Someone to Read with

Abstract

The development of literacy and reading proficiency is a building block of lifelong learning that must be supported both in the classroom and at home. While the promise of interactive learning technologies has widely been demonstrated, little is known about how an interactive robot might play a role in this development. We used eight design features based on recommendations from interest-development and human-robot-interaction literatures to design an in-home learning companion robot for children aged 11--12. The robot was used as a technology probe to explore families' (N=8) habits and views about reading, how a reading technology might be used, and how children perceived reading with the robot. Our results indicate reading with the learning companion to be a way to socially engage with reading, which may promote the development of reading interest and ability. We discuss design and research implications based on our findings.