Science Class with RoboThespian: Using a Robot Teacher to Make Science Fun and Engage Students

Abstract

There is growing interest in observing how interaction with a robot can enhance human learning. Recent studies of educational processes mediated by human-like robots (HLRs) focused mainly on individual learning with robot companions. This article presents a study of a science lesson mediated by the life-size humanoid robot, RoboThespian. Participants in the study were school groups from grades 5-7 who participated in a lesson at the science museum MadaTech in two different classroom environments. The study evaluated the effectiveness in learning new science concepts and creating positive perceptions of the robot teacher. The results show that the lesson achieved its educational objectives. The level of learning interaction was influenced by the design of learning activities, robot behaviors, and the students' perceived psychological distance from the robot.