Talking vs typing: how voice- vs text-based educational robots shape student engagement

Purpose This study examines the role of voice-based (vs. text-based) educational robots in shaping students’ engagement. By focusing on the cognitive, emotional and behavioral dimensions of student engagement, it aims to provide insights into how different interaction styles influence the educational experience. Design/methodology/approach A mixed-methods approach was adopted, comprising two studies. Study 1 employed qualitative methods, including student diaries and group discussions, to identify the dimensions of students’ engagement. Deploying a structured questionnaire, Study 2 conducted quantitative analysis, including paired t-tests and Cohen’s d, to compare student engagement outcomes between the studied voice-based and text-based robots. Findings The results highlight how voice- and text-based educational robots shape student engagement differentially, identifying key hallmarks of students’ cognitive, emotional and behavioral engagement. The comparative analysis reveals that the voice-based robot is particularly effective in enhancing emotional and cognitive engagement, improving concentration, motivation and emotional connection through multisensory and personalized interactions. In contrast, the text-based robot excels in supporting autonomous learning by facilitating content review. Therefore, these robots promote behavioral engagement through different mechanisms, revealing their role as complementary tools to create students’ holistic educational experience. Originality/value This study provides novel insights into the role of voice-based (vs text-based) educational robots in shaping students’ engagement. By combining qualitative and quantitative approaches, our analyses offer novel academic and practical implications for the adoption of educational robots in shaping student engagement.