移動裝置的崛起和互聯網技術的發展帶動了網絡教育的持續增長。全球大流行疫情進一步加速了這一增長，導致越來越多的學生轉向線上學習平台。與此同時，人工智能技術的出現使得人工智能機器人教師成為關注的焦點，研究人員們致力於研究它們的影響。值得注意的是，研究人員開始探索將可愛性納入人工智能機器人的特點中。本研究在現有文獻的基礎上，調查了人工智能機器人教師的可愛程度對學習者對線上課程的態度的影響。研究結果顯示，人工智能機器人教師的高可愛程度對學習者的線上課程態度有積極影響，並且情感依附被識別為驅動這種影響的潛在機制。此外，本研究還調查了自我建構作為調節變量的作用，深入了解當接觸到高可愛或低可愛的人工智能機器人教師時，哪種類型的學習者（相依自我與獨立自我）更有可能展示對線上課程的積極態度並長時間參與其中。這些結果為線上課程行業的管理者和營銷人員提供了實用的啟示，使他們能夠根據不同類型的學習者（相依自我與獨立自我）來定制人工智能機器人教師的特點（高可愛程度與低可愛程度）。

The rise of mobile devices and the development of internet technology have led to a steady growth in online education. This growth has been further accelerated by the global pandemic, leading to a surge in students adopting online learning platforms. Alongside this trend, the emergence of AI technology has brought AI robot teacher into the spotlight, with researchers devoting considerable attention to studying their impact. Notably, researchers have started exploring the incorporation of cuteness as a characteristics of AI robots. This study builds upon existing literature by investigating the influence AI robot teachers’ cuteness on learners’ attitudes towards online education. The findings reveal that a high level of cuteness in AI robot teachers positively affect learners’ attitudes towards online education, with emotional attachment identified as the underlying mechanism driving this effect. Additionally, the study investigates the role of self-construal as a moderator, providing insights into which types of learners (stronger interdependent self-construal vs weaker interdependent (independent) self-construal) are more likely to exhibit positive attitudes towards online education and engage with it for longer durations when exposed to AI robot teachers, whether highly cute or less so. These findings provide practical implications for managers and marketers in the online education industry, enabling them to tailor the characteristics (high cuteness vs low cuteness) of AI robot teachers to different types of learners (stronger interdependent self-construal vs weaker interdependent (independent) self-construal).

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