Guidelines for Designing Social Robots as Second Language Tutors

In recent years, it has been suggested that social robots have potential as tutors and educators for both children and adults. While robots have been shown to be effective in teaching knowledge and skill-based topics, we wish to explore how social robots can be used to tutor a second language to young children. As language learning relies on situated, grounded and social learning, in which interaction and repeated practice are central, social robots hold promise as educational tools for supporting second language learning. This paper surveys the developmental psychology of second language learning and suggests an agenda to study how core concepts of second language learning can be taught by a social robot. It suggests guidelines for designing robot tutors based on observations of second language learning in human–human scenarios, various technical aspects and early studies regarding the effectiveness of social robots as second language tutors

A look into the future: how digital tools advance language development

Digital tools provide unique ways to support young language learners. To design and use these tools effectively, their strengths and shortcomings must be carefully evaluated. This chapter addresses how digital tools may transform the nature of social and physical interaction of children, focusing on vocabulary and narrative development in first and second language. The tools featured are social robots, augmented reality, virtual reality, virtual agents, and tangible user interfaces. We discuss the ways in which each of these tools can scaffold language development in children, and review the studies investigating their effectiveness. While further research is needed, current evidence indicates the high potential of these interactive technologies as scaffolding tools for children’s language development. This chapter suggests that digital tools can create novel forms of interactions for children and are especially beneficial for children with special needs and in assisting classroom teachers

A look into the future: how digital tools advance language development

Digital tools provide unique ways to support young language learners. To design and use these tools effectively, their strengths and shortcomings must be carefully evaluated. This chapter addresses how digital tools may transform the nature of social and physical interaction of children, focusing on vocabulary and narrative development in first and second language. The tools featured are social robots, augmented reality, virtual reality, virtual agents, and tangible user interfaces. We discuss the ways in which each of these tools can scaffold language development in children, and review the studies investigating their effectiveness. While further research is needed, current evidence indicates the high potential of these interactive technologies as scaffolding tools for children’s language development. This chapter suggests that digital tools can create novel forms of interactions for children and are especially beneficial for children with special needs and in assisting classroom teachers

Are Tutor Robots for Everyone? The Influence of Attitudes, Anxiety, and Personality on Robot‑Led Language Learning

Do some individuals benefit more from social robots than others? Using a second language (L2) vocabulary lesson as an example, this study examined how individual differences in attitudes toward robots, anxiety in learning L2, and personality traits may be related to the learning outcomes. One hundred and two native Turkish-speaking adults were taught eight English words in a one-on-one lesson either with the NAO robot (N = 51) or with a human tutor (N = 51). The results in both production and receptive language tests indicated that, following the same protocol, the two tutors are fairly comparable in teaching L2 vocabulary. Negative attitudes toward robots and anxiety in L2 learning impeded participants from learning vocabulary in the robot tutor condition whereas the personality trait of extroversion negatively predicted vocabulary learning in the human tutor condition. This study is among the first to demonstrate how individual differences can affect learning outcomes in robot-led sessions and how general attitudes toward a type of device may affect the ways humans learn using the device

When even a robot tutor Zooms: a study of embodiment, attitudes, and impressions

This study used an online second language (L2) vocabulary lesson to evaluate whether the physical body (i.e., embodiment) of a robot tutor has an impact on how the learner learns from the robot. In addition, we tested how individual differences in attitudes toward robots, first impressions of the robot, anxiety in learning L2, and personality traits may be related to L2 vocabulary learning. One hundred Turkish-speaking young adults were taught eight English words in a one-on-one Zoom session either with a NAO robot tutor (N = 50) or with a voice-only tutor (N = 50). The findings showed that participants learned the vocabulary equally well from the robot and voice tutors, indicating that the physical embodiment of the robot did not change learning gains in a short vocabulary lesson. Further, negative attitudes toward robots had negative effects on learning for participants in the robot tutor condition, but first impressions did not predict vocabulary learning in either of the two conditions. L2 anxiety, on the other hand, negatively predicted learning outcomes in both conditions. We also report that attitudes toward robots and the impressions of the robot tutor remained unchanged before and after the lesson. As one of the first to examine the effectiveness of robots as an online lecturer, this study presents an example of comparable learning outcomes regardless of physical embodiment

L2 Vocabulary Teaching by Social Robots: The Role of Gestures and On-Screen Cues as Scaffolds

Social robots are receiving an ever-increasing interest in popular media and scientific literature. Yet, empirical evaluation of the educational use of social robots remains limited. In the current paper, we focus on how different scaffolds (co-speech hand gestures vs. visual cues presented on the screen) influence the effectiveness of a robot second language (L2) tutor. In two studies, Turkish-speaking 5-year-olds (n = 72) learned English measurement terms (e.g., big, wide) either from a robot or a human tutor. We asked whether (1) the robot tutor can be as effective as the human tutor when they follow the same protocol, (2) the scaffolds differ in how they support L2 vocabulary learning, and (3) the types of hand gestures affect the effectiveness of teaching. In all conditions, children learned new L2 words equally successfully from the robot tutor and the human tutor. However, the tutors were more effective when teaching was supported by the on-screen cues that directed children's attention to the referents of target words, compared to when the tutor performed co-speech hand gestures representing the target words (i.e., iconic gestures) or pointing at the referents (i.e., deictic gestures). The types of gestures did not significantly influence learning. These findings support the potential of social robots as a supplementary tool to help young children learn language but suggest that the specifics of implementation need to be carefully considered to maximize learning gains. Broader theoretical and practical issues regarding the use of educational robots are also discussed

Are tutor robots for everyone? The influence of attitudes, anxiety, and personality on robot-led language learning

Do some individuals benefit more from social robots than others? Using a second language (L2) vocabulary lesson as an example, this study examined how individual differences in attitudes toward robots, anxiety in learning L2, and personality traits may be related to the learning outcomes. One hundred and two native Turkish-speaking adults were taught eight English words in a one-on-one lesson either with the NAO robot (N = 51) or with a human tutor (N = 51). The results in both production and receptive language tests indicated that, following the same protocol, the two tutors are fairly comparable in teaching L2 vocabulary. Negative attitudes toward robots and anxiety in L2 learning impeded participants from learning vocabulary in the robot tutor condition whereas the personality trait of extroversion negatively predicted vocabulary learning in the human tutor condition. This study is among the first to demonstrate how individual differences can affect learning outcomes in robot-led sessions and how general attitudes toward a type of device may affect the ways humans learn using the device

L2 vocabulary teaching by social robots: the role of gestures and on-screen cues as scaffolds

Social robots are receiving an ever-increasing interest in popular media and scientific literature. Yet, empirical investigation on the use of social robots in education remains limited. In two studies, we examined the effectiveness of a social robot in second language (L2) education, specifically in teaching English measurement terms (e.g., big, wide) to Turkish-speaking 5-year-olds (n=72). We also compared two scaffolding techniques in evaluating the effectiveness of the robot tutor: co-speech hand gestures and on-screen cues. In all conditions, children successfully learned the new L2 words from the robot tutor. However, the effectiveness of the tutor was higher when teaching was supported by on-screen cues that directed children’s attention to the referents of target words, compared to when the robot performed co-speech hand gestures representing the target words (iconic gestures) or pointing at the referents (deictic gestures). The type of gesture (iconic versus deictic) did not significantly influence learning. Findings were replicated with a human tutor. Findings contribute to theoretical and practical discussions on the potential of social robots in education

L2 vocabulary teaching by social robots: the role of gestures and on-screen cues as scaffolds

Social robots are receiving an ever-increasing interest in popular media and scientific literature. Yet, empirical investigation on the use of social robots in education remains limited. In two studies, we examined the effectiveness of a social robot in second language (L2) education, specifically in teaching English measurement terms (e.g., big, wide) to Turkish-speaking 5-year-olds (n=72). We also compared two scaffolding techniques in evaluating the effectiveness of the robot tutor: co-speech hand gestures and on-screen cues. In all conditions, children successfully learned the new L2 words from the robot tutor. However, the effectiveness of the tutor was higher when teaching was supported by on-screen cues that directed children’s attention to the referents of target words, compared to when the robot performed co-speech hand gestures representing the target words (iconic gestures) or pointing at the referents (deictic gestures). The type of gesture (iconic versus deictic) did not significantly influence learning. Findings were replicated with a human tutor. Findings contribute to theoretical and practical discussions on the potential of social robots in education