The Evolution of CALL in Second Language Learning

The evolution of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) has reshaped the way students acquire second languages by integrating technology into teaching and learning. From its early behavioristic roots based on repetitive drills to the rise of communicative and integrative models, CALL has progressed into a dynamic field that emphasizes learner autonomy, collaboration, and interactivity. With advances in the Internet and digital tools, learners today benefit from greater flexibility, access to authentic resources, and opportunities for meaningful peer engagement in both synchronous and asynchronous settings. This post explores the development of CALL in second language education and highlights how innovative pedagogical approaches can optimize learning outcomes in virtual environments.

Video of this Article on the Evolution of CALL

Technology and Language Learning

With the availability of state-of-the-art technology, particularly the Internet, our global village has expanded its channels of communication. Meanwhile, Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) has helped millions of people all around the globe to utilize technology to learn second languages interactively. This study is intended to cast more light on the prospect of creating an online learning community that could optimize the level of interaction among the students and the teacher, a phenomenon which is technically referred to as social presence in conjunction with integrative CALL. Current CALL programs do not seem to have updated themselves from the obsolete behavioristic and communicative genres to reach for the integrative one so as to yield optimum interactivity.

CALL at a Glance

This is a study of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) with a particular emphasis on student interaction, i.e. integrative CALL (McBride & Seago, 1996; Warschauer, Turbee & Roberts, 1996; Warschauer & Whittaker, 2002) in learning and/or teaching English as a foreign language in virtual classes to account for a successful online learning community, an online phenomenon which is technically referred to as social presence (Gunawardena, 1995; Palloff & Pratt, 2007; Picciano, 2002; Tu, 2001). Although distance learning is no more a new issue in education, its efficacy has not been truly realized, particularly in relation to the delicate art of learning and teaching second languages.

From the dawn of the new millennium, the number of people having access to computers and the Internet has increased tremendously. In the western world, it can be assumed that most people have seen, if not used, a computer or have some knowledge of the potential of computers (Ward & Genabith, 2003). In this regard, Reinders (2009) argues:

It is clear that young learners now have vastly improved access to information, and more important, have tools available to them (at no or a small cost) that increasingly firmly place control over many aspects of their lives, including education, into their own hands (p. 235).

Technology and Global Communication

Owing to the rapidly spreading Internet and state-of-the-art communication technologies that are driving the fastest growing technological innovations unprecedented in world history, we are now capable of communicating anytime and anywhere with people all around the globe by, for example, real streaming, email, chat, videoconference, websites, etc. in multimodal forms (Tokuda, 2002).

With the advent of new technologies in language learning, almost every possible language-learning tool has become accessible at the click of a mouse. Consulting a grammar or a dictionary is no longer regarded as a major interruption of the language learning activity. The Web has provided the students with numerous advantages, including “broad categories of time flexibility, reinforced learning, privacy and wealth of information” (Felix, 2001, p. 47).

The Evolution of CALL

The advent of CALL with the Plato Project in the 1960s was basically grounded on the behavioristic theories of learning in which the repetitive approach of extensive drills and practice, explicit grammatical explanations, and translation tests were dominant (AbuSeileek, 2007; Tokuda, 2002). In the 1980s, CALL was introduced, but its scope was just limited owing to the fact that personal computers (PCs) were scarce and CALL programs were still in their infancy (AbuSeileek, 2007).

However, over the last three decades, a dramatic transformation has taken place. Computers have become popular at both schools and homes. L2 learners receive training on how to utilize technology for academic purposes, and above all, the industry of English programs has flourished.

CALL Centers and Research Perspectives

The major product of using technology and computers for learning and teaching second languages has been the emergence of the CALL centers around the world. CALL centers are most commonly multipurpose in nature. They are dedicated and academic spaces within an institution that provide learners with access to networked computers, email, word-processing and language learning software for both in-class or individual use (Peterson, 1999).

As mentioned above, there has been much interest recently in utilizing electronic devices and the Internet to learn second/foreign languages worldwide. Research indicates that learners react positively to second/foreign language learning in virtual venues, for instance LELB Society, through distance learning (Stepp-Greany, 2002).

The researcher’s own interest in using computers and technology for teaching and learning English was first aroused by the work of Levy and Stockwell (2006) who emphasize the need to have a clear idea of learning objectives, knowledge of the technological options and the pedagogical implications and the knowledge of students’ abilities, goals and perceptions in relation to various types of CALL, and finally, Warschauer and Whittaker (2002) who propose valuable guidelines for online teachers on how to implement computer network-based activities and technologies into the second language classroom.

References

1. AbuSeileek, A. F. (2007). Cooperative vs. individual learning of oral skills in a CALL environment. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 20(5), 493-514. doi:10.1080/09588220701746054
2. Felix, U. (2001). The web’s potential for language learning: The student’s perspective. ReCALL, 13(1), 47-58. doi:10.1017/s0958344001000519
3. Gunawardena, C. (1995). Social presence theory and implications for interaction and collaborative learning in computer conferences. International Journal of Educational Telecommunications, 1(2-3), 147-166.
4. Levy, M., & Stockwell, G. (2006). CALL dimensions: Options and issues in computer-assisted language learning. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
5. McBride, N., & Seago, K. (1996). The A to Z of grammar: An integrated CALL project. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 9(1), 45-61. doi:10.1080/0958822960090103
6. Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2007). Building online learning communities: Effective strategies for the virtual classroom. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 223 INTERACTIVITY AND SOCIAL PRESENCE IN CALL
7. Peterson, M. (1999). Piloting and the creation of a CALL centre: The case of the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 12(2), 165-172. doi:10.1076/call.12.2.165.5721
8. Picciano, A. G. (2002). Beyond student perceptions: Issues of interaction, presence, and performance in an online course. JALN, 6(1), 21-40.
9. Reinders, H. (2009). Technology and second language teacher education. In A. Burns & J. C. Richards (Eds.), The Cambridge guide to second language teacher education (pp. 230-238). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
10. Tokuda, N. (2002). New developments in intelligent CALL systems in a rapidly internationalized information age. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 15(4), 319-327. doi:10.1076/call.15.4.319.8268
11. Tu, C. H. (2001). How Chinese perceive social presence: An examination of interaction in online learning environment. Educational Media International, 38(1), 45-60.
12. Ward, M., & Genabith, J. (2003). CALL for endangered languages: Challenges and rewards. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 16(2-3), 233-258. doi:10.1076/call.16.2.233.15885
13. Warschauer, M., Turbee, L., & Roberts, B. (1996). Computer learning networks and student empowerment. System, 24(1), 1-14. doi:10.1016/0346-251x(95)00049-p 230 INTERACTIVITY AND SOCIAL PRESENCE IN CALL
14. Warschauer, M., & Whittaker, P. F. (2002). The internet for English teaching: Guidelines for teachers. In J. C. Richards & W. A. Renandya (Eds.), Methodology in language teaching: An anthology of current practice (pp. 368-373). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/cbo9780511667190.053