Exploring how school teachers understand robots: a philosophical and empirical study on the attribution of mind to artificial systems

As social robots enter educational settings, it is important to understand how teachers interpret and make sense of them, particularly whether and how they attribute mental states and model the robots’ minds. Empirical studies, grounded in Dennett’s Intentional Stance and Theory of Mind frameworks, typically describe such attributions in terms of beliefs, desires, and other propositional attitudes. This research investigates the possibility that individuals may also use different theoretical vocabularies. Specifically, it focuses on the "folk cognitivist stance," based on cognitive science theoretical vocabulary. Through qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews, the study examines explanatory styles and modeling strategies, and aims to offer new insights into how individuals, and school teachers in particular, theorise about robots.