Integrating book, computer, and robot in language learning

There are difficulties in learning English in non-English-speaking contexts. First, much of the content material is de-contextualized from its daily use. Students learn
vocabularies, syntaxes, and grammars without knowing when and how to use them.
Samaras and Gismondi (1998) suggested that learning takes place in the continual
interactions with the surrounding environment. To help students learn English, therefore, one should consider delivering the instruction in a real context. Second,
computer-assisted learning systems may lack enough interactivity to help motivate
students to actively participate in the learning activities. Chang, Chan and Yang (2007)suggested that a learning system with high interactivity benefits students’ reading performance. Also, a learner-oriented instructional design will motivate students to learn with the computer system (Mitsoni, 2006). Third, as Liu (2000) noticed, learners often have insufficient practice in spoken English after class, which results in a situation where students are not confident in speaking English. Part of the reason is that students were not motivated to use English language after class. A computer-assisted learning system, thus, should be able to engage students in practicing their oral English in the real context simulated by the computer system.

Considering all of the above issues, an effective English learning environment should be able to motivate students to actively participate in learning activities (Coller & Shernoff, 2009; Coller & Scott, 2009) and to enhance their engagement in learning(Kebritchi & Hirumi, 2008). Both verbal and pictorial representations can be used in learning materials to foster students’ understanding (Chen & Chung, 2008).

In this present study, a humanoid robot was employed due to its high versatility in
enhancing cognitive and social interactions (Billard, 2003; Birk, Poppinga &
Pfingsthorn, 2009; Pierris & Lagoudakis, 2009). An English learning environment
integrated with book, computer and robot was proposed to deliver textual content,
multimedia, and motions all at the same time in an interactive fashion. Students may
benefit from the presented multimodal information, as well as social cues, from the
system to help them learn. The purpose of this study was, therefore, to (1) design and implement the integration of book, computer, and robot in a learning environment and(2) evaluate the usability and feasibility of the proposed system in English learning practices.