Learning by Doing: Teacher Professional Development Research in the Age of Social Robots

The introduction of social robots in preschool settings has become a common research strategy for addressing educational challenges. Although teachers and educators play a central role in classroom dynamics, they are often underrepresented in studies on educa- tional robots. Often, robots are presented as “black-boxes”, with little attention paid to providing teachers with dedicated training. This study describes the design and implementation of the Teacher Professional Development Research (TPDR) as a structured method for integrating social robots into early education, supporting teach- ers and educators. TPDR is an established educational practice that addresses pedagogical issues by engaging teachers as actors in the research process. Our project involved deploying a robot in four preschools and one nursery with a multicultural setting, primarily to foster intercultural integration. Both quantitative and qualita- tive data were collected to evaluate the impact of this approach on teachers’ attitudes and willingness to adopt the robot. Findings indicate that the teachers gained a greater awareness of the robot’s social presence and a clearer understanding of its educational po- tential. There was also an overall positive shift in their intercultural sensitivity.