Educational robotics: Parental views of telepresence robots as social and academic support for children undergoing cancer treatment in Denmark

Disrupted school attendance can trigger social and academic setbacks in children with prolonged illness. This study explores parental perspectives of telepresence robots in facilitating social and academic inclusion of their children undergoing cancer treatment. Parents (n = 15) of school-aged child...

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Main Authors: Emilie Løvenstein Vegeberg, Mette Weibel Willard, Mads Lund Andersen, Lykke Brogaard Bertel, Hanne Bækgaard Larsen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-08-01
Series:Computers in Human Behavior: Artificial Humans
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949882125000489
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author Emilie Løvenstein Vegeberg
Mette Weibel Willard
Mads Lund Andersen
Lykke Brogaard Bertel
Hanne Bækgaard Larsen
author_facet Emilie Løvenstein Vegeberg
Mette Weibel Willard
Mads Lund Andersen
Lykke Brogaard Bertel
Hanne Bækgaard Larsen
author_sort Emilie Løvenstein Vegeberg
collection DOAJ
description Disrupted school attendance can trigger social and academic setbacks in children with prolonged illness. This study explores parental perspectives of telepresence robots in facilitating social and academic inclusion of their children undergoing cancer treatment. Parents (n = 15) of school-aged children with cancer (n = 15) in Denmark participated in semi-structured interviews between November 2022 and July 2023. An abductive approach was used, based on thematic analysis and the Agential Realism theory. The analyses were structured around five themes: 1) multifaceted responsibilities and roles; 2) aid or burden; 3) robot personification; 4) social connectivity; and 5) educational support. From a parental perspective, telepresence robots can support regular school attendance in children with cancer, classmate interactions and facilitate information sharing about teaching content. Conversely, telepresence robots can impose an additional burden on parents of children with cancer including responsibility for facilitating robot use while lacking surplus resources otherwise dedicated to the sick child. This study corroborates the potential of telepresence robots to provide social and academic support for children undergoing treatment, thereby alleviating the burden faced by their parents.
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issn 2949-8821
language English
publishDate 2025-08-01
publisher Elsevier
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series Computers in Human Behavior: Artificial Humans
spelling doaj-art-2d59db0b5dbd489591ebb72c67cb368d2025-08-20T03:10:51ZengElsevierComputers in Human Behavior: Artificial Humans2949-88212025-08-01510016410.1016/j.chbah.2025.100164Educational robotics: Parental views of telepresence robots as social and academic support for children undergoing cancer treatment in DenmarkEmilie Løvenstein Vegeberg0Mette Weibel Willard1Mads Lund Andersen2Lykke Brogaard Bertel3Hanne Bækgaard Larsen4Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, The Juliane Marie Center, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, DenmarkDepartment of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, The Juliane Marie Center, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, DenmarkDepartment of Educational Psychology, Danish School of Education, Faculty of Arts, Aarhus University, Aarhus, DenmarkDepartment of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, The Juliane Marie Center, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Educational Psychology, Danish School of Education, Faculty of Arts, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark; Department of Sustainability and Planning, Aalborg Centre for Problem-Based Learning in Engineering Science and Sustainability under the auspices of UNESCO, Aalborg University, DenmarkDepartment of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, The Juliane Marie Center, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Corresponding author. Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, The Juliane Marie Center, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.Disrupted school attendance can trigger social and academic setbacks in children with prolonged illness. This study explores parental perspectives of telepresence robots in facilitating social and academic inclusion of their children undergoing cancer treatment. Parents (n = 15) of school-aged children with cancer (n = 15) in Denmark participated in semi-structured interviews between November 2022 and July 2023. An abductive approach was used, based on thematic analysis and the Agential Realism theory. The analyses were structured around five themes: 1) multifaceted responsibilities and roles; 2) aid or burden; 3) robot personification; 4) social connectivity; and 5) educational support. From a parental perspective, telepresence robots can support regular school attendance in children with cancer, classmate interactions and facilitate information sharing about teaching content. Conversely, telepresence robots can impose an additional burden on parents of children with cancer including responsibility for facilitating robot use while lacking surplus resources otherwise dedicated to the sick child. This study corroborates the potential of telepresence robots to provide social and academic support for children undergoing treatment, thereby alleviating the burden faced by their parents.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S29498821250004891) telepresence robots2) school3) parents4) childhood cancer5) educational support
spellingShingle Emilie Løvenstein Vegeberg
Mette Weibel Willard
Mads Lund Andersen
Lykke Brogaard Bertel
Hanne Bækgaard Larsen
Educational robotics: Parental views of telepresence robots as social and academic support for children undergoing cancer treatment in Denmark
Computers in Human Behavior: Artificial Humans
1) telepresence robots
2) school
3) parents
4) childhood cancer
5) educational support
title Educational robotics: Parental views of telepresence robots as social and academic support for children undergoing cancer treatment in Denmark
title_full Educational robotics: Parental views of telepresence robots as social and academic support for children undergoing cancer treatment in Denmark
title_fullStr Educational robotics: Parental views of telepresence robots as social and academic support for children undergoing cancer treatment in Denmark
title_full_unstemmed Educational robotics: Parental views of telepresence robots as social and academic support for children undergoing cancer treatment in Denmark
title_short Educational robotics: Parental views of telepresence robots as social and academic support for children undergoing cancer treatment in Denmark
title_sort educational robotics parental views of telepresence robots as social and academic support for children undergoing cancer treatment in denmark
topic 1) telepresence robots
2) school
3) parents
4) childhood cancer
5) educational support
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949882125000489
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