GSE/RES: Pedagogical agents as social models: Challenging gender-related stereotypes of engineering

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Florida State University will study the effectiveness of pedagogical agents as social models to influence girls' beliefs and stereotypes about engineering, the potential for using pedagogical agents to change beliefs.Many females have negative and unconstructive beliefs regarding engineering. As stated by Muller (2002), these misperceptions are prompted by a social fabric that pervades our society and results in stereotypic perceptions of engineering and scientific fields as "geeky" and particularly inappropriate for girls and women. Consequently, young women need more exposure to productive beliefs about engineering, ideally through some form of a social model (e.g., Bandura, 1986). While human models can help to bridge the gap, the logistics of arranging such opportunities are difficult to coordinate, and available mentors may not necessarily best match a particular young women's needs. By implementing computer-based social models, factors can be controlled that cannot be in human mentors, with a greater potential for outreach through avenues such as the Internet. Pedagogical agents, which are three-dimensional, animated computer-based characters, are particularly advantageous for serving as such models given that there is strong evidence that students, particularly females, easily develop social relationships with them. However, there is limited evidence to guide the design of such agents for the purpose of influencing beliefs about engineering.The goals of this interdisciplinary project are as follows: 1) to systematically investigatethe effectiveness of pedagogical agents as social models to influence girls' beliefs and stereotypes about engineering; and, in parallel, 2) to use pedagogical agents as a vehicle to systematically examine the nature of the belief-changing process. Two populations, representing two age groups (middle school girls, and freshman female undergraduates from both a traditional and a historically-Black institution), will be sampled for the research. Three types of research designs (Choice, Construction, and System-Controlled Studies (experimental and adaptive)) will be implemented to provide a more integrative understanding. Specifically, the first year will focus on investigating agent appearance; the second year on agent message/delivery; and, the third year on agent persona (combined factors). Dependent variables include student beliefs about and motivation toward engineering, intentions to pursue engineering, and perceptions of the agent. Dependent variables will be assessed by a combination of self-report (e.g., Likert-scale items), performance, and behaviorally-indicated measures.Intellectual Merit. Given that little is known as to the affordances and learner preferences for pedagogical agents as social models, this project is critical for advancing several interdisciplinary fields (e.g., instructional systems, social psychology, human-computer interaction, education/training, ecommerce and marketing, and game designers). By integrating multiple research approaches, the project is creative and original and draws on the two PIs' experience conducting pedagogical agent and social psychology research. Importantly, it will provide insight for influencing females' beliefs and stereotypes regarding engineering. Results will also complement ongoing development of pedagogical agents and other technology-mediated learning, such as intelligent tutoring systems. Along this line, the research will also help better illuminate the social impact of agents as an information technology, which is important given that society is becoming increasingly more information-driven.Broader Impact. It is expected that the project will build a strong empirical research base in this area with guidelines for designing agents to support engineering (or other types of) belief adoption. These findings will have the potential to broadly influence computer interface design, agent implementations in learning environments, and have marketing-related implications for other projects that involve "selling" engineering to females. Based on the findings, the next step would be to develop and implement a highly competent (e.g., artificially intelligent) and persuasive agent that would positively impact young women's beliefs about engineering.