Robot Framework for Anti-Bullying in Saudi Schools

Abstract

Despite the well-known damages caused by bullying and despite the extensive studies that have been conducted to understand this phenomenon, bullying is still a huge concern around the world. This paper highlights the bullying phenomenon in Saudi public schools and proposes a new robot framework called “SALAM” to reduce the bullying effect and to introduce an early intervention integrated with child education. Two methods of investigation (interviews and questionnaire) were conducted in this paper to understand the SALAM users' needs and the nature of bullying in Saudi public schools. Based on the investigation results, the SALAM framework architecture and design are proposed. Three main levels of interaction - introduction, storytelling, and evaluation - were developed to allow the robot to interact with the children and to evaluate their understanding of a story in Arabic while engaging them through certain movements. The ultimate purpose of this framework is to introduce robotics into anti-bullying programs targeting Arab countries that are still novices when it comes to bullying prevention programs. The preliminary results of using SALAM in this paper showed that the children were able to connect with the robot and moderators found it easy to use. Thus, SALAM can be used to raise the awareness of bullying and to overcome the current challenges of the anti-bullying programs in Saudi schools.