Diverse social robot ethnicity performance in the classroom facilitated more expansive robot identity exploration in boys: A participatory robo-identity design study

Biases entangled with social identities such as gender and ethnicity can significantly influence educational outcomes, particularly within STEM where large gender disparities persist across education, industries, and cultures. Previous research demonstrates that norm-breaking social robots can challenge stereotypes and foster inclusivity in classrooms. Building on prior work, we present a 2x2, between-subjects study in which 156 participants aged 9-12 are shown a robot-delivered classroom lecture given by teams of robot personas with varying gender and ethnic diversity. Afterwards, participants engage in a participatory robo-identity design activity to imagine their own social robot personas. We examine how their own social identities and priming from the experimental conditions shape their creations. Results show that participants typically created robot personas reflecting their own nationality and gender. Many participants designed personas with competencies stereotypically normed to favor a particular gender; among these, the girls of our sample tended to design norm-breaking feminine robots whereas boys strongly favored norm-reinforcing masculine robots. However, exposure to ethnically diverse robot teams encouraged boys to construct more fluid and creative robot identities. These findings highlight the potential of diverse social robot identities to disrupt norms and promote equity in educational settings.