E-motional learning in primary schools: FearNot! an anti-bullying intervention based on virtual role-play with intelligent synthetic characters

Abstract

Addressing the problems of bullying in schools, this paper presents a novel and highly innovative pedagogical approach building on the immersive power of virtual role-play. Educational role-play is widely accepted as a powerful instrument to change attitudes and behaviour, but faces some difficulties and disadvantages when applied to sensitive social issues in the classroom. This paper shows how the FearNot! software application, developed within the scope of the EU-funded project eCIRCUS (Education through Characters with emotional-Intelligence and Role-playing Capabilities that Understand Social interaction) uses virtual role-play and autonomous agents to provide children aged 8 to 11 with the opportunity to visit a virtual school environment populated by 3D animated synthetic characters that engage in bullying episodes. The characters ’ actions and the storyline are created as improvised dramas by use of emergent narrative, resulting in unscripted and highly believable interaction experiences for the user. While the students are spectators to the bullying episodes that unfold among the FearNot! characters, the victimised character starts a conversation with the student in between the episodes, describing their experiences with bullying and how they feel as a result to it, and asking the student for advice. The aim of this approach and particularly of this interaction sequence in between the virtual bullyin