A Look at the Roles of Look & Roles in Embodied Pedagogical Agents--A User Preference Perspective

Autor/inn/en	Haake, Magnus; Gulz, Agneta
Titel	A Look at the Roles of Look & Roles in Embodied Pedagogical Agents--A User Preference Perspective
Quelle	In: International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education, 19 (2009) 1, S.39-71 (33 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1560-4292
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Computer Assisted Instruction; Multimedia Materials; Computer Graphics; Selection; Secondary School Students; Student Attitudes; Gender Differences; Computer Simulation; Simulated Environment; Role Playing; Animation; Instructional Design; Artificial Intelligence; Educational Technology; Computer Software; Comparative Analysis; Visual Stimuli; Physical Characteristics; Sweden + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Computer based training; Computerunterstützter Unterricht; Computergrafik; Auslese; Sekundarschüler; Schülerverhalten; Geschlechterkonflikt; Computersimulation; Künstliche Umwelt; Rollenspiel; Lesson concept; Lessonplan; Unterrichtsentwurf; Künstliche Intelligenz; Unterrichtsmedien; Körperliche Erscheinung; Schweden
Abstract	The paper presents a theoretical framework addressing three aspects of embodied pedagogical agents: visual static appearance, pedagogical role, and communicative style. The framework is then applied to a user study where 90 school children (aged 12-15) in a dummy multimedia program were presented with either an instructor or a learning companion condition. They were then to choose between eight visually different embodied pedagogical agents: four more naturalistic (detailed & 3D-rendered) and four more stylized (simplified & cartoonish). Finally the participants were to choose between a strictly task-oriented versus a task- and relation-oriented pedagogical agent. The goal of the study was to explore possible relations between the three aspects mentioned above with respect to user preferences. Results were: (i) when the agent was introduced as a learning companion, female students displayed a significant tendency to choose a more stylized visual character, (ii) when the agent was introduced as a learning companion, female students displayed a significant tendency to choose a task- and relation-oriented agent, and (iii) in the case when students had chosen a more stylized character, there was a significant tendency to choose a task- and relation-oriented agent. The paper also discusses limitations and strengths of the study, and advocates careful descriptions in studies of this kind--especially regarding the notion of visual realism. (Contains 13 figures, 7 footnotes, and 4 tables.) (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10