Leigh-Chantelle Koch

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About

Leigh-Chantelle Koch is a pioneering researcher in developmental robotics and early childhood education, whose work illuminates how young children engage with social robots in learning environments. Her key research areas include human-robot interaction, child-robot engagement, and the integration of emerging technologies in preschool classrooms. Koch’s most impactful study, “Preschool children's engagement with a social robot compared to a human instructor” (2023, 28 citations), provides critical insights into how 4- to 5-year-olds interact with robotic versus human teachers during structured tasks like Simon Says. Her earlier work, “Young children’s interactions with a social robot during a drawing task” (2022, 13 citations), further explores the nuances of child-robot dynamics in creative, unstructured settings. Together, these studies have shaped understanding of how social robots can support early educational experiences, revealing that children engage differently—and often more persistently—with robotic instructors than with humans. Koch’s research is vital for educators, technologists, and policymakers navigating the role of AI in early learning, and her findings continue to influence the design of developmentally appropriate educational technologies.