Beyond replication: An exact replication study of Łodzikowski (2021)

Abstract

Replication studies have become an emerging line of research in recent decades, including in computer-assisted language learning (CALL). Exact replication, which closely follows a study's protocol, is rare as it is hard to recreate results without establishing a highly controlled environment. However, using data available online, we were able to conduct an exact replication of Łodzikowski's (2021) study, which reported on the use of an allophonic transcription tool by 55 Polish learners of English. Allophonic features are used by native speakers to produce acoustic variants of the same phoneme. The original study offered learners an allophonic transcription tool, examined how they used it and considered its association with phonological awareness. This study extended the original research by addressing the limitations of its regression and transcription analyses. Our findings allowed us to offer several suggestions on (1) how an allophonic transcription tool can be better designed to help learners, (2) how CALL researchers can acquire more data for more useful research and (3) why more replication studies are needed in CALL.