For many children the transition from “learning to read” to “reading to learn” can be a bumpy one, especially when reading aloud is involved. It's a moment meant to build fluency and confidence, but for kids who are not yet reading with ease, reading aloud can be a nerve-wracking experience and lead to long-term reading anxiety and shaken self-esteem.

An innovative new study from the Department of Computer Science at the University of Chicago, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Illinois Chicago and the University of Wisconsin, Madison, is showing how a robot can help.

Instead of being worried about making a mistake in class, children were able to focus on the reading task itself.

The study aimed to find out whether children might feel less anxious reading aloud to a robot than to a human. It was led by Lauren Wright, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Chicago.

“Often when we want to know how someone felt while doing a task, we just ask them in a survey,” explained Wright in a media release. “However, if you ask a 10-year-old ‘were you nervous?' they're most likely to say no, either because they don't want to admit it or because they're still developing the ability to identify and name their own emotions.”

To get around this issue, researchers monitored three key physical indicators of anxiety in 52 children between the ages of eight and eleven years old. Each child read a short story aloud in three different scenarios: 1) alone 2) in front of an adult and 3) to a small humanoid robot named Misty.

During each session researchers monitored the children's vocal delivery for signs of nervousness such as a shaky voice, heart rate variability and facial temperature.

“[We] wanted to study whether children really do experience less anxiety with a robot than with a person. We did, in fact, find strong evidence that children experience less anxiety with a robot when reading aloud, highlighting that children may be able to learn with robots in a unique and potentially beneficial way — free of anxiety, ” explained Sarah Sebo, an assistant professor of Computer Science at the University of Chicago, where she directs the Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) Lab.

“Rather than being worried about making a mistake in front of a person, children could focus more of their mental resources on learning the subject material in front of them.”

The results were impressive. When reading to Misty, children consistently showed lower anxiety markers across the board. Their voices were steadier, their heart patterns healthier and their facial temperature more stable. In other words, they were calmer.

When children were asked to describe why they preferred the robot, they mentioned things such as: “The robot was less stressful … because you feel less judged.” Another child added, “Even when I made a mistake, I knew it wouldn't be mad at me.”

What's more, the students' reading comprehension didn't suffer when reading to the robot. In fact, it was better enhanced because of the stress-free environment.

Not all kids felt warm and fuzzy about Misty, however. Some described the robots mechanical voice as “weird” or “too robotic” suggesting that as with any teaching tool, one size, or one voice, won't fit all.

Robots might not replace teachers in the future, but they could be useful add-on assistants for kids who need a little less pressure, a little more patience, and practice.

The study's implications stretch beyond reading circles. If robotic companions can lower anxiety during stressful tasks, they may have roles to play in other sensitive areas like healthcare therapy or coaching beginners through everything from playing instruments to public speaking.

As Sebo sees it, this is just the beginning. “We did, in fact, find strong evidence that children experience less anxiety with a robot when reading aloud, highlighting that children may be able to learn with robots in a unique and potentially beneficial ways free of anxiety.”

Robots might not replace teachers in the future, but they could be useful add-on assistants. For kids who need a little less pressure and a little more practice and patience, Misty or her “sisters and brothers” could be game-changers.

The study is published in Science Robotics.