A Systematic Review Examining the Design of Pedagogical Agents for K-12 Students

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 9:50 am Four Seasons Ballroom 2-3
  In Roundtable Session: Learning Analytics and Student Engagement (Table 1)

Abstract

Pedagogical agents (PAs) are increasingly used in educational technologies, yet their optimal design features for K-12 learners remain unclear. To address this, we systematically reviewed 46 empirical studies, analyzing them using Heidig and Clarebout’s (2011) frameworks. Our findings revealed that learners preferred certain types of PAs. Although these preferences did not consistently correlate with improved learning outcomes, there is a notable gap in research examining the intersection between learners' perceptions and their learning. Furthermore, our results demonstrated that pedagogical strategies successful for human educators were also effective when implemented by PAs. We identify key design features that instructional designers can utilize to develop PAs for K-12 students and suggest promising research directions based on the current literature in the field.

Authors

• Shan Zhang, University of Florida

• Chris Davis Jaldi, Wright State University

• Noah L. Schroeder, University of Florida

• Alexis A. Lopez, Educational Testing Service

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

• Steffi Heidig, Hochschule Zittau/Görlitz Studiengang