Exploring changes in special education teachers’ attitudes and design belief towards pedagogical agents in co-designing with children

Abstract

Special education teachers' perception and attitudes towards technology and design play a critical role in pedagogical practices. The study aims to explore changes in special education teachers' attitudes and design beliefs through a co-design process with children.The initial pilot study focused on preparing special education teachers for effective integration of pedagogical agents into teaching and learning. The initial pilot study followed the mixed-method design and was guided by the following research question: In what ways the co-design process influenced teachers' attitudes and design beliefs towards pedagogical agents through the co-design process with children? The preliminary results indicated by the end of the program that teachers' attitudes towards pedagogical agents increased significantly with moderate effect sizes, which might contribute to the co-design process and interactions with pedagogical agents. Qualitative analysis based on teacher interviews, lesson projects, and field notes also suggested that the shifts in participant's attitudes and design beliefs are influenced by a variety of personal and contextual factors including i) The didactic use of pedagogical agents; ii) the usefulness of pedagogical agents for inclusive education; (iii) teachers' attitudes about the role of the teacher as a designer, and (iv) leadership support to facilitate the immersive learning experience created through the interaction between the human and pedagogical agents.