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Language learning through adaptive graded readers
Marková, Daniela ; Cilibrasi, Luca (advisor) ; Fúsik, Ondřej (referee)
ENG The present thesis deals with graded readers and their contribution to L2 acquisition, more specifically their potential in connection with interactive fiction and adaptive learning mechanisms. For the purposes of this study, an adaptive graded reader was written in three levels of difficulty (based on vocabulary) and programmed as an interactive script in the form of a visual novel. Its effects were then tested on a group of Czech learners of English and on a control group. The experimental subjects could access the more demanding levels of the material by passing an assessment at the end of each chapter. The subjects in the control group, on the contrary, were given a non-interactive version of the reader with no checking for readiness. The results of the experiment revealed no statistically significant differences between the two groups, with both versions of the task leading to similar overall results. Despite this, the subjects in the experimental group reported greater satisfaction and considered the material more effective compared to the control group. The implications of the study suggest that while both versions of the reader were effective in vocabulary instruction, the adaptive graded reader was better received by the subjects and, therefore, could lead to greater motivation and...
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