Abstract
Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) are known for their power to change people’s beliefs about themselves. They have a unique ability to “look into one’s thoughts,” which often motivates users to perform certain actions and behaviours. This motivational aspect could be useful to formal education, as teachers are constantly looking for novel technologies to keep students motivated, engaged, and creative. In this paper we explore the potential of an Electroencephalography (EEG)-based BCI system to improve the academic performance of young students. We conducted a study at a middle school in an “educational priority zone” in France with 28 6th grade students divided into two groups. We compared the standard science course they learn from to its “enhanced” version, which incorporated the BCI system. Our results show that the group who underwent the “enhanced” course obtained better results (average grade 7,15/9 vs 6,03/9 for control group). We further discuss the possibility for BCIs to become effective tools to promote the formal educational activities.
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Notes
- 1.
In this study we mainly cite European Union reports and the reports related to education in France, as the study took place in French college.
- 2.
https://nathalie-soetaert.canoprof.fr/eleve/6G2 - in French.
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Kosmyna, N., Soetaert, N., Scheirer, C. (2022). A Pilot Study of Using Brain-Computer Interfaces in Classrooms for Promoting Formal Educational Activities. In: Arai, K. (eds) Proceedings of the Future Technologies Conference (FTC) 2021, Volume 3. FTC 2021. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 360. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-89912-7_46
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