I can teach them: The ability of robot instructors to cognitive disabled children

Many studies have been published regarding ways in which to help students with cognitive disabilities. The strategies of repetition and digression from typical learning environments have been highlighted as important and efficient ways to assist students with cognitive disabilities. This study investigated if students with cognitive disabilities can learn house cleaning from robot instructors. Forty students participated in the experiment. In the control group, students participated in a training session with a human instructor. In our experimental groups, three sub-conditions were applied. Students participated in a training session with a robot teacher in addition to the regular training session. The results indicated that students who had a training session with a robot instructor significantly improved their functional knowledge and skills when compared to the students in the control group. In addition, the more repeated sessions the students had, the better their understanding. Both implications and future studies are discussed.