Babbel was first launched in August 2007 and currently offers instruction in 14 different languages. The effectiveness of the application was the subject of a study by Shawn Loewen, Professor of the Department of Linguistics and Germanic, Slavic, Asian and African Languages at Michigan State University.
Loewen said the following about the motivation for his research: "Despite the fact that millions of people use foreign language applications globally, there is a lack of published research on their impact on communication skills. There are virtually no other studies examining mobile language applications in a quasi-experimental way. This robust and methodologically consistent study therefore significantly contributes to this area."
The study involved a total of 85 university students who used Babbel to learn Spanish for 12 weeks. At the beginning of the study, students took a preliminary test which assessed their current oral competence, vocabulary and grammar in Spanish. In the end, the study was completed by 54 students.
The results showed that almost all eligible students had improved their grammar and vocabulary knowledge and/or communication skills after 12 weeks of using Babbel, which was confirmed by a qualified and proven testing method.
As expected, the benefits of learning in terms of oral skills, grammar and vocabulary correlated with the amount of time students invested in using the application.
A total of 59% of participants improved their ability to communicate by at least one level according to the American foreign language scale. In addition, the proportion of students who improved in the language increased among those who had spent more time with the application. A total of 69% of those who studied for at least six hours improved by one level. If they spent at least 15 hours on the application, the success rate in reaching a higher level was as much as 75%.
This is a positive result if we also consider the fact that not all students completed the study. Thus an online foreign language application can really bring positive results. However, it is important that the student has a positive motivation to stick with the course, which also places high demands on their own user environment.
For companies this may serve as a clear signal that virtual language learning applications are part of training and can help effectively train employees at a distance. However, to achieve real progress in knowledge, more incentives will be needed than just making a particular platform available.
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