The Cautious Attitude of Teachers Towards Social Robots in Schools
Social robots are increasingly being applied in educational environments such as schools. It is important to understand the views of the general public as social acceptance will likely play a role in the adoption of such technology. Other literature suggests that teacher attitudes are a strong predictor of technology use in classrooms, so willingness to engage with social robots will influence application in practice. In this paper we present the results of a rigorously framed survey used to gather the views of both the general public and education professionals towards the use of robots in schools. Overall, we find that the attitude towards social robots in schools is cautious, but potentially accepting. We discuss the reported set of perceived obstacles for the broader adoption of robots in the classroom in this context. Interestingly, concerns about appropriate social skills for the robots dominate over practical and ethical concerns, suggesting that this should remain a focus for child robot interaction research.
RO MAN 2016