The Effectiveness of Educational Robots in Improving Learning Outcomes: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Numerous studies have been conducted to investigate the potential effect of educational robots, but what appears to be missing is an up-to-date and thorough review of the learning effectiveness of educational robots and the various influencing factors. In this study, a meta-analysis was conducted to systematically synthesize studies’ findings on the effects of educational robots on students’ learning outcomes. After searching for randomized studies describing educational robots interventions to improve learning outcomes, 34 effect sizes described in 17 articles met the selection criteria. The results of our work evidence a moderate but significantly positive effect of educational robots on learning outcomes (g  =  0.57, 95% CI [0.49, 0.65], p  <  0.00001). Moreover, moderator analyses were conducted to investigate important factors relating to the variation of the impact, including educational level and assessment type. Based on the findings of this study, we provide researchers and practitioners with insights into what characteristics of educational robot interventions appear to benefit students’ learning outcomes and how pedagogical approaches can be applied in various educational settings to guide the design of future educational robot interventions.