Analysis of the learning curve in a foreign language study: The methods development

Abstract

This article describes the outcome of the studies aimed at development of methods for obtaining the learning curve (LC) for foreign language learning. It also suggests ways for the use of the learning curves. Two types of LC were obtained: short-term and medium-term memorization. Comparative analysis of the two curves suggests that the subject continues learning for up to 14 hours after the completion of a flash memory session since medium-term memorization tests readings are consistently higher than those for the short-term memorization. The paper presents various approximations of the learning curve and the functions that fit best the LC for foreign language learning. Based on a comparison of the results of the approximations of the experimental LC by functions of various types a conclusion has been drawn that all of them provide satisfactory results, with logarithmic and polynomial approximations slightly better than the others. Based on these findings, forecasts for subsequent learning achievements and proposals for further studies are made.