Robot-Mediated Interactive Read-Alouds: Supports and Barriers for Young Children’s Literacy Development

• In Event: Language and Literacy Development and Decolonization through AI and Robotics

Abstract

This study investigated the feasibility of a robot mediating one-on-one interactive read-alouds with 20 children (aged 3–6) to support literacy development. The robot Pepper read This Is Not My Hat, posing inferential questions to scaffold comprehension. Video-recorded interactions and interviews were analyzed using emergent coding and Valsiner’s Zone Theory. Supports included Pepper’s engaging features (e.g., clear speech, prompts) and novelty, fostering attention. Barriers were limited emotional connection, inflexible scaffolding, and sensory discomfort (e.g., noises). Robots can supplement structured literacy instruction but cannot replace humans due to emotional and adaptive limitations. Findings inform robot design for early literacy.

Authors

• Iman Bakhoda, HighScope Educational Research Foundation

• Pourya Shahverdi, Oakland University

• Katie Rousso, University of Michigan

• Evan Dallas, Oakland University

• Wing-Yue Geoffrey Louie, Oakland University