Abstract:

New technological developments and discoveries in robotics have affected, among other fields, education as well. The use of educational robotics has increased since 2000, especially in STEM subjects. In recent years, however, social robotics has been incorporated into fields such as special education, art, and language learning. The characteristics and potential of some robots, especially social robots, make them an extremely useful tool for language learning.
This paper introduces a brief overview of the educational theories, types and applications of robots used in language learning, as well as the roles of robots in the learning process, and the educational activities that have been implemented thus far. The paper also presents a research in progress based on the DuckyCode robot, which was originally developed for STEM applications. However, its innovative technology and its user-friendly environment make it suitable for use as a social robot in language learning. DuckyCode has social skills and, can interact with students through speech and writing. Its capabilities make it a useful tool in the field of language learning where social interaction and communication skills are essential.
For this research, a series of educational activities were created, targeting different grades of elementary school during the English lessons. New ways to utilize the robot in a language learning classroom and new roles that the robot can take on during the learning process are suggested aiming to increase its effectiveness. Two groups of students participated in the research, in order to compare the results with and without the use of the robot. The aim was to examine the effectiveness of the DuckyCode robot on students' cognitive outcomes, motivation level as well as students' preferences.

Keywords:

RALL, language learning, DuckyCode, educational robotics, social robots.