The Impacts of Robots on Language Learning In Children : A Scoping Review
Ahsan, Nasimul (2025)
2025
Master's Programme in Teaching, Learning and Media Education
Kasvatustieteiden ja kulttuurin tiedekunta - Faculty of Education and Culture
Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2025-12-18
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-2025121811894
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-2025121811894
Tiivistelmä
Early childhood is a critical period for language development, and recent research has explored how robots may support children’s language learning in educational settings. This scoping review examines how robots are used to support language learning among children aged 2 to 8 years in formal educational contexts, and which factors influence their effectiveness.
Following the PRISMA-ScR framework, a systematic search was conducted across Scopus, ERIC, and EBSCOhost to identify peer-reviewed empirical studies published in English between 2010 and 2025. After full-text screening, 23 studies were included. The review mapped the types of robots used, their instructional roles, reported language learning outcomes, and the pedagogical conditions under which robot-assisted language learning was implemented.
The findings show that different types of robots, most commonly social and humanoid robot, were used as tutors, peers, or storytelling partners. Robots supported language learning primarily through vocabulary acquisition, but also through pronunciation practice, oral fluency, and narrative comprehension. Across studies, robots embodied and social features, such as speech, gesture, gaze, turn-taking, and adaptive feedback played a key role in shaping children’s engagement, motivation, and opportunities for language learning.
The effectiveness of robot-assisted language learning was influenced by several factors such as interaction quality, teacher involvement, session structure, and the duration of interventions. Common limitations across studies included short intervention periods, small sample sizes, technical challenges, high costs, and limited cultural and linguistic diversity.
Overall, the review explored that robots could support early language learning when used as complementary tools within teacher-guided activities. Further longitudinal and theory-informed classroom research is needed to better understand how robots can effectively and sustainably support children’s language development.
Following the PRISMA-ScR framework, a systematic search was conducted across Scopus, ERIC, and EBSCOhost to identify peer-reviewed empirical studies published in English between 2010 and 2025. After full-text screening, 23 studies were included. The review mapped the types of robots used, their instructional roles, reported language learning outcomes, and the pedagogical conditions under which robot-assisted language learning was implemented.
The findings show that different types of robots, most commonly social and humanoid robot, were used as tutors, peers, or storytelling partners. Robots supported language learning primarily through vocabulary acquisition, but also through pronunciation practice, oral fluency, and narrative comprehension. Across studies, robots embodied and social features, such as speech, gesture, gaze, turn-taking, and adaptive feedback played a key role in shaping children’s engagement, motivation, and opportunities for language learning.
The effectiveness of robot-assisted language learning was influenced by several factors such as interaction quality, teacher involvement, session structure, and the duration of interventions. Common limitations across studies included short intervention periods, small sample sizes, technical challenges, high costs, and limited cultural and linguistic diversity.
Overall, the review explored that robots could support early language learning when used as complementary tools within teacher-guided activities. Further longitudinal and theory-informed classroom research is needed to better understand how robots can effectively and sustainably support children’s language development.