Effectiveness of Robot-Mediated Learning in Fostering Children’s Social and Cognitive Development

Engaging with social robots has been recognized as potentially beneficial for children facing social communication challenges, especially in developing skills such as joint attention. This systematic review examines the effectiveness of robot-mediated learning in enhancing children’s cognitive abili...

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Main Authors: Zainab Salma, Raquel Hijón-Neira, Celeste Pizarro, Arqam Abdul Moqeet
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-03-01
Series:Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/7/3567
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author Zainab Salma
Raquel Hijón-Neira
Celeste Pizarro
Arqam Abdul Moqeet
author_facet Zainab Salma
Raquel Hijón-Neira
Celeste Pizarro
Arqam Abdul Moqeet
author_sort Zainab Salma
collection DOAJ
description Engaging with social robots has been recognized as potentially beneficial for children facing social communication challenges, especially in developing skills such as joint attention. This systematic review examines the effectiveness of robot-mediated learning in enhancing children’s cognitive abilities, emotional resilience, and self-confidence, based on an analysis of research conducted between 2018 and 2025. While social robots show promise in delivering personalized and engaging educational experiences, challenges such as emotional dependence, accessibility, and ethical concerns persist. The review concludes that further research, particularly longitudinal studies and cross-cultural comparisons, is necessary to fully understand the long-term impacts of robot-mediated learning on children’s cognitive and social development. It explores the application of robotic technology in relation to children’s educational progress across different age groups. The review includes studies of various types, such as experimental, non-experimental, and research articles, covering diverse research fields, robots, contexts of use, target audiences, and outcomes. The findings highlight the growing potential of social robots to support children’s cognitive development by providing interactive and stimulating learning experiences. This review offers valuable insights for researchers and designers aiming to improve robotic interventions and tailor them to meet diverse developmental needs and educational settings.
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spelling doaj-art-abe72640ce1b4fab9cdbe98bef5d8bbd2025-08-20T02:17:00ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-03-01157356710.3390/app15073567Effectiveness of Robot-Mediated Learning in Fostering Children’s Social and Cognitive DevelopmentZainab Salma0Raquel Hijón-Neira1Celeste Pizarro2Arqam Abdul Moqeet3Computer Science Department, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28001 Madrid, SpainComputer Science Department, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28001 Madrid, SpainApplied Mathematics Department, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, 28001 Madrid, SpainInformation Technology Department, Sialkot College of Physical Therapy, Sialkot 51040, PakistanEngaging with social robots has been recognized as potentially beneficial for children facing social communication challenges, especially in developing skills such as joint attention. This systematic review examines the effectiveness of robot-mediated learning in enhancing children’s cognitive abilities, emotional resilience, and self-confidence, based on an analysis of research conducted between 2018 and 2025. While social robots show promise in delivering personalized and engaging educational experiences, challenges such as emotional dependence, accessibility, and ethical concerns persist. The review concludes that further research, particularly longitudinal studies and cross-cultural comparisons, is necessary to fully understand the long-term impacts of robot-mediated learning on children’s cognitive and social development. It explores the application of robotic technology in relation to children’s educational progress across different age groups. The review includes studies of various types, such as experimental, non-experimental, and research articles, covering diverse research fields, robots, contexts of use, target audiences, and outcomes. The findings highlight the growing potential of social robots to support children’s cognitive development by providing interactive and stimulating learning experiences. This review offers valuable insights for researchers and designers aiming to improve robotic interventions and tailor them to meet diverse developmental needs and educational settings.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/7/3567social robotscognitive developmentrobot-mediated learningcognition
spellingShingle Zainab Salma
Raquel Hijón-Neira
Celeste Pizarro
Arqam Abdul Moqeet
Effectiveness of Robot-Mediated Learning in Fostering Children’s Social and Cognitive Development
Applied Sciences
social robots
cognitive development
robot-mediated learning
cognition
title Effectiveness of Robot-Mediated Learning in Fostering Children’s Social and Cognitive Development
title_full Effectiveness of Robot-Mediated Learning in Fostering Children’s Social and Cognitive Development
title_fullStr Effectiveness of Robot-Mediated Learning in Fostering Children’s Social and Cognitive Development
title_full_unstemmed Effectiveness of Robot-Mediated Learning in Fostering Children’s Social and Cognitive Development
title_short Effectiveness of Robot-Mediated Learning in Fostering Children’s Social and Cognitive Development
title_sort effectiveness of robot mediated learning in fostering children s social and cognitive development
topic social robots
cognitive development
robot-mediated learning
cognition
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/7/3567
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AT raquelhijonneira effectivenessofrobotmediatedlearninginfosteringchildrenssocialandcognitivedevelopment
AT celestepizarro effectivenessofrobotmediatedlearninginfosteringchildrenssocialandcognitivedevelopment
AT arqamabdulmoqeet effectivenessofrobotmediatedlearninginfosteringchildrenssocialandcognitivedevelopment