Research Article
Xiaotong Yu, María Ángeles Gutiérrez-García, Roberto Soto-Varela, Melchor Gómez-García
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 17, Issue 1, Article No: ep545
ABSTRACT
Robotics education and robot-embedded learning have become focal points in recent interdisciplinary and innovative education. Despite the identified opportunities, there are still limitations and considerations before integrating educational robotics into foreign language education on a large scale. This survey investigates foreign language teachers’ perceptions and acceptance of teaching with educational robotics and robot-assisted language learning. To achieve this, the ERPA scale, containing five subscales measuring teachers’ technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge, and the perceived usefulness of robots, was adapted as the data collection instrument. The scale consisted of 19 items based on a 5-point Likert scale. A total of 109 foreign language teachers from Spain participated in the survey. The results suggest a positive relationship between teachers’ basic digital competence, technological knowledge of robot usage, pedagogical knowledge in foreign language teaching, and perceived usefulness of robots. Additionally, the length of service and target language positively affect acceptance. This research contributes to current educational robotics studies by identifying features of robots considered suitable for language teaching, such as animal-like embodiments instead of humanoid forms.
Keywords: attitudes, acceptance, educational robotics, EFL, second language
Research Article
Silvino Antonio Castañeda Rincón, Hayarelis Moreno Gudiño, Richard de Jesús Gil Herrera
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 3, Article No: ep522
ABSTRACT
In light of the growing diversity of students in the classroom, there is a pressing need to address the potential for discrimination against minorities, arising from cultural, socioeconomic, special needs, learning styles, and other differences. It is, therefore, essential to establish inclusive learning environments that guarantee equitable learning outcomes for all children and young people. This study aims to determine the impact of educational robotics (ER) in promoting emotional, cognitive, and social inclusion attributes through active methodologies among secondary students in public institutions. The applied methodology is composed of elements typical of active methodologies implemented in education and cited in the theoretical framework. The instruments employed to measure the classroom intervention process across various stages demonstrated a gradual improvement in the reference attributes of inclusive education. The findings suggest that ER can serve as a valuable tool for promoting inclusion in diversity contexts.
Keywords: diversity, educational robotics, educational technology, inclusion