Duo Lingo: A case Study

 

A fast-growing demand for learning new languages has resulted from globalisation. Alongside, the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Gamification has given rise to a number of Adaptive Language Applications.  Duolingo is a free language learning app with 300 million users worldwide claiming to be based on scientific studies. In 2020, Duolingo was worth $160 million more users signed on for the premium app, which attracts them with new features such as Bots.  It all began with Hacker and Von Ahn reading “a pile of books on language instruction, including Spanish for Dummies”, and “building crude basic courses for English speakers to learn Spanish and German”. Apparently, they googled the” 3,000 most commonly used words in each language, translated them into English and used the words to compose simple sentences; then they wrote an algorithm that would spit out lessons that included prompts for sentence translation, listening, writing and speaking” (cited in Adams, 2019). Today, Duolingo claims to be “The world’s best way to learn Language”:

This investigation is interested with the adaptation of gamification, adaptive pedagogy and language acquisition theories to Duolingo. With such big claim and so little evidence, we shoudl be sceptical of the power and effectiveness of gamification pedagogy in Duolingo. In their critical analysis of the politics of gamification, Tullock et al. (2018) show that game-based learning such as Duolingo are “inextricably linked to the logics of choice, agency and autonomy so central to neoliberalism contemporary learning paradigm. Although it might seem exaggerated, gamification is not a neutral choice but rather an ideological one, itself the product of neoliberal education. Duolingo has moved into the majority of L2 classrooms (Second Language Learning) but the logics behind which aspect of gamification we choose to focus on speaks for themselves: We research whether gamification increases learning and motivation but we do not ask evidence as for how and when gamification pedagogy is actually successful in conjunction with adaptive technologies such as AI powered apps as Duolingo.

While there is evidence that Duolingo increases motivation, many are sceptical of its effectiveness in producing long-term and culturally meaningful learning. In some instances, Duolingo might even encourage learners to overestimate their language skills. The use of AI powered adaptative technology has also implications for learning design. How do we cater for Adaptive Learning Environment that is gamified?  What are the adaptive learning models, and their focus?  Finally, what are the challenges for students of L2 in a gamified adaptative AI powered language classroom? We see a movement toward the gamification of language learning where AI is at the core. But in investigating Duolingo, we find it comes less from education than market theory and neoliberal education paradigm (Hartley, 2007; Tullock et al. 2018). For this reason, gamified apps such as Duolingo are  no longer neutral but rather politically charged.