Second Language Instructors and CALL: A Multidisciplinary Research Framework

Abstract

The increasing importance of computer assisted language learning (CALL) in second language (L2) classes has added a new dimension to L2 research, and it has challenged scholars to find valid research methods and theoretical frameworks that can be applied in the analysis of the linguistic and social aspects of the interaction among students and instructors in CALL. Even though researchers have proposed frameworks based on theories of discourse analysis for the investigation of student-computer interaction (Chapelle, 1990), instructors have been mostly disregarded. In order to fully understand the impact of CALL on L2 learning, it is important to investigate teachers' interpretive and theoretical frameworks, and the institutional and pedagogical factors that might contribute to promote or hinder their implementation of CALL. This article proposes a multidisciplinary research framework - integrating three theories from cultural psychology, linguistics, and sociology - that allows researchers to address these issues. In addition, Markee's (1997) model for analysis of curricular innovation is incorporated as a component to determine if the use of CALL in L2 classes truly constitutes a curricular innovation and the role that instructors may play in this outcome. A concrete example of an existing study based on the framework is also presented.