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The Utilisation of Duolingo to Enhance the Speaking Proficiency of EFL Secondary School Students in Saudi Arabia

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  • Sultan R Alfuhaid

Abstract

Even though Saudi EFL students devote multiple years to improving their English-speaking proficiency, they struggle to achieve fluency. The present study, however, focuses on investigating the effectiveness of using Duolingo in EFL classrooms to enhance the participants’ speaking proficiency. The participants who underwent this study were 28 male Saudi students studying in secondary school, namely at Sharia Institute. They were divided into control and experimental groups. Data was collected via post-test to conduct a valid comparison between the two groups. The 14 students in the experimental group had been using Duolingo for a period of four consecutive months while the participants in the control group have never used Duolingo. To make a valid comparison of the mean score between the two groups, an independent samples t-test was used in this experiment. After analysing the results, it has been concluded that the integration of Duolingo in the learning process has a fundamental positive impact on enhancing participants’ speaking proficiency as well as improving their overall language skills. Additionally, the participants’ positive attitude towards Duolingo was an intrinsic factor that helped alleviate their anxiety when speaking.

Suggested Citation

  • Sultan R Alfuhaid, 2021. "The Utilisation of Duolingo to Enhance the Speaking Proficiency of EFL Secondary School Students in Saudi Arabia," English Language Teaching, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 14(11), pages 1-9, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:ibn:eltjnl:v:14:y:2021:i:11:p:9
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mona. M. Hamad, 2013. "Factors Negatively Affect Speaking Skills at Saudi Colleges for Girls in the South," English Language Teaching, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 6(12), pages 1-87, December.
    2. Wen-Chi Vivian Wu & Michael Marek & Ling Ling Yen, 2012. "Promotion of EFL Student Motivation, Confidence, and Satisfaction Via a Learning Spiral, Peer-Scaffolding, and CMC," International Journal of Computer-Assisted Language Learning and Teaching (IJCALLT), IGI Global, vol. 2(3), pages 54-75, July.
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • R00 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General - - - General
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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