Using Tangible Companions for Enhancing Learning English Conversation

In this study, the researchers attempted to extend the concept of learning companions from the virtual world to the real physical environment and made a breakthrough in technique development of tangible learning robots. The aim of this study was to explore an innovative way by combining the speech recognition technology with educational robots in the hope that the state-of-the-art technology could provide learners with more opportunities of bi-directional language learning in the English class settings. The quasi-experimental design was adopted in this study and a total of 63 Taiwanese students in the fifth grade participated in the experiment. The results reveal that using the tangible learning companions in learning had positive effects on learners' learning motivation, confidence and engagement especially for the lower-achievement learners. Two learning methods were identified in the study, co-discovery and peer tutoring method. The co-discovery method enhanced the lower-achievement learners' learning involvement and their English speaking ability. Students perceived the tangible learning robots as friendly learning toys or ever like a patient instructor for practicing English conversation. Both English instructor and students agreed that uses of the tangible learning companions effectively improved the class atmosphere, and raised their and positive attitude toward learning English.