El aprendizaje de vocabulario: una comparación entre Duolingo y la enseñanza tradicional

Abstract

Foreign language learning through gamification apps is increasing all over the world, but could they be used for teaching vocabulary in Spanish as a foreign language in a Swedish high school classroom? The aim of this degree project is to examine whether there is a difference in the amount of vocabulary students learn when using the gamification app Duolingo compared to traditional language teaching. The analyzed corpus consists of the pre- and post-tests from twenty-five high school students studying Spanish 4. They were randomized and divided in two groups; a control group who worked with traditional teaching materials and a treatment group that worked with Doulingo. Previous studies have mainly shown positive results when using gamification apps in ELE and EFL, or that there are no significant differences between gamification apps and more traditional teaching materials. However, there is still a lack of Swedish studies regarding the subject. The results of my degree project demonstrate a minor difference in the increase of vocabulary between the control group and the treatment group, and that it is an adequate tool for learning vocabulary in the Spanish classroom.