33.321, FYI: Duolingo (Learning English from Spanish) Commissioned Study Call for Proposals

[The LINGUIST List]

LINGUIST List: Vol-33-321. Thu Jan 27 2022. ISSN: 1069 - 4875.

Subject: 33.321, FYI: Duolingo (Learning English from Spanish) Commissioned Study Call for Proposals

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Date: Thu, 27 Jan 2022 02:07:10
From: Xiangying Jiang [xiangying at duolingo.com]
Subject: Duolingo (Learning English from Spanish) Commissioned Study Call for Proposals

 
Call for Proposals 
Duolingo independent commissioned research study

Duolingo is a language teaching platform that offers free online courses
available on mobile apps and on the web. Duolingo’s mission is to develop the
best education in the world and make it universally available.   

Duolingo is currently accepting research proposals to investigate the
effectiveness of its English course for Spanish speakers.  

Scope of the project
The goal of the project is to evaluate how Duolingo’s English course (for
Spanish speakers) compares with other basic-level English classes in
Spanish-speaking countries. 
Duolingo’s English course (for Spanish speakers) is organized based on
communicative functions and is aligned with the Common European Framework of
Reference (CEFR). For example, the first 5 units of the course teach content
to the level of A2. Currently, Duolingo has course content through B1 (Unit
9).
We recommend that proposals focus on comparing English proficiency development
of learners who learn on Duolingo and students who take a basic-level English
class at university-affiliated language centers or private language
institutes. Researchers are also encouraged to use a pretest to ensure group
comparability, consider the similarity between groups in the amount of time
spent learning over the project period, and use commercially available
(standardized) English proficiency tests if possible. Other designs and
researcher-developed assessments will also be considered.
In addition to a Principal Investigator (PI), the proposal may include Co-PIs
or research assistants (RAs). The research project will be carried out
independently, but Duolingo may provide (limited) assistance as needed and
specified in awarded proposals (e.g.  help with participant recruitment). Note
that Duolingo will not be able to provide support for any experimental
manipulations or changes to the course or the app itself.
Duolingo will pay for the cost of data collection, including purchase of
tests, participant compensation, researcher conference travel, and researcher
salary if the institution allows it. Duolingo will pay institutional overhead
if required. Include all estimated expenses in your detailed budget. 
The sponsored researchers will submit a complete research report to Duolingo
by June 30, 2023. Publication of the results will be allowed upon approval by
Duolingo.

Your proposal should include: 
A brief introduction citing key literature
Specific research questions
Detailed research methodology
Participants (exact sample size, selection criteria, recruitment plan, etc.)
Research design and how it enables specific research questions to be answered
Instruments (be specific about each instrument and assessment tasks)
Data collection procedures
Analyses to be conducted
Timeline
Help you will need from Duolingo
Total Budget: Please itemize as much as possible and explain why each planned
expenditure is critical, given the approximate sample size, outcome measures,
and conference travel plan. We anticipate awarding up to $60,000 USD
(including overhead, if any).
A brief (2-5 page) CV of the PI and each Co-PI

Proposal length
The main proposal excluding Budget and CVs should not exceed 5 single-spaced
pages. The entire submission should not be over 15 pages (with 1’’ margin and
Times New Roman 12).

Proposal deadline
Please submit your proposal as an email attachment to
assessment-study at duolingo.com (RE: English from Spanish Study) by 4:00 pm EST
on March 10, 2022. 
Proposal reviewers may suggest revisions of the proposal during the review
process. 
Final notifications will be sent out to researchers by March 25, 2022.

How to learn more:
Read more about the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) at
https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages.  
See previous Duolingo research reports at https://duolingo.com/efficacy.
Take a peek inside the app at duolingo.com. 
 



Linguistic Field(s): Applied Linguistics





 



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