Computers In Language Learning Research Articles

Integrated Technology for Classroom Management Strategies in a Computer-Assisted Language Learning

This study was carried out to investigate the integrated technology in Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) class support classroom management strategies. The study employed mixed-methods and involved 27 students and a lecturer of a CALL class in an English Language Education Study Program. The data collection instruments were a questionnaire, interview guide, and observation notes. The data analysis was processed using descriptive statistics, particularly for the questionnaire results. Meanwhile qualitative analyses were conducted to process the interview results and observation notes. The results of the study showed that necessary relevant technology was integrated in the CALL class and it could support classroom management strategies by engaging students in learning, delivering materials efficiently, and creating an immersive learning environment using gamification through internet. Using computer to support learning is effective to create an immersive environment and to manage classroom. The use of computer in language learning is able to support classroom management for a lecturer inside or outside the classroom.

Impact and reactions to a blended MA course on Language Education and Technology

<p>The subject of computers in language learning was not covered at a postgraduate level in Greece independently but as an add-on module in more broad programmes, such as <em>applied linguistics</em> or <em>TEFL</em>. In such programmes, this module was merely scratching the surface of the subject, leaving students with the impression that there was no more to it than learning to run a software programme or an application. The MA programme on <em>Language Education and Technology</em> (LET) was the first in the country that aimed to offer a specialised course with all its modules directly related to the area. Furthermore, the programme attempted to incorporate a number of novelties in the personnel involved (experts from six different countries), methods of teaching (blended, through face-to-face, and synchronous web teleconferencing), transparency (as to the use and allocation of the fees and student selection), systems of examination, modes of collaboration, and modules and seminars offered, all directly linked to its title.</p><p>The study described here aimed to shed light and estimate the impact of the course on the professional life of its participants through several open and closed questions included in a questionnaire, constructed to register student status before and after the programme, and their opinions on several other programme features. Students scored very positively a) module development, b) the instructors that were involved, c) the modules offered, and d) the knowledge they gained. Some of the students presented their final papers at international conferences, four were accepted in PhD studies in Spain, the UK and Austria, with scholarships from the host institution, while others increased their salaries, or found a new better paid job.</p>

Computers as a Language Learning Tool

The subject of CALL has only recently been introduced to language teachers inWest Germany. While in other European countries many institutions are involved inprojects dealing with the use of computers in language learning. The Audio-VisualMedia Centre (AVMZ), Bergische Universitat-GH Wuppertal, 5600 Wuppertal 1, isone of the few places in this country investigating various approaches to CALL.This article describes the general concept of the project and the kind of programsbeing developed and used. Furthermore, it is intended to solicit comments fromscholars and institutions in the USA and thus established contacts and initiate anexchange of ideas.

English

Past research have shown that students view activities using computers in language learning to be highly motivating (Krendl, 1988). A more recent study conducted by Warschauer (1996), especially focusing on ESL and EFL students’ writing in universities in Hong Kong, Taiwan and the US, has found encouraging results with regards to students’ motivational attitude towards using computers in writing. In the Malaysian context however, very few researches have been conducted to study the use of computers in language learning at the tertiary level, particularly in identifying factors that affect students’ motivation in learning writing using computers. A 42 question survey investigating the attitude of Malaysian students was administered and it was found that students were highly motivated and felt empowered to study language and writing via the computer.

Issues of Computer Assisted Language Learning Normalization in EFL Contexts

The use of computers in language learning is increased widely in most countries. Many educational institutions all over the world have integrated computer technology into language instruction. However, this integration is not successful in many institutions. There are many issues that hinder the integration of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) into language learning. This paper reports on the literature associated with issues of CALL normalisation. It highlights the issues of CALL normalisation in English as foreign language (EFL) contexts and explores the most important factors to be considered to improve the use of CALL in these contexts. This paper also adds some issues that were not mentioned in the previous studies. It is suggested that for CALL normalisation to be occurred, five major issues should be addressed (i.e., personal, technical, pedagogical, socio-cultural, and institutional). Some suggestions are presented to help CALL to be normalized in EFL contexts.

When the Music Stops: A Review of Using Computers in Language Learning

Graham Davies' "Using Computers in Language Learning" (with a separate section on ESL by John Higgins), is for the most part a useful guide through the maze of programming languages, authoring systems, exercise formats, etc., which face the teacher contemplating the use of computers for language learning. Unfortunately, however, much of the information in the text refers to British sources, limiting its usefulness to the American teacher. A more serious flaw is the underlying assumption that computers are best suited for mechanical drill, thus freeing the teacher for communicative activities. The reviewer suggests that the continued use of computers in this fashion may well lead to the demise of CALL before experimenters have had an opportunity to explore its full potential.

THE INTEGRATION OF CALL MATERIALS INTO THE OVERALL CURRICULUM

The subject of CALL has only recently been introduced to language teachers in West Germany. While in other European countries many institutions are involved in projects dealing with the use of computers in language learning, the Audiovisual Media Centre (AVMZ) at the University of Wuppertal is one of the few places in this country investigating various approaches to CALL.Among other aspects of computers and language learning, our research project focuses on the problem of linking computerbased materials with the teaching unit as a whole in a meaningful way. This article describes the kin of programs developed at the AVMZ as well as one of the methods we are experimenting with to achieve this objective.

Students' Preparedness and Training for CALL

Planning for the integration of computers in language classrooms is complex, requiring information from many sources, yet some basic information has been underrepresented in the professional literature. The state of students' computer literacy (CL) and their accompanying training needs, for example, are two aspects that are infrequently investigated. Some studies do discuss these issues, but few report the time allocated to training for computerized tasks or the gains made in CL. While research on the effectiveness of computers for language learning is growing, little of it indicates the practicality of this tool for teachers who need to train their students in CL before the computer can become a tool for them. However, it is exactly this type of practical information that complements effectiveness research for teachers who need to prepare appropriate tasks and determine whether they have the instructional time to offer training to students. The present study provides data on the CL of university-level Spanish students with respect to word processing, CD-ROMs, e-mail, and the World Wide Web. The training method used integrated technical training into activities focused on learning language and culture and resulted in gains in students' CL for a small investment of class time.

Does Familiarization with CALL Improve Students' Attitudes towards CALL?

This paper reports a survey of the attitudes of a group of University students towards using computers to study English. The focus of this research is to determine whether familiarization with computers for language learning can improve students' attitudes towards CALL. In particular, it was found that, after having used computers one semester, the students in this survey showed more positive attitudes towards CALL than students who had never used them before. Evidence suggests that we should start seriously thinking about the importance of familiarizing our students with computers for language learning from their first learning stages

Investigating the classroom applications of computers on EFL courses at Higher Education Institutions in UK

This paper begins by documenting the positive contribution of English as a Foreign\\Second Language (EFL\\ESL) to computers in language learning and teaching and then proposes a general framework, applicable in a range of contexts, for investigating their pedagogical applications in the EFL\\ESL classroom. The paper then reports on a study which examined the impact that computers are having on the delivery of EFL courses at British Universities. The findings of a national survey based on questionnaires are documented and quantitatively analysed. These established three kinds of information: what kinds of courses are run; which kinds of computer applications are being used; the attitudes of those responsible towards the current use of computers on these courses. These questions raise a number of issues primarily regarding the role of computers in English for Academic Purposes.

Resistance to CALL: degrees of student reluctance to use CALL and ICT

This paper examines the range of different factors which in our experience contribute to student resistance to the use of computers for language learning. These problems relate to aspects of the computing environment, social and psychological factors and issues relating to the curriculum and teaching methods. We have made basic suggestions about ways of overcoming these resistances. However our principal finding is that the most effective and coherent way of fostering student adoption of CALL is to develop a computer based learning environment, which draws on the success of communications software and the Internet, based on the computer conferencing program First Class.

Sociocultural dimensions of computers in language learning: the European context.

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Davies, Graham and John Higgins. Using Computers in Language Learning; A Teacher’s Guide. London: Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research, 1985

Davies, Graham and John Higgins. <i>Using Computers in Language Learning; A Teacher’s Guide.</i> London: Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research, 1985

Computer-assisted language learning

Microcomputers are being used in schools around the world in a multitude of ways. School administrators are realizing that here is a powerful management tool and that many administrative tasks are similar to those in small businesses where the computer has proved an aid in inventory control, access to records, budgeting and accounting. Teacher-librarians are appreciating that the computer can be used to good affect in many aspects of library work. In the classroom computers are being used to teach programming, to teach about computers, to solve problems, to simulate processes, to assist writing, to access information bases, to drill facts, to test learning, to stimulate thinking, and to play games. In this article we examine some of the ways computers are being used in the language classroom. There are three main sections. In the first, the focus is on computers in language learning. In the second section, which occupies the major part, the focus is on the many different ways that language teachers around the world are using computers to promote language learning. And the third and final section, in examining prospects for theory and research, presents an overview of the strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches to the use of computers in language teaching and learning.

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: Computers and Communication, R.A. Steele and J.J. Wellington Using Computers in Language Learning: A Teacher's Guide, Graham Davies and John Higgins. Writings and Computers, Collette Daiute Computers at Work, Peter Bishop LOGO— MIT LOGO for the Apple, Rick Billstein, Shlomo Libeskind and Johnny W. Lott. Computer Experience and Cognitive Development, R. W. Lawler. Exploring Mathematics with Microcomputers, Nigel Bufton

Computer-assisted reading—What can the machine really contribute?

Until now the use of computers in language learning has frequently involved software exercises which offer little advantage over their pen-and-paper equivalents. Likewise CALL materials thus far written have tended to be restricted to practice of one particular grammatical point or to one exercise type. The present paper sets out to describe an integrated series of computer-assisted reading materials under development at the University of East Anglia in Norwich. These materials attempt to embody the principle of maximum learner choice within a programme and to explore areas of the reading process where the computer begins to offer some real advantages in its own right. Some general considerations relating to the problems involved in teaching reading with computers are first discussed, following which the framework of the present CAR project, together with specific examples, are given.

Micro-concord: A language learner's research tool

Micro-concord is a simple interactive KWIC (keyword-in-context) concordancing program that runs under a variety of configurations on the Spectrum home microcomputer. Based on the proposition that CALL (computer-assisted language learning) should, if it is to make maximum use of the possibilities opened up by the new technology, involve more than simply making the computer a sort of surrogate teacher or trainer (Higgins, J. and Johns, T. Computers in Language Learning, Collins 1984), it offers both language learners and language teachers a research tool for investigating “the company that words keep” that has hitherto usually been available only on mainframe computers to academic researchers in such fields as computational linguistics, lexicography, and stylistics (Hockey 1980).

Grammarland: A non-directive use of the computer in language learning

Grammarland: A non-directive use of the computer in language learning

Computers in language learning. By John Higgins and Tim Johns. London &amp; Glasgow: Collins ELT, 1984. Pp. 192

Computers in language learning. By John Higgins and Tim Johns. London &amp; Glasgow: Collins ELT, 1984. Pp. 192

Computers in Language Learning. Reading

Computers in Language Learning. Reading