ArticleFrontiers in robotics and AI2025
A child-robot theater afterschool program can promote children's conceptualization of social robots' mental capacities and engagement in learning.
Article in Frontiers in robotics and AI, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Research on integrating emerging technologies, such as robots, into K-12 education has been growing because of their benefits in creating engaging learning environments and preparing children for appropriate human-robot interactions in the future. However, most studies have focused on the impact of robots in formal educational settings, leaving their effectiveness in informal settings, such as afterschool programs, unclear. The present study developed a 9-week afterschool program in an elementary school to promote STEAM (STEM + Art) education for elementary school students. The program incorporated four modules (Acting, Dancing, Music & Sounds, and Drawing), each with specific learning objectives and concluding with a theater play at the end. This program facilitated hands-on activities with social robots to create engaging learning experiences for children. A total of 38 students, aged 6-10 years, participated in the afterschool program. Among these students, 21 took part in research activities, which included answering questions about their perceptions of robots compared to other entities (i.e., babies and beetles), learning interest and curiosity, and their opinions about robots. In addition, four teachers and staff participated in interviews, sharing their reflections on children's learning experiences with robots and their perceptions of the program. Our results showed that 1) children perceived robots as having limited affective and social capabilities but gained a more realistic understanding of their physiological senses and agentic capabilities; 2) children were enthusiastic about interacting with robots and learning about robot-related technologies, and 3) teachers recognized the importance of embodied learning and the benefits of using robots in the afterschool program; however, they also expressed concerns that robots could be potential distractions and negatively impact students' interpersonal relationships with peers in educational settings. These findings suggest how robots can shape children's perceptions of robots and their learning experiences in informal education, providing design guidelines for future educational programs that incorporate social robots for young learners.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.