ABSTRACT

Name : Sindi
NIM : 205210070
Department : English Education Study Program
Title : “English as a Foreign Language Student’s Experiences on the

Duolingo Application in Learning Vocabulary”

This study aims to explore the experiences of English as a Foreign Language (EFL)
students in using the Duolingo application for vocabulary learning. The participants
were nine fourth-semester students of the English Education Study Program at UIN
Sulthan Thaha Saifuddin Jambi, selected through purposive sampling. This research

employed a qualitative case study design. Data were collected through semi-
structured interviews and analysed using Creswell’s spiral approach and Miles &

Huberman’s interactive model. The findings indicate that students generally had
positive experiences with Duolingo. The application was considered practical and
flexible, while gamification features such as points, levels, and daily streaks
encouraged motivation and consistency. Multimodal features including audio,
images, and repetition supported vocabulary mastery in meaning, spelling,
pronunciation, and contextual use. However, challenges were also reported, such as
difficulty maintaining consistency, limited vocabulary scope that did not always
meet academic needs, technical problems, and boredom caused by repetitive tasks.
In conclusion, Duolingo contributes effectively as a supplementary tool in
vocabulary learning by fostering motivation and providing flexibility. Nevertheless,
its limitations highlight the need for integration with classroom instruction and
authentic materials.
Keywords: Duolingo, EFL students, vocabulary learning, learning experiences,
mobile-assisted language learning