The present case study investigated the probable effect of applying a humanoid robot as a teacher-assistant for learning and retention of English vocabulary among 10 Iranian foreign language learners with intellectual disabilities, more specifically Down syndrome. This method is a new trend in using technology to teach classes called Robot Assisted Language Learning (RALL). To this end, participants were divided into 2 groups of five, one with the help of the robot (RALL) and one without (non-RALL). Both groups received the same lessons to learn 40 English vocabulary in 8 sessions. To measure the results, three English tests were run at different times during the teaching sessions (a pre-test, post-test, and a delayed post-test). The independent sample t-test on gain scores from pre-test to post-test revealed that there was a significant difference between the gains of the RALL group (M = 12.40) and the non-RALL group (M = 8.40), which indicates that RALL instruction had a large effect on the participants’ English vocabulary improvement. Moreover, while both RALL and non-RALL groups retained the taught vocabulary, the RALL group showed a more satisfying result. The findings of this study demonstrate the positive effects of using a humanoid robot to facilitate vocabulary learning and retention among people with Down syndrome who have issues with both language learning and verbal short-term memory and need to learn through visual activities, gestures, and games. This study could be a starting point for a new line of research in second or foreign language instruction specific to people with Down syndrome.

中文翻译：

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一种将类人机器人纳入智障英语学习者教学的创新方法

本案例研究调查了在10名伊朗智障，尤其是唐氏综合症外国学习者中，使用人形机器人作为助教来学习和保留英语词汇的可能效果。这种方法是使用技术教授称为机器人辅助语言学习（RALL）的课程的新趋势。为此，将参与者分为两组，每组五个，一组在机器人的帮助下（RALL），另一组在没有机器人的情况下（non-RALL）。两组都接受了相同的课程，共8节课，学习了40个英语词汇。为了衡量结果，在教学过程中的不同时间进行了三个英语测试（预测试，后测试和延迟的后测试）。独立样本的t检验，从测试前到测试后的收益分数显示，RALL组（M = 12.40）和非RALL组（M = 8.40）的收益之间存在显着差异，这表明RALL指令对参与者的英语词汇改进有很大影响。此外，尽管RALL和非RALL组都保留了所教授的词汇，但RALL组显示出了更为令人满意的结果。这项研究的结果表明，使用类人机器人促进唐氏综合症患者的词汇学习和保留具有积极作用，唐氏综合症的患者在语言学习和言语短期记忆方面均存在问题，需要通过视觉活动，手势和游戏来学习。