The improvement of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in children is one of the key goals of primary education, as these skills are fundamental for psychological well-being, academic success, and the development of social relationships. Emotional skills, such as recognizing and regulating emotions, are crucial for managing everyday challenges and fostering positive interactions with others. However, despite the growing attention to the importance of emotional competencies, emotional education is often neglected within school curricula. In this context, the use of educational technologies, particularly robotics, is emerging as an innovative resource to integrate emotional learning in an engaging and interactive way.

The research project presented in this paper focuses on the use of the social robot NAO to promote the development of emotional skills in third-grade primary school children. NAO is a humanoid robot that, thanks to its social interaction capabilities, is well-suited to be used as an educational tool for improving socio-emotional skills in school settings. The project is based on the hypothesis that interaction with NAO can enhance emotional recognition, emotional regulation, and the promotion of empathy—key competencies for healthy social and emotional development.

The study is developed in two main phases. In the first phase, the Godspeed questionnaire by Bartneck (2009) will be administered to teachers. In the second phase, the educational program based on the use of NAO will be implemented with children in the experimental group, which will be compared with a control group. This paper aims to explore the first phase of the intervention by highlighting the preliminary results of the questionnaire administration. The tool will be used to collect teachers’ perceptions regarding the acceptability, usability, and effectiveness of social robots as an educational support. The responses will provide important information on teachers’ level of engagement and their opinions about the potential of social robots in promoting emotional competencies.

Keywords: Social robotics, primary education, emotional competence.