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Robots improved student motivation and helped them perform better

As a teaching assistant, the social robot Pepper proved even better than human teachers at motivating pupils and helping them learn.

Two researchers interact with several robots in a bright laboratory.

New experiments suggest that responses from social robots have a greater impact on visual attention than feedback from humans. This opens the possibility of using them in environments where there is a need to inspire individuals to work more effectively.

(Photo: Geir Mogen / NTNU)

Sølvi Normannsen Sølvi Normannsen Communications adviser

Presented by: Presented by: NTNU - Norwegian University of Science and Technology

Published 8 November 2026 - 00:01

The robot has a friendly voice and is about as tall as an average 6- or 7-year-old.

It moves naturally, and its body and head are full of sensors such as microphones and cameras.

Pepper has now become a household name in the field of humanoid robot research and is currently playing a leading role in a new pilot trial.

Preliminary results indicate that robots can effectively help reduce the workload of teachers in schools. They can motivate pupils while they work and inspire them to go the extra mile when struggling with a difficult task.

The study shows that in some cases, the robot can even function as a better motivator than a flesh-and-blood teacher.

A motivator and companion

“Social robots can also be used as a motivator in other contexts. For example, we have observed that they can engage people of all ages in physical and mental exercises," says Deepti Mishra, a professor at NTNU who led the study.

By doing things in a fun and entertaining way, the robot can encourage others to pay attention and take part.

"It can play games and inspire others to play, which in turn can help keep the brain active and healthy,” she adds.

The goal of the research is to explore the opportunities that arise when advanced assistive technology is implemented in education and healthcare.

Support for physical and mental training

Challenges can arise in the classroom that pupils need help dealing with, such as academic performance, self-regulation, difficult emotions, and motivation.

“When these situations occur, it can be difficult to find a supportive companion at the right time who can help pupils overcome the challenges they face. In this context, it may be useful to explore the use of social robots such as Pepper,” says Mishra.

Pepper the robot raises an arm towards a participant in a classroom. — Pepper is about the same height as a 6–7-year-old and designed to interact with humans. Here, human and machine find each other during an event at NTNU.

Tracked eye movements

A total of 15 people aged between 16 and 40 participated in the pilot trial.

They were tasked to find various objects in a series of images, where each image was shown for 10 seconds. These were objects such as a basket in a forest, a blue car, or a flag with specific colours.

The participants wore special glasses equipped with eye-tracking technology that was able to detect when their eyes pause to focus, move, or blink. It can also measure the dilation of the pupils and the reactions within them.

All of these basic signals form a data stream that can provide insight into subconscious behaviours, such as decision-making, stress, fatigue, attention, and memory.

The signals may also indicate whether the participant reacts differently depending on whether the feedback comes from a machine or a human.

Participant wearing eye-tracking glasses sits at a computer beside the Pepper social robot. — A participant wearing special glasses with eye-tracking technology. The social robot Pepper was present to give them feedback.

A helpful companion

While the participants were trying to spot baskets, flags, or blue cars, they received constant feedback from Pepper or a human assistant.

To determine how effective the two different assistants were at motivating people, the researchers had to investigate several factors:

Does it make a difference who provides the feedback?
What is the outcome if the feedback is negative, neutral, or positive?
Does the order in which the feedback is given make a difference?
And how does all this affect attention and performance?

Portrait of Akshara Pande — Associate Professor Akshara Pande.

The robot improves performance

“The results suggest that responses from social robots have a greater impact on visual attention than responses from humans. This means it's possible to use them in settings where there's a need to inspire individuals to work more efficiently,” says Akshara Pande, an associate professor at NTNU.

The study also suggests that, on average, participants performed somewhat better when the feedback came from the robot.

However, this was not the case when negative feedback was provided at the end of the task.

The results therefore indicate that the order in which the feedback is given is also significant.

Researchers were surprised

“We had expected human feedback to have a greater impact because people tend to trust humans more than machines,” says Deepti Mishra.

"You have shown that constant encouragement from a companion is important for learning, engagement and performance. Could we become overly dependent on technology to perform well?"

“Yes, there is a potential disadvantage of becoming too dependent on technology to perform well. It can be compared to situations in which pupils expect teachers or teaching assistants to ‘hold their hands’," says Mishra.

She explains that they want pupils to be self-motivated, independent learners who are capable of managing their own learning process.

Can lighten the load – in certain situations

In the study, researchers highlight that participants may sometimes feel more comfortable receiving feedback and sharing information with a robot than with a human.

They believe social robots can help reduce the workload of teachers.

According to Akshara Pande, they may be particularly well-suited for one-to-one learning situations and adapted education.

“But social robots are not there to replace people. They are tools that can be used in certain contexts for specific tasks. Everything must be monitored and evaluated by humans,” says Deepti Mishra.

Human ethics and judgement

Social robots are an emerging field, and considerable research is being conducted into the reliability and responsibility of their behaviour.

Deepti Mishra, who has been named one of Norway’s 50 leading women in tech, refers to the ‘Human-in-the-Loop’ principle.

This is an approach in which humans are involved in the training, development, evaluation, use, and decision-making related to artificial intelligence systems.

“Human ethics and judgement are essential in ensuring user safety and system accuracy,” she says.

Source:

Pande et al. Do Social Robots Motivate Students like Humans? (Abstract). In Staffa et al. Social Robotics + AI. ICSR+AI 2025. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Springer, Singapore, 2026. DOI: 10.1007/978-981-95-2379-5_8

About the research

The pilot trial with Pepper was conducted at NTNU, while the data was analysed by colleagues at Banaras Hindu University in India.
The pilot project included only a few participants, and researchers at NTNU’s Educational Technology Laboratory in Gjøvik view it as a prototype for future, larger-scale studies with more participants and greater diversity among those involved. They recommend conducting a study in which participants can be followed over a longer period of time.
Pepper was developed by SoftBank Robotics in Paris in 2014. The robot is designed to serve as a personal assistant that interacts with people. It has three wheels that ensure smooth movement, and its 17 body joints make it look both elegant and lifelike. The sensors help it perceive its surroundings, enabling it to interact with pupils in a classroom, as NTNU researchers have now demonstrated.