Evaluating the Effectiveness of Social Robots in Enhancing English Language Acquisition and Educational Engagement: A Study with Adults and Its Implications for Korean Kindergarten Children

Abstract

Technology continues to play a crucial role in education due to improvements brought about using social robots as educational tools for teaching and learning English as the second language. This paper evaluates the outcome of a developed social robot applied in the teaching English and general education for children with an emphasis on preliminary experiments conducted with adult participants. The evaluation examines the robot's impact on the empathetic and emotional interaction, as well as its contribution to language acquisition. The preliminary findings indicate that social robots can enhance communicative practice, feedback and increase learner engagement, aligning with previous research that showed the potential of social robots in supporting language acquisition. These findings are then applied to reconfigure the robot for use in Korean kindergartens to help create a better learning environment for young children. This research connects the evaluation of adult use with practical implementation in the early learning years, showing that the robot can support language learning and general educational interactions through novel robotic application. Our research is highlighting how social robots contribute to long-term sustainability of educational systems through fostering early language learning and educational engagement. Moreover, by improving foundational learning, these robots help create more equitable and accessible education in the future globally from early childhood.