“Habari, Colleague!”: A Qualitative Exploration of the Perceptions of Primary School Mathematics Teachers in Tanzania Regarding the Use of Social Robots

Abstract

Featured Application: By leveraging an AI-powered social robot to enhance teaching and learning in primary schools in a low-resource setting, this study details the following: (1) the design of a conversational mathematics tutoring system, (2) users’ (teachers’) attitudes towards advanced technologies, (3) the importance of firsthand interactions with the system for its acceptance and adoption, (4) the positive features of the robot tutor and areas of improvement for effective interactions and tutoring, and (5) practicalities for the adoption of such technologies in schools. These can inform the design and adoption of similar human–robot interaction (HRI) systems, especially those intended for educational applications in low-resource settings. The education sector in Tanzania faces significant challenges, especially in public primary schools. Unmanageably large classes and critical teacher–pupil ratios hinder the provision of tailored tutoring, impeding pupils’ educational growth. However, artificial intelligence (AI) could provide a way forward. Advances in generative AI can be leveraged to create interactive and effective intelligent tutoring systems, which have recently been built into embodied systems such as social robots. Motivated by the pivotal influence of teachers’ attitudes on the adoption of educational technologies, this study undertakes a qualitative investigation of Tanzanian primary school mathematics teachers’ perceptions of contextualised intelligent social robots. Thirteen teachers from six schools in both rural and urban settings observed pupils learning with a social robot. They reported their views during qualitative interviews. The results, analysed thematically, reveal a generally positive attitude towards using social robots in schools. While commended for their effective teaching and suitability for one-to-one tutoring, concerns were raised about incorrect and inconsistent feedback, language code-switching, response latency, and the lack of support infrastructure. We suggest actionable steps towards adopting tutoring systems and social robots in schools in Tanzania and similar low-resource countries, paving the way for their adoption to redress teachers’ workloads and improve educational outcomes.