Real-time speech-to-text translation in Spanish secondary classrooms: a mixed-methods study on refugee student inclusion

  • Ricardo Scott Department of Developmental Psychology and Didactics, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain
  • Clara Vila Secondary Education Teachers of Public Schools of the Valencian Community, Alicante, Spain
  • Daniel Pérez-Alcaraz Secondary Education Teachers of Public Schools of the Valencian Community, Alicante, Spain
  • Olga Vaello Secondary Education Teachers of Public Schools of the Valencian Community, Alicante, Spain
  • José Manuel Pérez-Torres Secondary Education Teachers of Public Schools of the Valencian Community, Alicante, Spain
  • Ricardo Ibanco-Cañete Department of Developmental Psychology and Didactics, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain
  • Jorge Brotons-Mas Institute of Neurosciences UMH-CSIC, Alicante, Spain / Cardenal Herrera Oria University, Elche, Spain
  • Cristina de-la-Peña International University of La Rioja, Madrid, Spain
  • María José Álvarez-Alonso Alfonso X El Sabio University, Madrid, Spain
  • Teresa Pozo-Rico Department of Developmental Psychology and Didactics, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5849-4600
DOI: https://doi.org/10.25304/rlt.v33.3418
Keywords: AI transcription processing, refugee education, language barriers, educational inclusion

Abstract

Following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, thousands of Ukrainian children enrolled in schools across Europe. In Spain, most lacked prior knowledge of Spanish. This study examines whether real-time speech-to-text translation technology (STTT) can reduce classroom language barriers. Two activities – a fable reading and a neuroscience lecture – were conducted with 12–15-year-old Spanish-speaking students (n = 23) and Ukrainian students unfamiliar with Spanish but bilingual in Ukrainian and Russian. Using PowerPoint 365, the teacher’s speech was transcribed and translated into Russian – which at the time was far more reliably supported by automatic translation tools than Ukrainian – and projected onto a shared classroom display. Although this choice was based on technical and pedagogical criteria, it later drew some resistance, reflecting the sociopolitical sensitivities surrounding language use in wartime contexts. Comprehension was assessed using content-specific questionnaires. Ukrainian students scored lower than their Spanish peers but significantly higher than a control group (n = 22; p < 0.001; Cliff’s delta indicated large effect sizes). Qualitative analysis of teacher interviews highlighted improvements in comprehension and inclusion, along with implementation challenges. Taken together, these findings indicate that STTT has the potential to support newly arrived refugee students and help address multilingual education challenges.

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Published
2025-11-05
How to Cite
Scott , R., Vila , C., Pérez-Alcaraz , D., Vaello , O., Pérez-Torres , J. M., Ibanco-Cañete , R., Brotons-Mas , J., de-la-Peña , C., Álvarez-Alonso , M. J., & Pozo-Rico , T. (2025). Real-time speech-to-text translation in Spanish secondary classrooms: a mixed-methods study on refugee student inclusion. Research in Learning Technology, 33. https://doi.org/10.25304/rlt.v33.3418
Issue
Vol. 33 (2025)
Section
Original Research Articles
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