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 educational 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 teachers 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 qualitative 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 potential. There was also an overall positive shift in their intercultural sensitivity.