Utilization of Socially Assistive Robot's Activity for Teaching Pontic Dialect

Abstract

Socially Assistive Robotics (SAR) aim at supporting their users, through social interaction, in carrying out various tasks. One of the areas in which SARs are widely used is teaching foreign/second languages, particularly to children. Socially Assistive Robots create incentives, shape appropriate attitudes, and foster suitable conditions to support learning through the social relationships developed with humans. This paper examines the extent to which a SAR could be utilized to teach the Pontic dialect to adults. For this purpose, four educational activities were designed with specific learning goals incorporated into the curriculum. A total of thirty adult students participated individually in this teaching intervention and then expressed their impressions and attitudes during personal semi-structured interviews. At the same time, the activities were recorded on video. The research data were analyzed based on qualitative research methods. The data analysis found that most participants viewed the endeavor favorably. Interaction with the SAR strengthened a positive learning atmosphere and stirred their interest. All participants made positive remarks on the fact that they had the ability to engage in language activities in an alternative, pleasant manner. However, some of them highlighted the absence of deeper and more substantial communication that is achieved between humans, a shortcoming that is the result of the currently unsolved design weaknesses of robots. Nevertheless, indications are positive and there is interest in further research on the use of SAR in teaching languages to adults.