Pedagogical Agents Can Help Kids Learn: A Series of Three-Level Meta-Analyses

• In Event: Innovative Educational Tools and Strategies to Enhance Student Learning

Abstract

Pedagogical agents (PAs) are virtual characters designed to help people learn. While research has shown they can facilitate learning, no research synthesis effort has been directed towards their use in K-12 education. We analyzed 30 studies that met our inclusion criteria. The results of five three-level meta-analyses indicate that PAs helped K-12 students learn (g = 0.42, p < .001, k = 70) and improved their motivation (g = 0.48, p = .001, k = 47), but did not have any significant effects on emotions, perceptions, or cognitive load compared to systems without a PA present.

Authors

• Noah L. Schroeder, University of Florida

• Shan Zhang, University of Florida

• Chris Davis Jaldi, Wright State University

• Jessica R. Gladstone, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Alexis A. Lopez, Educational Testing Service

• Emmanuel Dorley, University of Florida