Robotics interventions for improving educational outcomes - A meta-analysis

Abstract

The present study reviews the literature in the field of educational robotics with the aim to identify its potential effects in students’ academic performance. After a systematic search in various databases, we ended up with a total of 12 studies satisfying the eligibility criteria. The majority of studies were observational and only 4 of them were quasi-experimental. For each study we extracted data for the type of robot used, the research method used, the sample characteristics (sample size, age range of students and level of education) and the results observed in terms of scores. We synthesized results from these 12 studies using random-effects meta-analysis and found that robotic interventions have an overall positive effect in students’ academic performance (0.7, 95% CI 0.283 to 1.112). We used the Cochrane Collaboration ‘Risk of bias’ tool to assess the quality of the 12 included studies. Most studies are at high risk of bias and this undermines the validity of results. Large, well-conducted randomized clinical trials are needed to answer the review question conclusively.