Attitudes of Engineering and Technology Teachers Towards the Use of Humanoid Robots in Education

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate the attitudes of teachers of technical and engineering subjects towards the use of humanoid robots in the learning process. The aim was to find out whether these teachers are more willing to integrate robots in the classroom than teachers of other subjects, and whether they perceive concrete possibilities to use robots in different learning situations (e.g. substituting in the absence of a student).

Study design/methodology/approach: The survey was quantitative and conducted through an online questionnaire, which was completed by 206 teachers of different subjects and levels of education in Slovenia. The questionnaire contained two sets of statements - one on the willingness to incorporate robots, the other on the concrete possibilities of their use. The analysis of differences between teachers of technical and non-technical subjects was carried out using the Mann-Whitney U-test, using IBM SPSS software. The questionnaire had high internal reliability (Cronbach α = .912).

Findings: The results showed statistically significant differences in the expressed willingness to incorporate robots, with teachers of technical and engineering subjects showing higher willingness than other teachers. However, there were no statistically significant differences in the perception of concrete possibilities for the use of robots, such as helping to work with students remotely, assisting teachers with administrative tasks, etc. Teachers of technical subjects expressed more interest and openness to the use of robots in the classroom.

Originality/value: The research provides important insights into a specific segment of teachers (engineering and technology teachers) who, due to the nature of the subject, are more inclined to make practical use of new technologies such as humanoid robots. This is one of the few studies that comparatively analyses the attitudes of different groups of teachers towards this topic. The results have value for the further development of pedagogical approaches, teacher training and the design of strategies for introducing robots in schools, especially in STEM fields.