Use of a robot in an imaginary space. Robot-assisted language learning with a friendship booklet (carnet d’amitié)

Liisa Peura; Maarit Mutta

doi:10.1515/eduling-2025-0018

Enjoy 40% off

academic books on De Gruyter Brill *

Article

Use of a robot in an imaginary space. Robot-assisted language learning with a friendship booklet (carnet d’amitié)

Liisa Peura
Liisa Peura (PhD) is a post-doctoral researcher at the Department of French in the School of Language and Translation Studies at the University of Turku. Her research explores the added value of social robots in language education for primary school learners. Specifically, she investigates how interactions between young learners and social robots influence the development of their oral French skills and their readiness to communicate. This includes examining the interaction environment that emerges when the robot functions both as a learning tool and a subject of study.
and Maarit Mutta
Maarit Mutta is associate professor (docent) at the School of Languages and Translation Studies at the University of Turku and has broad expertise in L2 learning. She is the PI of the KISUVI project on multilingual writers’ writing processes funded by the Kone Foundation (2022–26). She is an expert in on-line foreign language writing processes and products of learners with multiple prior languages. She has expertise in several language learning and teaching domains, such as (in)formal learning, hybrid learning/teaching contexts, language awareness, and sustainability in language teaching.

Published/Copyright: October 21, 2025

Published by

Become an author with De Gruyter Brill

Submit Manuscript Author Information

From the journal Educational Linguistics Volume 4 Issue 2

Abstract

The integration of technology, including social robots, into classrooms has paved the way for new opportunities in second-language (L2) learning. This emphasises the importance of understanding child–robot interaction (CRI) and its impact on comprehensive language development. This study investigated CRI in a French L2 setting through young learners’ L2 written productions and visual expressions, adopting an embodied digital interaction perspective. It explored the intersection of pedagogy and technology in education, aligned with digital language practices and robot literacy. Over four months, young learners engaged with a social robot in French language learning, using a friendship booklet (carnet d’amitié) task to establish rapport and encourage free interaction. We observed a transition from scripted interactions to a dynamic “imaginary space” within the CRI and the extended interaction that positively influenced engagement and language exploration. The learners exhibited diverse language strategies to convey meaning, reflecting metalinguistic awareness and adaptability within the French language framework. This study provided insights into the integration of social robots in L2 education, highlighting the transformative potential of CRI and the imperative for critical robot literacy.

Keywords: social robots; child–robot interaction; second-language learning; robot-assisted language learning; imaginary space

Corresponding author: Liisa Peura, Department of French, School of Languages and Translation Studies, University of Turku, FI-20014, Turku, Finland, E-mail: liisa.peura@utu.fi

About the authors

Liisa Peura

Liisa Peura (PhD) is a post-doctoral researcher at the Department of French in the School of Language and Translation Studies at the University of Turku. Her research explores the added value of social robots in language education for primary school learners. Specifically, she investigates how interactions between young learners and social robots influence the development of their oral French skills and their readiness to communicate. This includes examining the interaction environment that emerges when the robot functions both as a learning tool and a subject of study.

Maarit Mutta

Maarit Mutta is associate professor (docent) at the School of Languages and Translation Studies at the University of Turku and has broad expertise in L2 learning. She is the PI of the KISUVI project on multilingual writers’ writing processes funded by the Kone Foundation (2022–26). She is an expert in on-line foreign language writing processes and products of learners with multiple prior languages. She has expertise in several language learning and teaching domains, such as (in)formal learning, hybrid learning/teaching contexts, language awareness, and sustainability in language teaching.

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the Utuling programme at the University of Turku and the Robolang research group for their insightful discussions and collaborative contributions to this research.

Research ethics: Strict research ethics and data security protocols were followed throughout the study following the guidelines set by the Finnish National Board on Research Integrity. No personal identification information was collected from the children, and all data were anonymised. Participation in the study was voluntary, and the participants had the right to withdraw at any time. Prior to the pupils’ involvement, consent for their participation in the study was obtained from their parents. The study received approval from the city’s education and learning services department. Moreover, the research obtained approval from the ethics committee of the University of Turku.
Informed consent: Informed consent was obtained from all individuals included in this study.
Author contributions: All authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
Conflict of interest: Authors state no conflict of interest.
Research funding: The study was funded by the Finnish Cultural Foundation.

References

Alemi, Minoo & Nafiseh S. Haeri. 2020. Robot-assisted instruction of L2 pragmatics: Effects on young EFL learners’ speech act performance. Journal of Language Learning and Instruction 24(2). 86–103. https://doi.org/10.64152/10125/44727.Search in Google Scholar

Benson, Phil. 2017. Language learning beyond the classroom: Access all areas. Studies in Self-Access Learning Journal 8(2). 135–146. https://doi.org/10.37237/080206.Search in Google Scholar

Berghe, Rianne van den, Josje Verhagen, Ora Oudgenoeg-Paz, Sanne Van der Ven & Leseman Paul. 2019. Social robots for language learning: A review. Review of Educational Research 89(2). 259–295. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654318821286.Search in Google Scholar

Bocconi, Stefania, Augusto Chioccariello, Giuliana Dettori, Anusca Ferrari & Katja Engelhardt. 2016. Developing computational thinking in compulsory education: Implications for policy and practice. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union.Search in Google Scholar

Boraita, Fanny, Julie Henry & Anne-Sophie Collard. 2020. Developing a critical robot literacy for young people from conceptual metaphors analysis. In 2020 IEEE frontiers in education conference (FIE), 1–7. Uppsala, Sweden: IEEE.10.1109/FIE44824.2020.9273959Search in Google Scholar

Cekaite, Asta. 2018. Microgenesis of language creativity: Innovation, conformity and incongruence in children’s language play. Language Sciences 65. 26–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langsci.2017.01.007.Search in Google Scholar

Cekaite, Asta & Karin Aronsson. 2005. Language play, a collaborative resource in children’s L2 learning. Applied Linguistics 26(2). 169–191. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amh042.Search in Google Scholar

Dörnyei, Zoltán. 2007. Research methods in applied linguistics: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methodologies. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Search in Google Scholar

Douglas Fir Group. 2016. A transdisciplinary framework for SLA in a multilingual world. The Modern Language Journal 100(S1). 19–47. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12301.Search in Google Scholar

Engwall, Olov, José Lopes & Anna Åhlund. 2021. Robot interaction styles for conversation practice in second language learning. International Journal of Social Robotics 13(2). 251–276. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-020-00635-y.Search in Google Scholar

Finnish National Agency for Education (FNBE). 2016. National core curriculum for basic education 2014. https://www.oph.fi/en/statistics-and-publications/publications/new-national-core-curriculum-basic-education-focus-school.Search in Google Scholar

Huang, Guanyu & Roger K. Moore. 2023. Using social robots for language learning: Are we there yet? Journal of China Computer-Assisted Language Learning 3(1). 208–230. https://doi.org/10.1515/jccall-2023-0013.Search in Google Scholar

Ipek, Hulya. 2009. Comparing and contrasting first and second language acquisition: Implications for language teachers. English Language Teaching 2(2). 155–163. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v2n2p155.Search in Google Scholar

Kahn, Peter H.Jr., Heather E. Gary & Solace Shen. 2013. Children’s social relationships with current and near‐future robots. Child Development Perspectives 7(1). 32–37. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12011.Search in Google Scholar

Kanda, Takkayuki, Rumi Sato, Naoki Saiwaki & Hiroshi Ishiguro. 2007. A two-month field trial in an elementary school for long-term human–robot interaction. IEEE Transactions on Robotics 23(5). 962–971. https://doi.org/10.1109/TRO.2007.904904.Search in Google Scholar

Kennedy, James, Paul Baxter, Emmanuel Senft & Tony Belpaeme. 2016. Social robot tutoring for child second language learning. In 2016 11th ACM/IEEE international conference on human-robot interaction (HRI), 231–238. Christchurch, New Zealand: ACM/IEEE.10.1109/HRI.2016.7451757Search in Google Scholar

Kramsch, Claire. 1995. The cultural component of language teaching. Language, Culture and Curriculum 8(2). 83–92. https://doi.org/10.1080/07908319509525192.Search in Google Scholar

Kramsch, Claire. 2009. The multilingual subject. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Search in Google Scholar

Kramsch, Claire. 2011. The symbolic dimensions of the intercultural. Language Teaching 44(3). 354–367. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444810000431.Search in Google Scholar

Kramsch, Claire. 2014. Language and culture. AILA Review 27(1). 30–55. https://doi.org/10.1075/aila.27.02kra.Search in Google Scholar

Kramsch, Claire & Michiko Uryu. 2020. Intercultural contact, hybridity, and third space. In Jane Jackson (ed.), The routledge handbook of language and intercultural communication, 204–218. London: Routledge.10.4324/9781003036210-16Search in Google Scholar

Kuckartz, Udo. 2014. Qualitative text analysis: A guide to methods, practice and using software. London: SAGE Publications.10.4135/9781446288719Search in Google Scholar

Lantolf, James P. & Steven L. Thorne. 2006. Sociocultural theory and genesis of second language development. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Search in Google Scholar

Lee, Hansol & Jang Ho Lee. 2022. The effects of robot-assisted language learning: A meta-analysis. Educational Research Review 35. 100425. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2021.100425.Search in Google Scholar

Leeuwen, Theo V. 2005. Introducing social semiotics. Abingdon: Routledge.10.4324/9780203647028Search in Google Scholar

Mavers, Diane. 2009. Image in the multimodal ensemble: Children’s drawing. In Carey Jewitt (ed.), The routledge handbook of multimodal analysis, 263–271. Abingdon: Routledge.Search in Google Scholar

Mondada, Lorenza. 2019. Contemporary issues in conversation analysis: Embodiment and materiality, multimodality and multisensoriality in social interaction. Journal of Pragmatics 145. 47–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2019.01.016.Search in Google Scholar

Mubin, Omar, Catherine J. Stevens, Suleman Shahid, Abdullah Al Mahmud & Jian-Jie Dong. 2013. A review of the applicability of robots in education. Journal of Technology in Education and Learning 1(209-0015). 13. https://doi.org/10.2316/journal.209.2013.1.209-0015.Search in Google Scholar

Peura, Liisa & Marjut Johansson. 2023. A friend or a machine? A study on the child–robot relationship in a foreign language class of young learners. In Raul Hakli, Pekka Mäkelä & Johanna Seibt (eds.), Proceedings of robophilosophy 2022, vol. 366, 165–173. Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence and Applications. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: IOS Press. https://doi.org/10.3233/faia220615.Search in Google Scholar

Peura, Liisa, Maarit Mutta & Marjut Johansson. 2023. Playing with pronunciation: A study on robot-assisted French pronunciation in a learning game. Nordic Journal of Digital Literacy 2. 100–115. https://doi.org/10.18261/njdl.18.2.3.Search in Google Scholar

Randall, Natasha. 2019. A survey of robot-assisted language learning (RALL). ACM Transactions on Human–Robot Interaction 9(1). 1–36. https://doi.org/10.1145/3345506.Search in Google Scholar

Secim, Ela Sümeyye, Mine Canan Durmuşoğlu & Mustafa Çiftçioğlu. 2021. Investigating pre-school children’s perspectives of robots through their robot drawings. International Journal of Computer Sciences and Engineering Systems 4(4). 59–83. https://doi.org/10.21585/ijcses.v4i4.112.Search in Google Scholar

Suto, Hidetsugu. 2013. Robot literacy an approach for sharing society with intelligent robots. International Journal of Cyber Society and Education 6(2). 139–144. https://doi.org/10.7903/ijcse.1057.Search in Google Scholar

Swain, Merrill. 2009. Languaging, agency and collaboration in advanced language proficiency. In Heidi Byrnes (ed.), Advanced language learning: The contribution of halliday and vygotsky, 95–108. London: Continuum.Search in Google Scholar

Sylvén, Liss Kerstin & Pia Sundqvist. 2017. Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) in extracurricular/extramural contexts. CALICO Journal 34(1). i–iv. https://doi.org/10.1558/cj.31822.Search in Google Scholar

Tanaka, Fumihide & Shizuko Matsuzoe. 2012. Children teach a care-receiving robot to promote their learning: Field experiments in a classroom for vocabulary learning. Journal of Human-Robot Interaction 1(1). 78–95. https://doi.org/10.5898/JHRI.1.1.Tanaka.Search in Google Scholar

Van Lier, Leo. 2004. The ecology of language learning. In Conference proceedings UC language consortium conference on theoretical and pedagogical perspectives, 26–28. Davis. CA: UC Language Consortium, University of California.Search in Google Scholar

Van Lier, Leo. 2010. The ecology of language learning: Practice to theory, theory to practice. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 3. 2–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.07.005.Search in Google Scholar

Van Straten, Caroline L., Peter Jochen & Rinaldo Kühne. 2020. Child–robot relationship formation: A narrative review of empirical research. International Journal of Social Robotics 12. 325–344. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-019-00569-0.Search in Google Scholar

Vogt, Paul, Rianne van den Berghe, Mirjam De Haas, Laura Hoffman, Junko Kanero, Ezgi Mamus & K. Pandey Amit. 2019. Second language tutoring using social robots: A large-scale study. In 2019 14th ACM/IEEE international conference on human-robot interaction (HRI), 497–505. New York: IEEE.10.1109/HRI.2019.8673077Search in Google Scholar

Vygotsky, Lev S. 1978. In Michael Cole, Vera John-Steiner, Sylvia Scribner & Ellen Souberman (eds.), Mind in society: Development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Search in Google Scholar

Westlund, Jacqueline & Cynthia Breazeal. 2015. The interplay of robot language level with children’s language learning during storytelling. In Julie, A., William Smart, Bilge Mutlu & Leila Yakayama (eds.), Proceedings of the tenth annual ACM/IEEE international conference on human-robot interaction, 65–66. Extended abstracts. New York: ACM/IEEE.10.1145/2701973.2701989Search in Google Scholar

Woo, Hansol, Gerald K. LeTendre, Trang Pham-Shouse & Yuhan Xiong. 2021. The use of social robots in classrooms: A review of field-based studies. Educational Research Review 33. 100388. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2021.100388.Search in Google Scholar

Received: 2025-09-04

Accepted: 2025-09-23

Published Online: 2025-10-21

Published in Print: 2025-12-17

You are currently not able to access this content.

Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/eduling-2025-0018

Keywords for this article

social robots; child–robot interaction; second-language learning; robot-assisted language learning; imaginary space