New Research Behind Real Adaptivity in Language Games
Imagine you’re playing a game while learning a language. You have your cute little owl (don’t worry, ours won’t threaten your streak), gathering intel, talking to characters, making choices, trying to stay fully immersed in this adventure when, without realizing it, the game quietly steps in and gives you a hand. Maybe it whispers the first letters you need. Perhaps it speaks slower? Or gives you an easier quest. Almost as if it knew you were about to hit a (virtual) wall. Too good to be true? (As good as sunshine on a Belgian winter day?) That’s the promise of adaptive learning. Not an empty one though, there’s a new empirical study that proves we can deliver on that promise (the adaptivity one, not the sunshine, yet). Researchers at KU Leuven set out to investigate whether Language Hero, our narrative-based game, can automatically assess students’ language performance in real time and adapt tasks to their level accordingly. And can it do that? [Spoiler] Yes it can. Why is this research important? From a theoretical standpoint, research in second language acquisition is clear: we learn to speak a language by using it in meaningful interaction, whether with another person or with spoken-dialogue systems. But for such systems to truly support learning, they need to adapt to each student’s needs and proficiency in real time (check Bibauw et al., 2022 to learn all about dialogue systems). Everyone promises these adaptive and personalized AI tools. But we need empirical evidence to show how such adaptation works and whether it improves language learning. This is precisely what KU Leuven researchers investigated in their recently published study. To examine how the built-in adaptivity in Language Hero could predict successful task completion, they analyzed students’ oral language using theoretically grounded measures (check out Koizumi & In’nami, (2024) for a deep dive into these measures). More specifically, Then they asked: Do these measures predict if a learner will succeed on the next task? They found out that: And why does this matter? Adaptability can support all learnersData-driven learner models like the one in Language Hero can improve micro-adaptability. It can offer better individualized support. For instance, for lower proficient students, the system can provide more detailed hints, adjust linguistic complexity, or present alternative tasks, all based on real-time indicators of students’ performance. Teachers get data they can useThese models expand pedagogical possibilities by providing interpretable linguistic data through dashboards and visualizations of students’ proficiency and progress. Teachers save time, choose what matters the most, and decide where to focus their attention. AI you can trustThis research offers a transparent, theory-informed learner model (as opposed to an opaque “black box” of off-the-shelf chatbots), that we hope can improve trust in AI-powered applications for language learning Spoken dialogue systems can do more than “talk back” …or provide speaking practice. In a way, they can tell when a learner is about to struggle before they do. And that’s when adaptivity kicks in. This study is a milestone for us. It shows that our evidence-based adaptivity is moving in the right direction. And we intend to keep building it, validating it, and sharing it with all our students. Original article Cornillie, F., Gijpen, J., Metwaly, S., Luypaert, S., & Van den Noortgate, W. (2025). Towards adaptive spoken dialogue systems for language learning: Predicting task completion from learning process data. CALICO Journal, 42(3). https://utppublishing.com/doi/10.3138/calico-2025-0035 Other Work Cited Bibauw, S., François, T., & Desmet, P. (2022). Dialogue Systems for language learning: Chatbots and beyond. In N. Ziegler & M. González-Lloret (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of second language acquisition and technology (pp. 121–135). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351117586 Koizumi, R., & In’nami, Y. (2024). Predicting functional adequacy from complexity, accuracy, and fluency of second-language picture-prompted speaking. System, 120, 103208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2023.103208
5 things we improved about Linguineo Pro that you need to know
Summer is coming to an end. *Cries in Belgian weather* While we’ve enjoyed the occasional sunny moments, we have been working *read: the whole year* behind the scenes to improve Linguineo Pro. We know, summer isn’t done yet, but we sure are with the update of Linguineo Pro. We have done a major update to Linguineo Pro, incorporating all the most important previous user feedback. Yay! We literally can’t wait to share it with you! So, keep on reading to find out what we improved.
Building speaking confidence in a foreign language
Learning a foreign language is challenging but rewarding. While learning, some of us may experience speaking anxiety. Overcoming this is not easy, but crucial to master a new language. In fact, according to scientific research from Defense Language Institute, it is one of the most important things to overcome to master a new language. Luis von Ahn, founder of our big brother Duolingo, says it in this video. Overcoming speaking anxiety as a major challenge Imagine yourself in a sunny village in the south of France, a remote but charming village. Everything is in French, no one speaks English. Fortunately, you have a good basic French knowledge. This immersion should in fact refine your French speaking skills. On your first day in the morning, you decide to go look for a local bakery. You forgot to charge your phone and therefore have to ask locals for directions first. There are many people outside, but you don’t approach them. You don’t dare to ask for directions in French. The threshold to speak in French is too high. You decide to look for a bakery yourself. After walking for a while, you come across a local bakery. Great! You would like some pastries, but again you can’t get over the threshold to carry out the conversation in French. With some pointing, you get rid of the uncomfortable situation. Although you supposedly know enough French, speaking it in real-life situations is very difficult for you. These situations highlight the importance of building up speaking confidence. Task-based language teaching To be better equipped to deal with situations like this and build up this necessary confidence, task-based language teaching (TBLT) has proven to be an effective method. Tasked-based language teaching (TBLT) is a methodology where the focus is on learning skills rather than language knowledge. This by doing practical tasks in the language one is learning. Exactly what we are up against in our French village situation. The language knowledge is there, but in practice the language skills are lacking, after which the fear of speaking emerges. One reference for this approach is the book ‘technology-mediated TBLT’ written by researchers Marta González-Lloret and Lourdes Ortega. It highlights even more benefits besides “doing it yourself”. A safe language learning environment for practice Many people are too self-conscious when they have to speak a foreign language. Especially because they are afraid to make mistakes and therefore be judged by others. The threshold to speak that new language is then often too high. As in the case of the French village. Thankfully, that fear of speaking can be overcome. One of the ways to overcome speaking anxiety is by creating a safe environment for language learning. In a digital learning environment with chatbots and voicebots, there is no fear of being judged by another person and we can focus on actively practicing the language. Contextualised environments with computer-based game characters seem to provide an ideal context when teaching a language. This fits perfectly into the task-based language teaching method. That is exactly what we do at Linguineo. Digital learning environment with conversational AI to actively practise a foreign language in real-life situations. Scene: asking for directions in French. Conversation for advanced learners with pronunciation feedback. Scene: Ordering at the bakery. Our conversational AI enables language learning through games, apps and learning environments such as Language Hero and Linguineo Pro to practice speaking skills. Considering the time constraints teachers experience when supervising students in language classes, this can provide additional useful speaking opportunities. In this way, students or even employees can develop their speaking skills and accuracy with the support and feedback of our system. Fear of speaking a foreign language is a difficult threshold to cross and yet it is essential for mastering a language. By identifying those problems and offering a solution, speaking anxiety will drastically reduce. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn to get weekly updates on Conversational AI for language learning.