A goal-oriented foreign language learning system with semantic information filtering

In this paper, we present a goal-oriented language learning system which assists autonomous foreign language learning. The aim of our research is constructing a system which enables automatic provision of contents on the Internet as learning materials for foreign language learners, according to each learner's studying purpose, language proficiency and area of interest as "Study Context". The system consists of four functions: (1) Study Context Extractor which extracts each user's study context by using the input of sample contents that the user considers to reflect their situation in terms of language levels and areas of interest, (2) Automatic Metadata Generator which generates metadata of contents on the Internet, (3) Learning Level Filter which selects contents by assessing the language proficiency level and target language level of the user, and (4) Semantic Information Filter which provides learning materials according to the user's area of interest or discipline. By using our system, with only the input of sample contents (texts) as the indication of user's present proficiency, target language level and study purposes, users can automatically acquire learning materials which accord with their purpose for studying, language proficiency and area of interest. In this paper, we also present an implementation method of our goal-oriented language learning system and experimental results to clarify the feasibility and effectiveness.