Children’s conversational voice search as learning: a literature review
| Date | 17 July 2024 |
| Pages | 8-28 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/ILS-10-2023-0133 |
| Published date | 17 July 2024 |
| Author | Siqi Yi,Soo Young Rieh |
Children’s conversational
voice search as learning: a
literature review
Siqi Yi and Soo Young Rieh
School of Information, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
Abstract
Purpose –This paper aims to criticallyreview the intersection of searching and learningamong children in
the context of voice-based conversational agents (VCAs). This study presents the opportunities and
challengesaround reconfiguring current VCAs for children to facilitatehuman learning, generate diverse data
to empowerVCAs, and assess children’s learning from voice searchinteractions.
Design/methodology/approach –The scope of this paperincludes children’s use of VCAs for learning
purposes with an emphasis on conceptualizing their VCA use from search as learning perspectives. This
study selects representative works from three areas of literature: children’s perceptions of digital devices,
children’s learning and searching, and children’s search as learning. This study also includes conceptual
papers and empirical studies focusing on children from 3 to 11 because this age spectrum covers a vital
transitionalphase in children’s ability to understandand use VCAs.
Findings –This study proposes the concept of child-centered voice search systems and provides design
recommendations for imbuing contextual information, providing communication breakdown repair
strategies, scaffolding information interactions, integrating emotional intelligence, and providing explicit
feedback. Thisstudy presents future research directionsfor longitudinal and observational studieswith more
culturallydiverse child participants.
Originality/value –This paper makes important contributions to the field of information and learning
sciences and children’s searching as learning by proposing a new perspective where current VCAs are
reconfiguredas conversational voice search systems to enhancechildren’s learning.
Keywords Conversational voice search, Voice-based conversational agent, Information behavior,
Information-seeking, Search as learning, Children
Paper type Literature review
1. Introduction
Young children are naturally curious about their surroundings and like to ask questions.
Child development research has found that children seek factual information when
encountering knowledge gaps in their understanding of the world (Chouinard et al.,2007).
Besides asking their parents at home and teachers at school, children also reach out to
search engines for answers. However, previous work found that children encountered
challenges with typing, spelling, selecting proper keywords,and interpreting search results
when searching on the Web (Druin et al., 2009).
Rapid advances in automatic speech recognition(ASR) and natural language processing
(NLP) now enable children to seek information from voice-based conversational agents
(VCAs) at a younger age by removing literacy requirements such as reading and spelling.
Children can use voice commandsand perform voice searches by pressing a button or using
a“wake word”(e.g., Hey Siri, OK Google) to activate these devices. When adults are
unavailable or lack the relevantinformation to answer children’s questions, VCAs empower
ILS
126,1/2
8
Received3 October 2023
Revised30 March 2024
Accepted15 May 2024
Informationand Learning
Sciences
Vol.126 No. 1/2, 2025
pp. 8-28
© Emerald Publishing Limited
2398-5348
DOI 10.1108/ILS-10-2023-0133
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
https://www.emerald.com/insight/2398-5348.htm
children to seek information independently, fostering their critical thinkingand self-directed
learning. By providing immediate responses to children’s questions, VCAs support the
continuous learning flow, encouraging curiosity and the exploration of new concepts in a
conversationalmanner that can supplement traditional adult guidance.
Conversational voice search systems refer to systems that use speech recognition and
synthesis to engage in dialoguewith users. The primary components of VCAs include using
ASR and NLP to recognize human speech, understand the natural language, monitor the
dialogue status, retrieve dialogue history, and choose appropriate dialogue actions. Then,
the natural language generation component generates the natural language output and
converts it into speech using text-to-speech synthesis. From our definition of VCAs, we
exclude social robots, which rely on nonverbal cues (e.g., facial expressions, physical
appearances, and posture)for interaction.
A Common Sense Media report (Rideout and Robb, 2020) showed smart speaker
ownership among childrenunder 8 rose from 9% in 2017 to 41% in 2020. In addition, a Pew
Research Center survey (Auxier et al., 2020) showed that 36% of parents reported their
children under 12 used or interacted with a smart speaker. These reports indicate that this
youth generation is growing up with advanced technology, and artificial intelligence (AI)-
based tools and systemshave been part of their daily lives.
This paper focuses on 3-to 11-year-old children. This age spectrum rangesfrom children
who ask explanatory questions (aged from 3 to 4 years old, Chouinard et al., 2007), have
started to develop literacy (aged from 5 to 6 years old, Teale and Sulzby, 1986), as well as
children who have become more fluent readers.Around age three and a half, approximately
one-third to one-half of children asked questions that required explanations (Chouinard
et al., 2007). Around age 4, children beginto consider others’feelings and thoughts, marking
the emergence of the theory of mind (Wellman et al.,2003). By age 5, children have
sufficiently developed the theory of mind (Wellman et al.,2003). Literacy begins to take
shape in most children around age 6, with fluency increasingas they grow older (Teale and
Sulzby, 1986). By age 7, manychildren are already acquainted with the internet and can use
search tools (Druin et al., 2010;Duarte Torres et al., 2014). They also start interacting with
VCAs and posing various questions (Lovato and Piper, 2015). Approaching the age of 10,
children begin to grasp themore complex functions and conceptual aspects of VCAs (Oranç
and Ruggeri, 2021). Therefore, this age range also covers a vital transitional phase in
children’s capabilityto comprehend and engage with VCAs.
While children are increasinglybecoming important users of VCAs, existing literature on
this topic is scattered across different research fields. Lovato and Piper (2019) discussed
future research opportunities of VCAs for children by examining human–computer
interaction (HCI) research on how children seek information and perceive digital devices.
Garg et al. (2022) analyzed trendsand methodologies in HCI research on children and VCAs
over the past decade. Murray (2021) investigated how trust in VCAs might be influenced by
child-specific and technological factors from the perspectives of education and communication.
Tong et al. (2022) reviewed existing research on children’s perceptions and interactions toward
VCAs, discussing its impact on children’s learning and development through the lens of
developmental psychology and education. Despite these discussions, more work has yet to
investigate VCAs and children from the Search as Learning (SAL) perspective, signaling a need
for more comprehensive studies on reconfiguring current VCAs into conversational voice
search systems to enhance children’slearning.
We begin by reviewing studies on how children perceive digital devices, specifically their
perceptions of VCAs, as these perceptions shape their expectations of technology as an
information source. Then, we review studies on children’s learning and searching, incorporating
Conversational
voice search as
learning
9
Get this document and AI-powered insights with a free trial of vLex and Vincent AI
Get Started for FreeStart Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting