STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS ON THE USE OF DUOLINGO GAMIFICATION

Abstrak

Gamification, game elements in non-game situations, is a common concept in the 21 st
century to convince people and solve problems. It can be used as an
instructional tool to improve English learning outcomes as it is a captivating and
creative learning experience. Gamification research has shown that it can make students
more enthusiastic and inspired to develop their English skills. In this study, Duolingo,
one of gamificatio, was explored by 15 second-semester students of the Grammar Class
of the English Education Program of the Teacher's Training and Education Faculty at a
private university in Bogor, Jawa Barat. Due to the Covid-19, the students have been
working on Duolingo's exercises online from home for 4 days with predetermined
topics. This analysis used a qualitative approach with a case study technique under
which the open questionnaire was used to obtain the advantages and drawbacks of
Duolingo on the basis of the students’ perceptions. By understanding the advantages and
drawbacks of Duolingo, researchers and other language teachers can decide if it is the
right language learning application for their students. If it is, they can create an
appropriate learning activity using Duolingo in order to get an effective and successful
learning process. Additionally, language learners are also able to optimize the use of
Duolingo to improve their English skills and knowledge. In conclusion, users can
prepare the right strategy in using Duolingo according to the learning goals they want to
achieve.