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当前K-12学龄儿童人口的21%。这些孩子通常进入学业落后的学校，因为他们既要学习英语，也要学习所教的科目。学业上的挣扎可能会导致孩子们对教育有负面的看法，辍学率很高。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上有价值的贡献者。该项目探索为所有儿童创建一个有效的方案，承认文化和语言多样性是一项资产。该项目旨在了解如何设计具有社交能力的类人机器人来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，该项目解决了少数族裔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，对于生活在一个日益多样化的社会中的所有美国人来说，这是一项必不可少的技能。利用社交机器人技术，该项目打算从小就建立这种心态。该项目研究是在开发和完善一套针对幼儿园年龄、讲英语和讲西班牙语的儿童的机器人中介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)如何设计以机器人为中介的协作交互来支持儿童的发展？Ii)当孩子们参与合作时，他们的身份认同和学习是如何发展的？该项目历时两年，使用基于设计的研究方法，在迭代周期中设计、测试和改进交互活动。数据收集是使用绿野仙踪的方法完成的，在这种方法中，隐藏的人控制机器人，帮助孩子们在一起学习和玩耍时进行互动。儿童和人之间的社会互动的代表性语料库允许研究人员确定使用真实机器人进行最终实施所需的机器人能力。还对儿童的互动进行了人种学的参与性观察，并与儿童、教师和父母进行了访谈。该项目团队由来自学习科学、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。项目成果将通过以学术和专业团体为目标的多种渠道传播。

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.