Evaluating the perceptions of National Defence University of Malaysia students minoring in French regarding duolingo for language acquistion

Duolingo is a widely used mobile application designed to facilitate language learning through interactive exercises and gamified lessons. The key question is whether applications like Duolingo can replace traditional language learning methods or if they are only viable as complementary tools. This study aims to evaluate the perceptions of National Defence University Malaysia (NDUM) Students Minoring in French Regarding Duolingo for Language Acquisition. Utilizing a quantitative research methodology, and online questionnaires were distributed to a sample of students from National Defence University Malaysia (NDUM) who are enrolled in French minor programs. The questionnaire assessed various aspects of Duolingo's effectiveness, including its usability, engagement, and impact on language learning outcomes. The findings reveal that students generally perceive Duolingo as a very helpful tool for learning French language. Key benefits highlighted include interactive exercises, immediate feedback, and flexibility in accommodating to individual learning paces. The majority of respondents reported improvements in vocabulary, grammar, and overall language proficiency, crediting these improvements to the consistent use of Duolingo. This study contributes to the growing body of research on mobile-assisted language learning (MALL), suggesting that Duolingo is a valuable supplementary resource for university-level French language education in Malaysia. Future research should explore long-term impacts and compare the effectiveness of using Duolingo for learning new languages with traditional language learning methods.