Gender Differences in Learning-by-Teaching a Social Robot: Insights from a Primary School Study

Social robots hold great promise for supporting children’s learning, yet their effectiveness may depend on how well they align with individual learner characteristics. This study investigates the role of gender in shaping the outcomes of Learning-by-Teaching (LbT) with a social robot. In a primary school setting, 53 children (aged 8–9) participated in French language tasks under either a robot-assisted LbT condition or a self-practice condition. While no significant effects were found, girls consistently showed higher learning and retention gains when teaching the robot compared to practicing alone, an effect not observed in boys. Contrary to expectations, girls and boys spent similar time on task, used help equally, and reported comparable perceptions of the learning activity. Exploratory analyses revealed that girls who found the task more difficult learnt more, aligning with theories of desirable difficulty, and that higher learning gains were linked to lower perceived competence, suggesting possible signs of Imposter Syndrome. These findings highlight the complex interplay between cognitive and emotional factors in robot-assisted learning and emphasise the need for personalised educational technologies that adapt not only to performance but also to learner identity and psychological experience.