探討學習障礙英語學習者對Duolingo作為自我調節學習工具的看法：台灣個案研究

Abstract

學習障礙者在英語作為外語學習時常面臨挑戰，如閱讀、書寫和缺乏有效學習策略。許多研究顯示，促進自我調節學習的學習策略（如目標設定、自我監控、反思等）有助於這些學生克服困難。而近年來，因應教育部「推動中小學數位學習精進方案」之相關政策，運用數位學習平臺培養自我調節學習(或稱自主學習)能力之議題受到相當的重視，然而有關學習障礙學生在數位學習的效益和需求尚未得到充分研究。因此本研究選擇以Duolingo探討行動輔助語言學習應用程式如何支持台灣學習障礙者在英語作為外語的自我調節學習。研究採用質性個案研究方法，選取三名有讀寫障礙的九年級學生作為研究對象。這些學生在為期12週的學習期間，將Duolingo作為課外的英語學習輔助工具。本研究收集Duolingo應用程式內的數據（如:每日連續學習天數、經驗積分、完成的課程進度等）以評估每位學生的學習參與度和進展。

此外，研究還進行了半結構化訪談，訪談結果進行主題分析，重點關注學習動機、策略規劃、自我監控及反思，從中了解學生對Duolingo作為自我調節學習工具的看法。研究結果顯示，Duolingo的遊戲化功能有效提升了學生們的學習動機，並幫助他們設立和追求個人學習目標，進而提高了他們的後設認知能力與學習自主性。然而，所有學生在維持學習參與度及滿足學習需求之效益方面，存在個別差異以及侷限，並且在文法學習上均需要額外支持。

這些結果對學習障礙學生的行動輔助語言學習具有相當的意義，並突顯了在數位學習環境中融入自我調節學習策略教學的重要性，以滿足不同學習者的需求。儘管如此，本研究的可推論性依然有一些侷限，包含樣本量小且研究場所較為侷限。未來的研究可涉及更大規模、更具多樣性的樣本，並在更長的時間內進行，以檢視自我調節學習工具對語言能力的長期影響，從而進一步驗證並擴展這些論點。Students with learning disabilities (LD), particularly those with dyslexia, frequently encounter significant challenges in the acquisition of English as a Foreign Language (EFL), stemming from difficulties in reading, writing, and the application of effective learning strategies. Existing research posits that the cultivation of self-regulated learning (SRL) strategies, encompassing goal-setting, self-monitoring, and reflection, can be instrumental in mitigating these learning impediments (Zimmerman, 2002). Concurrently, educational policies such as"The Digital Learning Enhancement Plan for Grade 1-12 Students" in Taiwan have underscored the potential of digital learning platforms in fostering SRL. However, a critical gap remains in the empirical understanding of the efficacy and specific pedagogical requirements of students with LD within these digital learning environments.

To address this lacuna, the present qualitative case study investigated the affordances of Duolingo, a mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) application, insupporting SRL among EFL learners with dyslexia in the Taiwanese educational context. Employing a bounded case study design, three dyslexic and physically disabled 9th-grade students, attending a special education school in Taiwan, were purposefully selected as participants. Over a 12-week intervention period, these students utilized Duolingo as a supplementary tool for English language learning, outside of their regular instructional time. Quantitative data, including Duolingo’s automatically generated in-app metrics (e.g., daily learning streaks, accumulated XP points, completed lessons, and self-reported in-app proficiency levels), were collected longitudinally to provide a measure of each student’s behavioral engagement and learning progression.Complementing the quantitative data, post-intervention semi-structured interviews were conducted with each participant. The interview protocol, informed by established SRL frameworks (Zimmerman, 2009), focused on eliciting students’ perceptions regarding their motivation, strategic planning, self-monitoring practices, and reflective processes in relation to their Duolingo usage. The verbatim interview transcripts were subjected to thematic analysis to identify salient patterns and interconnections between the use of Duolingo, observed SRL behaviors, and reported English language learning outcomes.The findings revealed that Duolingo’s inherent gamified features served as a significant extrinsic motivator, facilitating the learners’ ability to establish and pursue personalized learning objectives. This, in turn, appeared to foster enhanced metacognitive awareness regarding their learning processes and a greater sense of learner autonomy. However, the study also identified notable individual variability in the application’s effectiveness in sustaining consistent learning engagementand adequately addressing the diverse range of learning needs among the participants. Furthermore, all three students articulated a need for supplementary explicit instruction in English grammar, an area not comprehensively addressed by the application.These findings contribute nuanced insights into the application of MALL for EFL learners with LD, underscoring the pedagogical imperative of thoughtfully integrating explicit SRL strategy instruction within digital learning environments to accommodate the heterogeneous needs of this learner population. Nevertheless, the generalizability of these findings is inherently limited by the small sample size and the specific educational context. Future research should employ larger and more diverse participant samples across varied educational settings and extend the longitudinal investigation period to rigorously examine the long-term impacts of MALL-supported SRL on objective measures of language proficiency, thereby enabling a more robust validation and extension of the present study’s preliminary insights.