Design Based Research of Multimodal Robotic Learning Companions

This paper presents some initial findings from a design-based research study on multimodal robotic language learning companions. The study involved designing four robots with varying physical modalities, including two humanoid (Pepper and Nao) and two non-humanoid (Cozmo and MyKeepOn), to interact empathetically with participants during language learning scenarios. One German teacher participated in the development of these interactive scenarios. Pre- and post-tests were conducted to measure learning gains, and a survey was administered to gather insights from participants. The results showed that all participants exhibited improvements in targeted behaviors between pre- and post-tests, specifically by using longer and more grammatically correct sentences in their responses. However, unlike the strong preference for NAO, the survey revealed that Cozmo had the most characteristics of a learning companion.