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The current study investigated the role of visual short-term memory, working memory, and declarative memory as individual differences in the earliest stages of vocabulary and syntactic learning in Duolingo-based language instruction. Thirty-eight L1-Greek adults completed memory tasks and engaged in learning Navajo on Duolingo. Subsequently, vocabulary and syntax were assessed respectively via a word recognition, a word translation, and a grammaticality judgement task. Multiple regression analyses revealed an advantage for distributed practice both in vocabulary and syntax, after controlling for amount of practice. Further, declarative memory played a significant role in learning syntax and vocabulary, when measured in a word translation task. Extending the analysis for the first time to app-based environments, the results of the present study confirm the importance of declarative memory and distributed practice in adult acquisition of L2 vocabulary and syntax. The current study investigated the role of visual short-term memory, working memory, and declarative memory as individual differences in the earliest stages of vocabulary and syntactic learning in Duolingo-based language instruction. Thirty-eight L1-Greek adults completed memory tasks and engaged in learning Navajo on Duolingo. Subsequently, vocabulary and syntax were assessed respectively via a word recognition, a word translation, and a grammaticality judgement task. Multiple regression analyses revealed an advantage for distributed practice both in vocabulary and syntax, after controlling for amount of practice. Further, declarative memory played a significant role in learning syntax and vocabulary, when measured in a word translation task. Extending the analysis for the first time to app-based environments, the results of the present study confirm the importance of declarative memory and distributed practice in adult acquisition of L2 vocabulary and syntax.

The present exploratory study investigated the efficacy of secondary face-to-face classroom-based English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction digitally supported by the FeedBook, an interactive computer assisted language learning web-based suite of exercises providing item-level scaffolded feedback. Seventy-seven native (L1) German seventh-grade students used the FeedBook during four two-week training periods (cycles, here we analyse Cycle 2 and 3). Classroom and FeedBook practice occurred in parallel, except for grammar constructions for which only FeedBook practice was provided (controls). At the end of Cycle 3, students engaged in a classroom-based communicative task for which the practised constructions were relevant. Custom-designed pre- and post-tests, administered via the FeedBook, assessed language accuracy in each cycle. Mixed-effect models revealed significant pre-/post-test accuracy gains independent of the learners’ proficiency in English, but not in controls. Gains from digitally supported instruction were also positively related to accurate use of EFL grammar constructions in the communicative task. Overall, the results indicate learning benefits for face-to-face classroom-based instruction supported by the FeedBook, evidenced both in grammar tests and in communicative activities. The present exploratory study investigated the efficacy of secondary face-to-face classroom-based English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction digitally supported by the FeedBook, an interactive computer assisted language learning web-based suite of exercises providing item-level scaffolded feedback. Seventy-seven native (L1) German seventh-grade students used the FeedBook during four two-week training periods (cycles, here we analyse Cycle 2 and 3). Classroom and FeedBook practice occurred in parallel, except for grammar constructions for which only FeedBook practice was provided (controls). At the end of Cycle 3, students engaged in a classroom-based communicative task for which the practised constructions were relevant. Custom-designed pre- and post-tests, administered via the FeedBook, assessed language accuracy in each cycle. Mixed-effect models revealed significant pre-/post-test accuracy gains independent of the learners’ proficiency in English, but not in controls. Gains from digitally supported instruction were also positively related to accurate use of EFL grammar constructions in the communicative task. Overall, the results indicate learning benefits for face-to-face classroom-based instruction supported by the FeedBook, evidenced both in grammar tests and in communicative activities.

This paper presents a reflection on the design of an Intelligent Computer-Assisted Language Learning (ICALL) ‘ecosystem’, integrated into an online learning environment for Spanish as a Foreign Language (SFL). The innovative dimension of the ecosystem lies in its triple focus: apart from enabling users to create and use intelligent language learning materials, it also tracks their activities in the environment and provides them insights (e.g. through knowledge clips) into Natural Language Processing (NLP), the source of ICALL’s ‘intelligence’. The reflective analysis is carried out by means of a case study with 32 SFL students, who work with the ecosystem in a blended writing course focused on vocabulary learning, lexical ambiguity, and Word Sense Disambiguation (WSD). Students’ attitudes towards engaging in the ICALL ecosystem are gauged through a questionnaire, which revealed a statistically significant positive change in attitude after having completed the course. However, the results also show that enhanced insights into NLP and increased confidence in the computer as a learning assistant do not necessarily go hand in hand with an increased curiosity and a better user experience.