Title: Acceptance of Social Robotics and the Use of a Paro Robot in Working With the Seniors by Social Work Students
Stream: Social Work
Presentation Type: Virtual Poster Presentation
Authors:
Ivana Kowaliková, University of Ostrava, Czech Republic
Alice Gojová, University of Ostrava, Czech Republic
Soňa Kalenda, University of Ostrava, Czech Republic
Abstract:
The Czech Republic today deals with an issue of the lack of options in providing psychological support for the elderly (not only in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic). Social robotics shows one way to overcome this shortage. University curricula do not commonly include courses that would educate future social workers in the use of modern technologies and social robotics. With this in mind, our research aimed to investigate the acceptance of the use of social robots by university social work students who have been given an advantage of working with a PARO robot in their course of study compared to those who have not encountered a PARO robot and the topic of social robotics during their studies. The research was conducted as a quasi-experiment. Based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, we used a questionnaire by Heerink, Krose, and Wieling (2009) to investigate how Bachelor's degree social work students (N=70) where a PARO robot was used in class, rated its usefulness, ease of use, and other indicators measuring acceptance of social robots compared to students who did not take the class (N=70). We also used UNRAQ - a Questionnaire for the Use of a Social Robot - by Tobis et al. (2021) in our research. Next, we conducted qualitative, semi-structured group interviews with Bachelor's students (N=14) of the only Czech university where a PARO robot is used. We inquired about the opportunities and threats PARO robots bring in care for seniors according to the students.
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