The role of Duolingo in the development of reading comprehension skills among young learners. El papel de Duolingo en el desarrollo de habilidades de comprensión lectora entre estudiantes jóvenes.

Abstract

This study examines the impact of Duolingo on enhancing reading comprehension skills among young EFL learners. With the increasing integration of technology into education, particularly digital platforms like Duolingo, there has been growing interest in the potential of these tools to optimize language acquisition. A randomized controlled intervention study was conducted with 150 middle basic education students in the Guayas province, divided into a control group and an experimental group. The latter used Duolingo for 60 minutes daily in addition to following the standard curriculum activities. The results, analyzed using statistical tests in Jamovi (a free and open-source software for data analysis and statistical testing), revealed improvements in the reading comprehension scores of the experimental group compared to the control group. The findings highlight Duolingo’s effectiveness as a supplementary tool for enhancing reading comprehension and expanding vocabulary acquisition.