Pleun van Hees
Papers
1
Total Citations
41
H-Index
1
About
Pleun van Hees is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of educational technology, human-robot interaction, and second language acquisition. Her work focuses on leveraging social robots to enhance early childhood education, particularly in language learning contexts. Van Hees’s most influential contribution is her 2020 study, “Using Self-Determination Theory in Social Robots to Increase Motivation in L2 Word Learning,” which has garnered 41 citations. In this landmark work, she designed a social robot tutor that implements motivational strategies based on Self-Determination Theory to stimulate intrinsic motivation in preschool children learning a second language. By systematically investigating the robot’s effect on children’s task engagement, she demonstrated how autonomous, competence-supportive, and relatedness-building interactions can significantly boost young learners’ persistence and enjoyment. This research bridges theoretical frameworks from educational psychology with cutting-edge robotics, offering a replicable model for developing emotionally intelligent learning companions. Van Hees’s work has profound implications for designing adaptive, child-centered technologies that foster deeper engagement in early education, positioning her as a key voice in the growing field of socially assistive robotics for developmental learning.
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Top Papers
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