An Uncanny Partnership: Impact of Increased Awareness on Receptivity of Indian High Schoolers to Robot Teachers

Abstract

Robots have become an increasingly important part of our lives. They have been introduced in the education sector in the form of social robots with humanoid features that allow them to deliver lessons and interact with students. Despite the fact that research has shown that students aged 12 and below improve their learning when taught by robots and enjoy interacting with them, there are lingering concerns about their widespread use. The concerns include the lack of accountability, the impact of robots on normal socio-emotional development, and the dependence of robots on outside support. This research study aimed to assess the impact of increased awareness of the role of an assistant robot teacher in the classroom on the receptivity of high school students towards the inclusion of assistant robot teachers in the classroom. Specifically, the respondents were asked to rate their perceptions of the potential benefits of having an assistant robot teacher in the classroom before and after watching an informational video clip about an assistant robot teacher. The video clip features an Indian international school’s advocacy for the deployment of an assistant robot teacher. The results showed that the video clearly had a statistically positive impact on increasing the respondents’ receptivity towards having an assistant robot teacher. Based on the respondents’ responses, it is evident that they were clear about the strengths (vast knowledge repository, animation, graphics) and limitations (contextual response) of the robots.