Abstract:

Educational robotics is widely recognized for promoting engaging teaching and learning experiences while fostering both hard and soft skills. This paper reports on the efficacy of a structured robot-mediated learning itinerary designed to support the development of social, emotional, and linguistic skills in kindergarten children. The educational pathway consists of a 10-session intervention based on a multisensory and collaborative approach. It combines the use of the educational robot Thymio with a kit of materials specifically designed to support the development of the target skills through narration and personification as engagement tools.
Moreover, rather than treating the robot merely as an isolated technological tool, this work embeds it as a learning mediator within a broader pedagogical architecture. It becomes the companion that guides children on a journey through emotional learning. The itinerary integrates evidence-based pedagogical strategies such as interactive read-aloud, cooperative learning, role play, circle time, guided exploration, and multiple group configurations to promote social and emotional skills.

The contribution addresses both the research design and the pedagogical structure underlying the itinerary. The project was implemented in three kindergartens in Italy and involved 96 children (randomly assigned to experimental and control groups), with the experimental activities carried out in small groups over a period of three months. In particular, this work focuses on the results obtained through the questionnaire “I Know My Emotions”, administered before and after the intervention in both groups.

The assessment tool consists of 20 items covering five skills:
(a) recognizing facial expressions of emotions,
(b) identifying emotions based on body cues,
(c) recognizing emotions from events,
(d) applying coping strategies, and
(e) using metacognitive skills.

An innovative aspect of our approach is the use of the Competence-based Knowledge Space Theory framework, which allows for uncovering the specific set of skills a child masters based on their item responses. Data analysis demonstrated that the educational itinerary effectively fosters social and emotional skills in preschoolers. Specifically, “recognizing emotions from events” was the skill most children possessed before the intervention, whereas “applying coping strategies” was the skill possessed by the fewest children. After the robot-mediated learning itinerary, “recognizing emotions from events” emerged as the skill gained by the largest number of children, whereas “using metacognitive skills” was the skill gained by the fewest.

The main contribution of this work lies in showing that the educational value of robotics in early childhood does not depend on the robot itself, but on the pedagogical framework designed around it. Moreover, it shows that Competence-based Knowledge Space Theory can be effectively used to assess educational robotics interventions. Lastly, this study offers a methodological proposal for educators and researchers interested in using educational robotics to support the holistic development of children.

Keywords:

Educational robotics, Multisensory itinerary, Social skills, Competence-based Knowledge Space Theory.