Grade VIII Junior-Secondary Learners’ Views of Duolingo for English Vocabulary Learning: A Case Study at a Bogor Private Junior High School
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24256/ideas.v14i1.8121Keywords:
Duolingo, Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL), Self-Determination Theory (SDT), vocabulary learningAbstract
Three themes emerged from a qualitative single-case study of Grade VIII students at a private junior high school in Bogor, Indonesia: gamified micro-goals sustained short, low-anxiety practice; immediate, multimodal feedback (checks, audio, tiles, spaced recycling) supported noticing, pronunciation, and retention; and autonomy and everyday fit were valued, yet transfer to extended speaking/writing was limited without teacher-led bridging tasks. To contextualize these results, Self-Determination Theory and Mobile-Assisted Language Learning framed the inquiry. A syllabus-aligned vocabulary screening informed the purposive selection of six learners spanning low/medium/high readiness. Each focal learner completed one supervised Duolingo session, observed with a structured checklist, then participated in a semi-structured interview; data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings suggest that out-of-class app exposure is most beneficial when coupled with brief, in-class production activities and criteria-based feedback to move learners from recognition to controlled use of target lexis. The study is limited by its single-class scope and one-session design; future research should examine multi-week classroom integration and task-based measures of productive skills.
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