Effect of collaborative learning with robot that prompts constructive interaction

Abstract

In this study, we sought to examine how the behavior of a robot can prompt collaborative learning with a human. We focus on constructive interaction that has been regarded as a foundation of collaborative learning and occurs when two learners alternately solve a question. For this, the robot is designed to alternately perform speaker and listener motions for constructive interaction with a human. With the speaker motion, the robot explains a solving method to the partner and solves a question. Moreover, the robot improves its accuracy rate as learning progresses. With the listener motion, the robot does not solve a question and instead pays attention to the partner who is solving the question. The robot learns while solving a question issued by a learning system with a human student. College students recruited as volunteers learned with learning system with the robot for one month and were videoed during that time to see how they learned. The results of examination suggest that the robot prompts learners to learn by constructive interaction in collaborative learning and possibly gains the same learning effect as collaborative learning between two humans.