low performance in reading comprehension skills

At the Frontiers of English language teaching: The playful approach with humanoid robots

openL’obbiettivo di questa tesi è quello di scoprire e sperimentare i nuovi orizzonti per l’insegnamento dell’inglese grazie all’introduzione di nuove metodologie come la Didattica Ludica e la Robotica Educativa. La didattica ludica si presenta come una metodologia alternativa per l’insegnamento delle lingue dove il gioco e il divertimento vengono visti come elementi altamente educativi e in grado di ridurre ansia e stress negli studenti durante il confronto con lingue e culture diverse dalla propria. La Robotica Educativa si presenta come un metodo di insegnamento altamente efficace che prevede l’utilizzo di Robot Umanoidi per l’insegnamento dell’Inglese e delle lingue all’interno delle scuole e permette agli studenti di accrescere e migliorare le loro conoscenze e di imparare divertendosi. Lo sviluppo di questo progetto è dovuto non solo alla mia esperienza e al mio studio dell’inglese durante questi tre anni ma anche grazie all’opportunità offertami dall’IAS Lab di Padova ( http://robotics.dei.unipd.it/ ) e da Alberto Bacchin, ingegnere dottorando presso l’Università di Padova. Lo scopo della mia ricerca sarà quello di sperimentare l’utilizzo di questi modelli all’interno di una classe della scuola primaria.The aim of this thesis is to investigate experimentally the new frontiers of English language teaching, analysing new methodologies such as the playful approach and Educational Robotics. Educational Robotics is the term that indicates a new teaching method where robots are employed in a school class to help students put their knowledge into practice and learn new skills. This project was conceived during my three years of English studies and after some contacts with the IAS-Lab (Intelligent Autonomous Systems Laboratory) of the Information Engineering Department of the University of Padua. The focus of my research is to devise new teaching methodologies and apply them to a primary school class

The influence of new technologies in foreign language learning

The new technologies have become part of our societies especially in the so-called developed countries and it is hard to conceive our daily routines without them. This paper explores the use of new technologies in foreign language teaching and learning, in this case, English. In particular, the aim of this paper is to show the effects of new technologies in the process of English teaching and learning by using different tools, such as, students’ own computers, wikis, blogs, social networks and videos. In order to do so, I have organized this paper into two parts. First, I provide a characterization of new technologies and provide a selection of the main tools used in the classroom. The educational benefits and drawbacks of four main groups of tools are discussed: computers, the Web 2.0 (blogs, wikis, social networks, YouTube and videos), the interactive white board and electronic dictionaries. The second part of the paper presents a practical case study in which the use of the new technologies at a small school in Bergara (in the Basque Autonomous Community) is researched and reported on. The study includes an interview with the English teacher, a questionnaire on the use of these technologies which was filled out by 51 students and a report on 4 weeks of class observations I conducted. Two are the main research questions that will be addressed: (i) are the new technologies useful for foreign language teachers and foreign language learning?, (ii) do children find the use of technologies in their foreign language classroom useful? The main conclusion is that most of the students and the teacher like working with the new technologies and that they are helpful to learn a foreign language, despite a few disadvantages. Finally, in the last part of the paper I relate the theoretical part and the practical part of the paper in the conclusions

Advances in Human-Robot Interaction

Rapid advances in the field of robotics have made it possible to use robots not just in industrial automation but also in entertainment, rehabilitation, and home service. Since robots will likely affect many aspects of human existence, fundamental questions of human-robot interaction must be formulated and, if at all possible, resolved. Some of these questions are addressed in this collection of papers by leading HRI researchers

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between The Use Of Modern Digital Technologies, Language Learning Strategies, And Development Of Second Language Skills

Like many other areas of human knowledge, the field of language learning has undergone changes as a consequence of the application of digital technologies. Extensive exposure and anytime and anywhere access availability to data in a second or foreign language (L2) bring almost unlimited learning opportunities for digital age students, which affects their learning behaviors also known as language learning strategies (LLS). The purpose of the present study is to define preferred LLS patterns of digitally native L2 learners and to establish relationships between types of existing digital technologies, learners’ demographic characteristics, and the use of learning strategies to support the development of specific language skills and aspects. The setting for this study was made up by a medium-sized university in the northern U.S., particularly, its undergraduate student population enrolled in foreign language courses in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures during the 2021 fall semester. They were asked to complete a survey that contained the original validated version of the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) instrument (Oxford, 1990) and three additional sections disclosing the participants’ demographics, technology use experience, and targeted language skills and aspects. Both descriptive and inferential quantitative methods of data analysis were used in the study to elucidate the research questions. A number of analytic procedures using SPSS® Statistics software were performed to find out detailed statistic values of the research variables. Frequencies and descriptive statistics, analysis of correlations, extreme groupings t-tests to explore the relationships between the subsets of categorical variables, and factor analysis of LLS domains were implemented to identify meaningful patterns of technology use in L2 learning. Data from this study provide a view of how the Digital Natives themselves see their technology use and approaches to learning. Research conclusions based on obtained self-reported evidence allow us to make broader recommendations for changes in the L2 teaching methodology. They may also prevent instructors from making unsupported assumptions about their students\u27 mastery of educational technology, and, thereby, from neglecting to teach students the skills they need for academic success. Keywords: digital native learner, digital technology categories, language learning strategies, L2 language skill