Effects of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) on ESL Reading Comprehension at a Private Sector University in Pakistan

Abstract

English is used globally as an international language. It is considered as a prestigious language which provides greater opportunities for its users. Second language acquisition is not an easy task, for language acquisition it is necessary to learn all the aspects of language such as oral and written. Learner efficiently learn language rules, pronunciation, grammar and structure which can be learned more effectively by using Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) method. The recent study aims to explore the effectiveness of CALL in Pakistan at tertiary level which focuses on the improvement of apprentices’ reading skills. This is a quasi-experimental study, the data was obtained by 15 participants through pretest and posttest. Posttest was conducted after three weeks of pretest, during the intervention period CALL was integrated in the language classroom for reading skill lessons. A paired one-tailed t-test was used to analyze test scores and a descriptive data analysis method was used to detect learners’ perceptions. The result of this research study showed that CALL is a highly effective technique used to increase the proficiency level of learners in reading comprehension.