Exploring EFL Students Experiences in Improving English Speaking by Using Duolingo

This study aimed to explore EFL students’ experiences in improving their English-speaking skills by using Duolingo. The study also examined the obstacles students encountered while using the application and their suggestions for improving it as a speaking-learning tool. A qualitative case study design was employed involving eight EFL students from UIN Ar-Raniry who had actively used Duolingo for at least two months. The participants were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that students had positive experiences using Duolingo to improve their English-speaking skills. The application provided an enjoyable and interesting learning experience, increased students’ motivation to practice speaking, helped them develop vocabulary for speaking, improved pronunciation, and increased their confidence in speaking English. However, participants also reported several obstacles, including limited opportunities for real conversation practice, lack of speaking partners, and limited speaking features and pronunciation feedback. To address these limitations, participants suggested adding more real-life conversation activities, interactive speaking tasks, AI speaking partners, and pronunciation recording features. Overall, the findings indicate that Duolingo is a useful supplementary tool for improving English-speaking skills through regular and interactive practice, although additional opportunities for authentic communication are still needed.