European Early Childhood Education Research Journal

This paper presents a qualitative analysis of the teacher research– training pathway, a key component of the SONRIE project. The study draws on teachers’ reflections collected during the intermediate and final meetings of the action research. Situated within the national PRIN 2022 PNRR SONRIE project (SOciale Ntertaining Robotics for Intercultural Education), funded by the European Union – Next Generation EU and jointly coordinated by the University of Perugia and the University of Genoa, the research explores the potential of a socially competent robot as a facilitator of intercultural encounters and integration processes among children from diverse cultural backgrounds in early childhood settings. In this perspective, teacher education plays a crucial role in supporting the ethical and culturally responsive integration of robotics into everyday pedagogical practice. Guided by Participatory Action Research (PAR) and a Research– Training (RT) approach, the project involved five early childhood education and care settings, engaging 43 teachers and 168 children. The analysis highlights the transformative potential of the research–training pathway, revealing five interrelated domains: affective engagement, transformative processes, embodied interculture, relational robotics, and reflective teaching. The findings suggest that research–training can foster intercultural awareness, reflective professional development, and inclusive educational environments