Abstract
Reporting on data collected from a survey of Secondary EFL teachers in Saudi Arabia, this study is an analysis of the perceptions and attitudes held in regard to the use of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) in English classrooms. Background data as well as attitudes were collected from 183 male and female respondents from a pool of 250 randomly selected secondary level teachers in Riyadh. The results, determined after descriptive as well as statistical analysis, indicated a positive correlation between a teacher’s attendance during training, both for computer as well as CALL, and a positive attitude toward the use of IT approaches to learning in the Saudi classroom. Recommended actions include specialized training for EFL teachers who are required to integrate CALL into regular classroom instruction. Training programs should additionally be cognizant of other needs that may emerge through applied staff feedback exercises.
Highlights
1.1 Importance of Attitudes The aim of the research at hand was to discover the perceptions and attitudes of secondary English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers toward the use of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in English classrooms in Saudi Arabia
Returning to the main research questions which intend to develop an understanding of the relationship between attitudes and computer training, CALL training, and use of computer labs, the study results indicate that those participants who attended computer training programs reported more positive attitudes towards technology in the classroom
The results of the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) study taken in relation to the correlations drawn between training and positive attitudes in this study indicate that positive attitudes regarding technology are correlated to confidence in using computers
Summary
1.1 Importance of Attitudes The aim of the research at hand was to discover the perceptions and attitudes of secondary English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers toward the use of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in English classrooms in Saudi Arabia. The successful implementation of a pedagogical tool, such as the inclusion of information technology (IT) in the classroom, is contingent upon the methods and practices of the educator who uses it. The increasing inclusion of technologically advanced teaching tools is requiring a shift in the epistemology of today’s teachers. Teaching approaches like CALL can vary considerably in implementation and efficacy. One explanation of such variation is in the resistance of educators to progressive approaches that are imported from other academic environments (Bain & McNaught, 2006). Approaches like CALL depend on the level of comfort an educator feels with regard to computers and advanced technology (Carballo-Calero, 2001).
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