How can a social robot facilitate children's collaboration?

Abstract

We used a social robot as a teaching assistant in a class for children's collaborative learning. The class was designed to be learner-centered, and we formed a class only with a robot and children but without adults. In the class, a group of 6th graders learned together using Lego Mindstorms for seven lessons. Robovie managed the class and explained how to use Lego Mindstorms, then children freely tested their ideas to achieve a given task in each class. In addition, Robovie performed social behaviors, which aimed to build relationships with and encourage the children. Beyond this design, we observed that such social behaviors facilitated interaction among children, which made the class more enjoyable and motivated children to want Robovie around again. In this paper, we report our exploratory analysis about when such social behaviors facilitated interaction among children. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.