The Beauty and the Machine, Joining Aesthetics and Robotics in Education – 3
We pursue an educational approach that integrates arts and aesthetics into teaching to foster creativity and engagement in robotics.
Duration: January 2026 – December 2027
Status: Ongoing
Educational Level: Primary Level, Tertiary Level
Topic: Digital Skills & Literacy, Digital Tools
Keywords: Robotics, Aesthetics, STEAM, Arts, Teaching
Initial Situation
Digital skills are essential in education and will become even more important in the future. Educational robots can support the development of these skills in a STEM context, bringing high motivation, transversal skills and interdisciplinary topics to pupils. Despite these key elements, educational robots are still not common in classes because (future) teachers often do not feel connected to this technology or confident enough to integrate it into their teaching. There has been a lot of research that wants to change this. However, there is a lack of research regarding the potentials of combining aesthetics and robotics. Studies have shown that aesthetics can lead to positive emotions which have a huge potential to increase the integration of educational robots in schools, especially among (future) female teachers.
Our research project addresses this specific research gap in three studies with the following research question: To what extent does the combination of robotics and aesthetics influence pre- and in-service teachers’ motivation to integrate educational robots into their digital education lessons, specifically via positive emotions?
- Study A’s goal is to get to the bottom of the factors that impact pre-service teachers’ motivation.
- Study B investigates the effects of joining robotics and aesthetics on in-service teachers’ motivation and skills.
- Study C investigates the effects of combining aesthetics and robotics on school children’s perception of robotics and STEAM.
Previous Projects
Two preceding projects form the basis for the third project: The Beauty and the Machine – 1 investigated how aesthetic costumes for the Thymio robot influence the motivation and skills of prospective teachers in working with educational robots. In The Beauty and the Machine – 2, the study from Project 1 was refined and repeated. More than 120 students from PHBern were reliably assessed using improved tasks, enhanced storytelling, and additional measurement points.
Objectives
Our objective is to have validated educational materials that help to foster teachers’ digital motivation and skills. The material builds on scientific findings which hold information about the specific factors that increase motivation and skills. The materials adopt the benefits of combining aesthetics and robotics (e.g., more positive emotions) which foster pre- and in-service teachers’ motivation to integrate educational robots into their future lessons. We further aim to disseminate our educational materials widely through targeted project communication, both internally and externally.
Method
- Study A: To get to the bottom of the factors that impact motivation in this year’s study with pre-service teachers, we will use qualitative surveys.
- Study B: To test the effects of aesthetics and robotics on in-service teachers, we plan to use the same experimental design as we have used in this year’s study among pre-service teachers. The experimental design includes a workshop as the experimental manipulation and two quantitative surveys.
- Study C: In an exploratory study, we want to investigate the effects of combining aesthetics and robotics on compulsory school children’s perception of robotics and STEAM. The study will use a quantitative approach.
Planned Translation
The rapid translation between research and practice is a key component of our project by design as we have already developed educational materials as part of the research project. Those educational materials can be used right away in teacher training or in classes. The materials have been tested among pre-service teachers who have already received a well-elaborated workshop as part of their study participation. To speed up the translation process, our communication experts from BFH will support the exchange of research findings with practitioners, using a variety of communication tools (e.g., Instagram, LinkedIn, website, ROTECO). They will support the diffusion of our material as Open Educational Resources in the form of complete packages.
Our main goal is to increase the use of educational robots in compulsory classrooms by teachers. If more teachers use educational robots in their lessons, pupils benefit from better digital education lessons which offer hands-on, engaging learning experiences. There is a higher probability to interest pupils for STEAM, potentially increasing STEM career choices and thus contributing to efforts that tackle the shortage of skilled workers in this area. As a side effect, we also expect a better representation of robotics in compulsory schools. We plan to measure the impact of our project in three studies in 2026.
