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Charting the Development of Robot-Assisted Social-Emotional Learning: Mapping Its Intellectual Foundations, Thematic
Wenjia Cui1, Kejun Zhang2, Zaipeng Zhang2
1Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9YL, UK.
Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland)
|May 27, 2026
Summary
This study analyzed robot-assisted social and emotional learning (SEL) research, finding a growing field with key themes in autism and interaction design. Robots are emerging as learning tools, but integration with education needs improvement.
Area of Science:
- Robotics
- Education Technology
- Human-Robot Interaction
Background:
- Social and emotional learning (SEL) is crucial for development and education.
- Robotics offers new ways to support socio-emotional skills via human-robot interaction (HRI).
- Research in robot-assisted SEL is growing but lacks structural clarity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To map the intellectual and thematic structure of robot-assisted SEL research.
- To identify key research themes, influential works, and collaboration patterns.
- To understand the evolution and integration of robotics in SEL.
Main Methods:
- Scientometric analysis of 241 publications from Web of Science.
- Bibliometric methods including co-citation analysis and thematic mapping.
- Examination of research growth, country concentration, and international collaboration.
Main Results:
- Research shows steady growth, concentrated in a few countries with international collaboration.
- Core themes include autism interventions, social skill development, and interaction design.
- Emotion recognition and affective computing are mature but specialized areas.
- Emerging links with STEM and project-based learning indicate pedagogical expansion.
- Robots are becoming mediators in hybrid learning systems, but integration is uneven.
Conclusions:
- Robot-assisted SEL is an evolving field with a strong foundation in autism and social skills.
- Technological advancements in HRI are influencing pedagogical approaches.
- Further work is needed to align technological capabilities with pedagogical foundations for effective integration.
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