The Problem
Despite the convenience and appeal of Duolingo, many users encounter significant difficulties in retaining new vocabulary leading to frustration with their language learning journey. A common trend observed among Duolingo learners is the tendency to rush through lessons, completing exercises quickly without deeply engaging with the material. A multitude of users have posted on online forums expressing their frustration with remembering newly acquired vocabulary despite making quick progress. Even with Duolingo's recommendation to utilize spaced repetition—an evidence-based technique for memory retention—users struggle to retain newly learned words beyond short-term memory. Duolingo’s rehearsal strategies rely on shallow processing tasks that do not engage learners in deep cognitive processing and impede long-term retention of newly acquired vocabulary.
The Solution
The solution involves integrating keyword mnemonic activities to enhance memory retention by promoting deep semantic encoding and meaningful connections between new words and existing knowledge. Dunlosky, et. al.’s (2013) review of learning techniques, points to the keyword mnemonic as an effective strategy for foreign language acquisition. The keyword mnemonic technique involves creating interactive imagery by associating new vocabulary with familiar native language keywords. The keyword mnemonic technique is consistent with Craik and Lockhart's levels of processing framework (1972) in that tasks requiring deeper processing (such as semantic processing and elaborative rehearsal) lead to better memory storage compared to tasks involving shallow processing (such as structural or phonemic processing). The implementation of keyword mnemonic activities within Duolingo's lessons has the potential to not only improve immediate and delayed recall but also enhance overall user engagement and satisfaction.
Note. This study is not affiliated with Duolingo.
