Robots for Foreign Language Learning: Speaking Style Influences Student Performance
Much previous research suggests that teachers’ individual characteristics may affect students’ performance; however, which factors are particularly helpful is as yet unclear and methodologically very difficult to assess. In this paper, we study the effects of robots’ speaking styles when instructing...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-09-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Robotics and AI |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frobt.2021.680509/full |
| _version_ | 1819097505556594688 |
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| author | Kerstin Fischer Oliver Niebuhr Maria Alm |
| author_facet | Kerstin Fischer Oliver Niebuhr Maria Alm |
| author_sort | Kerstin Fischer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Much previous research suggests that teachers’ individual characteristics may affect students’ performance; however, which factors are particularly helpful is as yet unclear and methodologically very difficult to assess. In this paper, we study the effects of robots’ speaking styles when instructing students on a task. 40 participants saw a brief video in which a robot presented its instructions either in a charismatic or a not so charismatic speaking style. Participants’ task was then to produce foreign language sentences on the basis of visualizations of the prosodic properties of these sentences. A subsequent analysis of participants’ productions shows that language learners’ performance was significantly better when the robot had delivered its instructions in a charismatic voice. The results suggest not only that a charismatic speaking style may be crucial for teachers in general and hence one of the factors causing the interpersonal variation between teachers, but also that students can benefit from instructions by robots delivered in a charismatic speaking style. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-22T00:16:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-039aecdc872547eda7371209db05fbba |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-9144 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-22T00:16:10Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Robotics and AI |
| spelling | doaj.art-039aecdc872547eda7371209db05fbba2022-12-21T18:45:18ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Robotics and AI2296-91442021-09-01810.3389/frobt.2021.680509680509Robots for Foreign Language Learning: Speaking Style Influences Student PerformanceKerstin Fischer0Oliver Niebuhr1Maria Alm2Department of Design and Communication, University of Southern Denmark, Sonderborg, DenmarkCentre for Industrial Electronics, University of Southern Denmark, Sonderborg, DenmarkDepartment of Design and Communication, University of Southern Denmark, Sonderborg, DenmarkMuch previous research suggests that teachers’ individual characteristics may affect students’ performance; however, which factors are particularly helpful is as yet unclear and methodologically very difficult to assess. In this paper, we study the effects of robots’ speaking styles when instructing students on a task. 40 participants saw a brief video in which a robot presented its instructions either in a charismatic or a not so charismatic speaking style. Participants’ task was then to produce foreign language sentences on the basis of visualizations of the prosodic properties of these sentences. A subsequent analysis of participants’ productions shows that language learners’ performance was significantly better when the robot had delivered its instructions in a charismatic voice. The results suggest not only that a charismatic speaking style may be crucial for teachers in general and hence one of the factors causing the interpersonal variation between teachers, but also that students can benefit from instructions by robots delivered in a charismatic speaking style.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frobt.2021.680509/fullcharismasocial robotslanguage learningintonationspeaking style |
| spellingShingle | Kerstin Fischer Oliver Niebuhr Maria Alm Robots for Foreign Language Learning: Speaking Style Influences Student Performance Frontiers in Robotics and AI charisma social robots language learning intonation speaking style |
| title | Robots for Foreign Language Learning: Speaking Style Influences Student Performance |
| title_full | Robots for Foreign Language Learning: Speaking Style Influences Student Performance |
| title_fullStr | Robots for Foreign Language Learning: Speaking Style Influences Student Performance |
| title_full_unstemmed | Robots for Foreign Language Learning: Speaking Style Influences Student Performance |
| title_short | Robots for Foreign Language Learning: Speaking Style Influences Student Performance |
| title_sort | robots for foreign language learning speaking style influences student performance |
| topic | charisma social robots language learning intonation speaking style |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frobt.2021.680509/full |
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