EXP: Inclusive Design for Engaging All Learners (IDEAL): Designing Technology for Cultural Brokering

在今天的美国，母语不是英语的儿童约占目前K-12学龄人口的21%。这些儿童入学时往往已经落后于学业，因为他们必须学习英语以及正在教授的科目。学业上的挣扎可能导致儿童对教育产生负面看法，辍学率高。迫切需要打破这一循环，培养儿童的信心，使他们认为自己是课堂的宝贵贡献者。该项目探索为所有儿童创建一个有效的计划，承认文化和语言多样性是一种资产。该项目旨在了解如何设计社交型人形机器人，以指导来自不同文化和语言背景的儿童之间的协作互动。通过这种理解，该项目解决了少数民族学生更好地融入美国课堂的迫切社会需求。欣赏多样性是一种生活技能，对于生活在一个越来越多样化的社会中的所有美国人来说都是必不可少的。利用社交机器人技术，该项目打算从幼年开始创造这种心态。该项目研究是在为幼儿园年龄、英语和西班牙语儿童开发和完善一套机器人介导的互动活动的背景下进行的。基于社会文化理论，机器人（充当玩伴）旨在调解儿童之间的互动，以创建一个包容性的学习社区。研究问题包括：i）设计以机器人为媒介的协作互动来支持儿童发展需要什么？（二）孩子们在参与合作的过程中，他们的身份和学习是如何发展的？该项目为期两年，采用基于设计的研究方法，通过这种方法，交互活动在迭代周期中进行设计、测试和改进。数据收集是使用绿野仙踪的方法完成的，其中一个隐藏的人控制机器人，以协助儿童的互动，因为他们一起学习和玩耍。儿童和人之间的社会互动的代表性语料库允许研究人员使用真实的机器人来确定最终实现所需的机器人功能。民族志，参与儿童的互动和访谈的观察与儿童，教师和家长也进行。该项目小组由来自学习科学、扫盲和计算机科学领域的研究人员、公立学校人员和一个三人顾问委员会组成。项目成果将通过针对学术界和专业界的多种渠道传播。

In the United States today, children whose home language is not English make up about 21% of the current K-12 school-age population. These children often enter school already behind academically because they have to learn English as well as the subject being taught. Academic struggles can result in children having negative perceptions about education and high dropout rates. There is an urgent need to break this cycle and foster children's confidence so that they view themselves as valuable contributors to the classroom. This project explores the creation of an effective program for all children that recognizes cultural and linguistic diversity as an asset. The project seeks to understand how sociable, humanoid robots can be designed to guide collaborative interactions among children who come from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. Through this understanding, the project addresses urgent societal needs for better integration of minority students into U.S. classrooms. Appreciating diversity is a life skill that is essential for all Americans living in an ever more diverse society. Taking advantage of social robotics, the project intends to create this mindset from an early age. The project research is carried out in the context of developing and refining a set of robot-mediated interaction activities for kindergarten-aged, English-speaking and Spanish-speaking children. Grounded in socio-cultural theories, the robot (acting as a playmate) is designed to mediate interactions among children to create an inclusive learning community. The research questions include i) What does it take to design robot-mediated collaborative interactions to support children's development? ii) How do the children's identities and learning develop as they participate in the collaboration? Spanning two years, the project uses design-based research methodology by which the interaction activities are designed, tested, and refined in an iterative cycle. Data collection is done using the Wizard of Oz method, where a hidden person controls the robot to assist children's interactions as they learn and play together. A representative corpus of social interactions between the children and the person allows the researchers to determine the needed robot capabilities for the ultimate implementation using a real robot. Ethnographic, participatory observations of children's interactions and interviews with the children, teachers, and parents are also conducted. The project team consists of researchers from the fields of learning sciences, literacy, and computer science, public school personnel, and a three-member advisory board. The project outcomes will be disseminated through multiple channels that target academic and professional communities.