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May 16, 2026British Journal of Educational Technology

Enhancing online learning outcomes through virtual companion AI : The role of identity anthropomorphism

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Authors

TXTiansheng XiaMTMinyan TanJGJiayue Guo

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Overview

Randomized trial examines the impact of identity anthropomorphized AI on learning outcomes, suggesting implications for online education design.

Key Points

  • This research investigates how identity anthropomorphism in AI affects learner performance and emotional responses in online learning environments.
  • Seventy participants were assigned to three conditions: identity-anthropomorphised AI, non-identity-anthropomorphised AI, and human companionship.
  • Multimodal learning analytics (MMLA) was employed, utilizing questionnaires, eye tracking, and electroencephalography.
  • The effects on learning outcomes and emotional responses were analyzed.
  • Identity-anthropomorphised AI significantly improved learning outcomes compared to non-anthropomorphised AI, with comparable performance to human companionship.
  • Social presence and positive emotions mediated the learning outcomes, indicating that social presence is beneficial when it fosters positive emotions.
  • Humanities and social sciences learners were more responsive to identity anthropomorphism than science and engineering learners.

Cite This Study

Xia et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a080b84a487c87a6a40da79https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.70072
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