EFL Undergraduate Students' Perceptions of Using Duolingo Application as an English Language Learning Tool

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to look into students' perceptions on using the Duolingo application to learn English. This was a descriptive investigation which involved 100 university students in Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia. Surveys and interviews were used to collect data. The data of the questionnaire were analyzed quantitatively through simple percentage analysis of SPSS. Meanwhile, the interview data were qualitatively examined. Collection, categorization, description, interpretation, and conclusion comprise the model. The findings revealed that the students gave favorable responses to fourteen questionnaire statements and three interview questions that represented their perceptions on the use of Duolingo in EFL learning. The students thought that learning English with Duolingo was simple, enjoyable, interesting, and motivating. In short, the students had positive perceptions on the use of Duolingo in EFL learning. Furthermore, according to the results of the students' interviews, there were various advantages and disadvantages of using Duolingo to learn English. For example, this application could help students improve their English skills, the features of Duolingo were interesting and addictive, it could stimulate and motivate students to learn English, and students felt comfortable and enjoyed learning English while using Duolingo. On the other hand, students noticed several drawbacks of using the Duolingo application, including the inability to play and learn through the use of Duolingo in offline mode, the presence of annoying advertisements in the middle of exercises, the presence of several repeated questions in the same level, and the lack of explanation regarding grammatical structures.