An evaluation of commercial MALL apps for learning Spanish as a Foreign Languagea study on the alignment of Babbel, Busuu and Duolingo with the Action-Oriented Approach

Resumen

The aim of Real-Espinosa’s PhD thesis study is to examine the perception that Spanish language teaching professionals have of the contribution of Apps to the development of communicative competence in Spanish, within the framework of the contemporary conceptualization of the language learner as a social agent, as outlined by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, and published by the Council of Europe. His research involves an investigation into several aspects related to app learning design: the learning path (or paths) that the app offers the user; what are the approaches underpinning their design; how has the selection and structuring of the app contents been constructed; to what extent is the practice oriented to promotion of learner agency through linguistic real-life tasks solving, development of intercultural skills and strategies for learning; and how the affordances of m-learning have been exploited (Connectivity, Flexibility, Context sensitivity, customization of learning experience and social interactivity).