The Effects of Sustained Duolingo Use on French Learners’ Attitude, Interest, and Perceived Knowledge

Mobile-assisted language learning can extend French instruction beyond limited university contact hours. This study investigated the contribution of a 60-day Duolingo streak, used alongside weekly classes, to Iranian undergraduates’ attitude toward learning French, interest in French, and perceived knowledge of the language. Drawing on the Seamless Learning Framework, the intervention connected formal classroom instruction with informal out-of-class practice. At the end of the semester, 64 students at one Iranian university completed a retrospective questionnaire combining current ratings with pre-intervention ratings on the same three constructs. The analyses revealed statistically significant improvement with large effect sizes on all three self-reported measures. Attitude toward learning French shifted from a slightly negative orientation to a markedly positive one. Perceived knowledge increased considerably, and interest in French also rose, suggesting that sustained gamified practice can heighten learners’ affinity for the language. The findings imply that a relatively brief but uninterrupted period of daily Duolingo use can strengthen learners’ sense of what they know and foster a more favorable orientation toward French. In programs with few weekly hours, a supervised streak may serve as a practical, low-cost complement to classroom instruction.