Exploring the World of Robot-Assisted Digital Storytelling: Trends, Models, and Educational Implications
Authors: Essien George , S Parbanath Steven 
Published: October 2024

Aim/Purpose: This paper explores the trends in robot storytelling, its conceptual models, and educational implications.

Background: Digital storytelling is the use of digital media elements such as text, images, audio, and video to create and tell a story. A form of digital storytelling using a social robot to do the story presentation is called robot-assisted digital storytelling or simply robot storytelling. A robot storytelling conceptual model is a visual representation of the process of creating and presenting robot stories. The model displays the main elements and their relationship, providing guidelines for creating and sharing the robot story.

Methodology: This paper uses the scoping review method that follows the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Review (PRISMA-ScR) and the methodological framework developed by Arksey and O’Malley to review 30 publications selected from the period 01/01/2003 to 06/02/2024. The study first retrieved 235 publications from Scopus, Web of Science, and Lens databases based on specified inclusion and exclusion criteria. The retrieved articles were screened, and 30 were selected for the review. The charting of the selected articles was carried out using content analysis on the following characteristics: author(s)/year, title of study, purpose of study, conceptual model/theoretical/methodological framework used, population, intervention/study activity, usage of intervention and finding/outcome.

Contribution: The paper contributes to knowledge by revealing the trend in robot storytelling, its impacts on education, and the limitation or gap in robot storytelling conceptual models.

Findings: The paper found that robot storytelling is mainly used as a tool to impart knowledge to pupils and students in educational institutions. In addition, robot storytelling has a positive impact on teaching and learning at all levels of the educational ladder. Also, the number of published research studies on robot-assisted storytelling conceptual models is woefully inadequate.

Recommendations for Practitioners: This paper recommends that practitioners, especially the instructional delivery fraternity who use other digital storytelling presentation methods, such as computer and online storytelling, must resort to robot storytelling. This is because robot storytelling has proved to improve learning outcomes compared to other digital storytelling methods.

Recommendation for Researchers: This paper recommends that researchers in the field of robot storytelling endeavor to propose and publish more conceptual models for practitioners who want to develop robot storytelling. In addition to the conceptual models, detailed methodological frameworks can be developed for the models to make it easier for practitioners to develop robot storytelling.

Impact on Society: Robot storytelling is more attractive and sustains audience attention, therefore improving learning outcomes. This paper reveals to teaching professionals the current growing method of imparting knowledge to learners that uses robot storytelling. This paper also motivates managers of educational institutions to plan toward the use of social robots in instructional delivery.

Future Research: The paper proposes the development of a robot storytelling conceptual model that provides complete guidance from requirement analysis, story preparation, programming, testing, and presentation to evaluation to help practitioners. In addition, a detailed methodological framework based on the model should be developed to make it easier for users of the model.