Research Abstract: Impact of CALL in Schools

IMPACT OF CALL MATERIALS IN TEACHING ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE AT SECONDARY LEVEL

Researcher: Mr. Sunil S. Shah

(Under supervision of Dr. Rajendrasinh Jadeja; Director, H. M. Patel Institute of English Training and Research, Vallabh Vidyanagar, Gujarat).

This research project is to study the impact of CALL(Computer Assisted Language Learning) Materials in Teaching English as a second language at secondary level.

Computer assisted language learning is to convey a vast amount of information in a very short period of time. It is a powerful method of reinforcing concepts and topics, first introduced through textbooks and discussion in the classroom. Computer assisted language enables the learners to comprehend complex concepts. The use of computer assisted language learning in schools is taken very seriously by governments and education systems around the world. India, like many other countries, is investing heavily in the education system to raise the ICT skills. This is testament to the importance being given to education and training in the use of ICTs and the setting of high priorities to improve learning outcomes to prepare young people for the information economy of the 21^st century.

H.M. Patel Institute of English Training and Research is one of the innovators in creating and trying out CALL Materials. Now it is time to make such materials available to teachers and students at large. The investigator got into interest to make a survey to study the impact of CALL Materials in real classroom situation. It was also found necessary to expose teachers of English at secondary level to CALL that will be effectively used in day to day classroom teaching. The feedback provided by the teachers, students and researchers personal observation was helpful in evaluating the impact of computer assisted materials. The existing instructional materials available at the institute were used for the purpose.

The set of hypotheses was formulated in such a manner that the study could examine whether CALL impact was significant in our teaching-learning discipline environment. Since this research study depends mainly on a survey, it was necessary to use tools for data collection such as a questionnaire. The sample group of the teachers (around 50) was trained during the Alumni Meet and Teacher Training Workshops held at the Institute. The CALL Materials were provided to the sample group in a CD. The data yielded through the questionnaire were quantified for the application of appropriate statistical measures. The analysis was carried out through Statistical Pack for Social Sciences (SPSS, version 11.0). The analysis of the available data enabled the investigator to accept or reject the hypotheses.

The dissertation is divided into five chapters. The first chapter seeks to provide a framework for the entire study- by reviewing the ELT scene in India and Gujarat, Usage of CALL Materials at H. M. Patel Institute , by making a statement of the problem and by determining the scope and constraints of the research. The second chapter provides a detailed discussion of literature related to the present work. It contains a brief summary, analysis and interpretation of literature reviewed by the investigator for the purpose of the research on hand. The third chapter provides the detail of the research procedure and a detail description of the standardization of the questionnaire. The fourth chapter presents details of the data collected and the statistical analysis of the data. The quantitative and qualitative analysis and the interpretation of the data are presented in the form of tables and charts and interpretations are worked out based on the feedback given by teachers. The fifth chapter lists the findings of the research based on the data analysed in chapter four and offers suggestions for improving the teaching and learning using CALL Materials. It presents an overview of the research and gives a summary of its result. The research is concluded with a definite action plan for future use of CALL Materials.

Major Findings of the Research

The study has yielded some significant findings regarding the impact of CALL Materials in real teaching learning environment. The following major findings were arrived at regarding teaching learning environment.

I. In terms of development in General Competence, the respondents indicated that students develop basic language skills, ability to communicate, conceptual understanding and their interest in learning English. Language learning becomes more enjoyable, meaningful and challenging and teaching basic language skills becomes effective.

II. The use of CALL Materials helps students work in groups which contributed to more interaction in the classroom. This made the classroom environment friendlier and led to more cooperative learning among the students.

III. It was observed by the respondents that the use of CALL Materials helped the students to think and work independently. Students tend to be more creative in their thinking and show a sense of responsibility in matters of learning.

IV. In terms of implementation of ICT based plan in real teaching environment respondents indicated that students develop basic skills and competencies.

V. Students respond to poetry more effectively and appreciate poetry in a better way compared to traditional teaching methods.

VI. Learning of grammar becomes more meaningful with interactive CALL Materials.

VII. The respondents observed that technology integrated teaching addressed students’ different learning styles and helped the students to relate the learning with real life situations.

Recommendations for further research

On the basis of the present study it is recommended that further research should be carried out in the following areas.

I. It is necessary to explore further research in development of CALL Materials to have effective output in learning English as a second language.

II. It is necessary to explore further research in preparing such software providing enough tasks, exercises to ensure mastery learning of all the forms LSRW skills.

III. It is necessary to explore further research in preparing such application for all the text books of English in both English and Gujarati medium schools.

IV. Teacher educators need to address the theoretical supporting of CALL and present guidelines for effective technology use in context-based situations.

V. Researchers might investigate whether and what theories of learning with technology transfer from coursework to the classroom, and how this is evidenced by the applications that teachers employ.

VI. Research in this area should continue to identify the needs of both students and instructors and the role that effective technology education and integration can play in meeting those needs.

CALL draws on the empirical and theoretical work in many fields and returns tangible research results, new perspectives, and a deeper understanding of the nature of language learning and human/technology interaction. CALL also produces tools, learning materials, and pedagogical approaches of immediate concrete value in enhancing language learning programs. Virtually every educational institution has taken the initiative of using computer assisted language learning materials. However, few institutions in Gujarat, like H.M.Patel Institute of English Training and Research have developed effective frameworks for assessing these systems or have formulated guidelines for properly evaluating and rewarding those whose contributions advance our understanding of the field. The evaluation of pedagogical innovations, development, and research in CALL can be based on assessment mechanisms as objective as those used in other fields. Such assessment requires an understanding of the particular challenges of CALL that is not yet widespread in language departments and academic institutions. Effective evaluation systems must draw on the current, organized, and demonstrable knowledge of national and international experts in the field.

There are, of course, many unanswered questions about the impact of CALL Materials on teaching and learning. However, the present can play a critical role in answering some of these questions. Policymakers, however, will need to invest more money on research in technology. The findings from this research synthesis suggest that more and better research needs to be funded and conducted by researchers in this area. Although recognition of the uniqueness of each school and classroom situation will always need to be considered, the accumulation of research evidence over time and across studies may provide consistent findings that enhance our understandings of the role of teaching and learning with technology.

Problems faced by Teachers in using Computers in Classrooms

In the last few years the number of teachers using Computer-assisted Language Learning (CALL) has increased markedly and numerous articles have been written about the role of technology in education in the 21st century. Although the potential of the Internet for educational use has not been fully explored yet and the average school still makes limited use of computers, it is obvious that we have entered a new information age in which the links between technology and TEFL have already been established.

In the early 90s education started being affected by the introduction of word processors in schools, colleges and universities. This mainly had to do with written assignments. The development of the Internet brought about a revolution in the teachers' perspective, as the teaching tools offered through the Internet were gradually becoming more reliable. Nowadays, the Internet is gaining immense popularity in foreign language teaching and more and more educators and learners are embracing it.

The barriers inhibiting the practice of Computer-assisted Language Learning can be classified in the following common categories (a) financial barriers, (b) availability of computer hardware and software, (c) technical and theoretical knowledge, and (d) acceptance of the technology.

Financial Barriers

Financial barriers are mentioned most frequently in the literature by language education practitioners. They include the cost of hardware, software, maintenance (particular of the most advanced equipment), and extend to some staff development. Froke (1994) said, "concerning the money, the challenge was unique because of the nature of the technology." Existing universities policies and procedures for budgeting and accounting were well advanced for classroom instruction. The costs of media were accounted for in the university as a part of the cost of instruction. Though the initial investment in hardware is high, inhibiting institutions' introduction of advance technologies; but Hooper (1995) recommends that the cost of computers will be so low that they will be available in most schools and homes in the future.

Lewis et al. (1994) indicate three conditions under which Computer-assisted Learning and other technologies can be cost-effectiveness: Computer-assisted Learning costs the same as conventional instruction but ends up with producing higher achievement in the same amount of instructional time; it results in students achieving the same level but in less time. These authors indicate that in examples where costs of using technologies in education are calculated, they are usually understand because the value of factors, such as faculty time and cost of equipment utilization, is ignored (McClelland, 1996).

Herschbach (1994) argues firmly that new technologies are add-on expenses and will not, in many cases, lower the cost of providing educational services. He stated that that the new technologies probably will not replace the teachers, but will supplement their efforts, as has been the pattern with other technologies. The technologies will not decrease educational costs or increase teacher productivity as currently used. Low usage causes the cost barrier. Computers, interactive instruction TV, and other devices are used very few hours of the day, week, or month. Either the number of learners or the amount of time learners apply the technology must be increased substantially to approach the concept of cost-effectiveness. There are other more quick and less expensive ways of reducing costs, no matter how inexpensive the technology being used (Kincaid, McEachron, & McKinney, 1994.

Availability of Computer Hardware and Software

The most significant aspects of computer are hardware and software. Availability of high quality software is the most pressing challenge in applying the new technologies in education (Herschbach, 1994; Miller, 1997; Office of Technology Assessment, 1995; Noreburg & Lundblad, 1997). Underlying this problem is a lack of knowledge of what elements in software will promote different kinds of learning. There are few educators skilled in designing it because software development is costly and time-consuming (McClelland, 1996).

Technical and Theoretical Knowledge

A lack of technical and theoretical knowledge is another barrier to the use of Computer-assisted Language Learning technology. Not only is there a shortage of knowledge about developing software to promote learning, as shown above, but many instructors do not understand how to use the new technologies. Furthermore, little is known about integrating these new means of learning into an overall plan.

Acceptance of Technologies

We live in a time change. Gelatt (1995) stated that change itself has changed. Change has become so rapid, so turbulent, and so unpredictable that is now called "white water" change (p.10). Murphy & Terry (1998a) indicated the current of change move so quickly that they destroy what was considered the norm in the past, and by doing so, create new opportunities. But, there is a natural tendency for organizations to resist change. Wrong conceptions about the use of technology limit innovation and threaten teachers' job and security (Zuber-Skerritt, 1994). Instructors are tend not to use technologies that require substantially more preparation time, and it is tough to provide instructors and learners access to technologies that are easy to use (Herschbach, 1994).

Engaging in Computer-assisted Language Learning is a continuing challenge that requires time and commitment. As we approach the 21st century, we realize that technology as such is not the answer to all our problems. What really matters is how we use technology. Computers can/will never substitute teachers but they offer new opportunities for better language practice. They may actually make the process of language learning significantly richer and play a key role in the reform of a country's educational system. The next generation of students will feel a lot more confident with information technology than we do. As a result, they will also be able to use the Internet to communicate more effectively, practice language skills more thoroughly and solve language learning problems more easily.

Promoting Effective Practice of ICT in English – a primary school case study

Year 2 pupils were encouraged to develop an extended piece of writing about a story which was presented using presentation software. The talking word processor ‘read’ a passage and the pupils identified words which the computer ‘could not read properly’. They also decided where they thought punctuation should be placed in a prepared passage from the text. In the writing session that followed, the pupils used the speech facility on the computer to listen to their stories as they re-read what they had written. After two months’ work, the pupils’ reading ages had improved by an average of almost seven months. The writing task also showed significant gains in the amount that the pupils wrote (on paper), and an improvement in punctuation and elements of the story structure, such as the use of connectives. The teacher was able to use ICT effectively to help them to develop redrafting skills using speech feedback and in using presentation software to read a text to the whole class. However, she ensured that pupils had opportunities to develop their ICT skills and using ICT enabled her to develop other resources for groups of pupils to use away from the computer. Her ICT skills enabled her to make decisions about how she could use ICT effectively in her preparation and in her teaching. She successfully used the ICT activities as part of her broader literacy teaching. (Moseley et al., 1999).

Research about use of ICT in Teaching English.

This section is based on an analysis of other researches carried out about how primary and secondary teachers are using ICT in the English curriculum. There are a number of aspects of the English curriculum where ICT has been claimed to enhance teaching and learning it is suggested that the technology can enable pupils to:

Ø manipulate and transform their own and others’ writing using a word processor and other publishing packages

Ø develop an understanding of language and their own critical literacy skills

Ø engage with key characteristics and features of texts

Ø discuss the merits and limitations of particular text types

Ø compare a range of ways that information is presented

Ø locate information quickly, confidently and accurately

Ø gain access to a wider range of texts online such as non-linear texts

Ø talk, read and write for a range of purposes and communicate with a wider group of people, thereby encouraging different types of interaction and promoting collaborative learning

Ø work in dynamic and interactive media

Ø transform different media into one text

Ø extend their range of information sources and texts to investigate how reading strategies are adapted to suit different texts.

Despite the potential benefits of ICT in English listed above, there is a need for a clearer identification of how these factors may be incorporated into classroom practice, at what stage, and using which particular hardware and software. This report focuses on the enhancement of teaching and learning in the English curriculum through the use of ICT and its benefits to teachers and pupils in primary and secondary schools.

ICT can enable pupils to access a range of texts, write for real audiences and support them in their choice of genre for audience and purpose. Research suggests that using ICT in the English curriculum can:

Ø improve writing and reading skills

Ø develop speaking and listening skills

Ø support collaboration, creativity, independent learning and reflection.

English teachers can maximize the impact of ICT by ensuring that both they and pupils:

Ø use ICT as an integral part of lessons

Ø present ideas dynamically and in a range of media

Ø understand visual literacy.

ICT in the English Curriculum

Benefits for teachers

Ø ICT makes it easier for teachers to give instant feedback to pupils as they are working (Moseley et al., 1999)

Ø Presentation software enables teachers to show ideas dynamically – for example, when showing suffixes joining with root words (Moseley et al., 1999)

Ø Teacher direction is reduced and pupils’ control and self-regulation increased (Hennessy et al., 2003)

Ø ICT can act as a catalyst to bring about change in teachers’ thinking and practice (Higgins and Moseley, 2002; Leach, 1997)

Benefits for pupils

Speaking and listening

Ø The computer can be an effective catalyst of talk both at the screen and away from it

Ø Talking books help pupils with emergent language or literacy skills interact with the story and enhance both their vocabulary and text comprehension (Underwood and Underwood, 1997)

Ø Digital video production can help develop a range of social learning skills, including communication, negotiation, decision-making and problem-solving (Reid et al., 2002)

Ø Pupils use more abstract and sophisticated language when talking about films they have created using digital video (Reid et al., 2002)

Reading

Ø Reading interactive storybooks can help pupils of school expand their vocabulary and gain insight into the structure of narrative texts (Segers and Verhoeven, 2002)

Ø Using ICT can enable pupils to understand, visualize and interpret difficult texts (Birmingham and Davies, 2001)

Ø There are learning gains in areas of phonological awareness, vocabulary development, reading comprehension and spelling (Software Information Industry Association, 2000; Van Daal and Reitsma, 2000).

Ø Computer-assisted reading support systems can be effective in supporting secondary pupils with reading failure (Lynch, 2000)

Writing

Ø Writing development can be accelerated and enhanced by access to word processing (Breeze et al., 1996; Lewin, 2000; Moseley et al., 1999)

Ø ICT supports reflective writing and improvements in pupils’ reasoning ability (Deadman, 1997)

Ø Editing digital video films can improve pupils’ literacy skills, especially their understanding of narrative when developing their writing skills (Parker, 1999)

Ø Pupils who use word processing in combination with teacher guidance significantly improve their writing, as do pupils who write for a real audience using the internet or email (Karchmer, 2001; Software Information Industry Association, 2000).

Factors for Effective Use

Ø Teachers need to understand what visual literacy is and rethink what learning to read and write means in the 21st century (Goodwyn et al., 1997;Reid et al., 2002)

Ø Professional development needs to take account of teachers’ thinking about teaching and learning generally as well as their skills with, attitude to and use of, ICT (Higgins and Moseley, 2002)

Ø Teachers should identify how ICT can be used to meet specific objectives within the English curriculum to improve pupils’ attainment (Moseley et al., 1999)

Ø Teachers need to have adequate ICT skills, regular use of ICT equipment, and access to reliable technical support (Moseley et al., 1999)

Ø Teachers need to understand that successful use of ICT depends on other factors such as pupils’ work in the classroom away from the computer, discussions between pupils and their teacher, and the ways in which pupils interact with each other at the computer (McCormick and Scrimshaw, 2001)

CALL as a Learning Medium and Modes of CALL

The process of learning is typically supported by a variety of media to provide information and to help the learner to organize his or her growing knowledge. Each different medium has its own strengths and weaknesses. So media are selected to match specific learning problems and blended so that the weaknesses in one are overcome by the strength of another.

The main strength of the computer as a learning medium is its ability to process information very quickly and accurately. The set of rules (the computer program) which specifies the way in which the information is to be manipulated can be very complex, yet the processing can be completed so quickly as to appear almost instantaneous to the learner. This makes it possible for the computer to accept and act upon a variety of different kinds of response from the learner and to provide information in textual, graphical and animated form. The computer can control and co-ordinate information from other pieces of equipment

Modes of CALL

Within this medium of CALL, there are a number of modes. Each of these is described in turn.

Drill and Practice

Perhaps the simplest form of CALL uses the computer to present the learner with a series of exercises which he or she must complete by giving some response. The computer processes that response (according to the rules embodied in its program) to determine whether or not it is “correct”. It may then provide the learner with some feedback about answer in the form of a congratulatory message in it was right or a corrective comment if it was wrong with perhaps a noncommittal message if the computer was unable to recognize the response computer assisted language learning offers a means of providing endless drill and practice without repetition at a pace that can be controlled by the learner. It is possible to arrange that the nature of the exercises depends on the learner’s progress. Systematic mistakes can be deleted and the computer can adapt the pattern of exercise to rectify this weakness. This ability to drill and practice session to the progress of each learner combined with helpful feedback, can lead more effective learning.

Tutorial

The lay image of CALL is of ranks of students each seated in front of computer keyboard amid screen, all learning in their own way and at their own pace. There is an assumption that each student is participating in some sort of tutorial where he or she is taken on a journey through the learning material via a dialogue in which information is presented amid feedback is elicited through a process of question answer and challenge. This tutorial dialogue becomes a close resemblance to the programmed learning sequences found in print and on teaching machines in the 1960s.

In order to construct the CALL tutorial, the teachers (as a part of the production team) must set out the dialogue that they themselves might have with learners under various conditions, and the criteria which determine how they would adapt the pace and direction of their students learning.

Artificial intelligence ideas and tools can provide not only a representation of the knowledge to be acquired by the student, but also a model of the learning process which allows the computer tutorial to adapt to the learner’s needs in a heuristic way.

Simulation

Both the tutorial and drill and practice modes of CALL operate by providing information in a structured way according to rules specified by the author, tutor. Another facet of learning involves the student studying real life systems or phenomena.

The advantage of a CALL simulation over the use of other equipment and media is in the flexibility and control which the computer can bring. The computer is a general purpose information processing machine which is transformed into a machine to carry out a specific task by the program within it. Thus, with different programs the same computer can simulate different systems. As it runs the simulation, it can also mediate between the student and the analogue of the real-life system, guiding him or her towards experiences which are likely to be helpful and providing some tutorial assistance where necessary.

Modelling

This mode of CALL is similar to the simulation mode in that both help the student to learn while working with an analogue of a real-life system or phenomenon, expressed as a set of rules within the computer. However, whereas in a simulation, the analogue is specified by the tutor, in modelling it is the student who must construct the analogue. The student learns through this process and demonstrates his or her mastery of the learning through the final model.

As with simulations, the technique of learning by modelling is not unique to CALL, it is possible to devise systems of rules or equations which describe the behaviour of the system to be studies and to test these modes in new circumstances, without using a computer.
Interactive knowledge-Based Systems

The preceding distinction between simulation and modelling for imperative analogues of real-world systems has a parallel in interactive knowledge-based systems (IKBS). These two modes may thus take an alternative approach. The imperative analogue comprises a set of rules or equations which are used as instructions to the computer to govern the behaviour of the system. The IKBS comprises a descriptive model of the knowledge relating to a particular topic, system or situation.

The last of the six major modes of CALL uses the computer as a mentor and guide through a range of learning resources which might, but need not be themselves based on a computer. The power of the computer to store, retrieve and process information is used to help the student as he or she browses through the material responding to questions about related information, retrieving items which are needed, summarizing statistical data and suggesting possible lines of investigation that may be interest.

CALL and its Applications

There is a wide range of on-line applications which are already available for use in the foreign language class. These include dictionaries and encyclopaedias, links for teachers, chat-rooms, pronunciation tutors, grammar and vocabulary quizzes, games and puzzles, literary extracts. The World Wide Web (WWW) is a virtual library of information that can be accessed by any user around the clock. If someone wants to read or listen to the news, for example, there are a number of sources offering the latest news either printed or recorded. The most important newspapers and magazines in the world are available on-line and the same is the case with radio and TV channels.

Another example is communicating with electronic pen friends, something that most students would enjoy. Teachers should explain how it all works and help students find their keypals. Two EFL classes from different countries can arrange to send E-mail regularly to one another. This can be done quite easily thanks to the web sites providing lists of students looking for communication. It is also possible for two or more students to join a chat-room and talk on-line through E-mail.

Another network-based EFL activity could be project writing. By working for a project a pupil can construct knowledge rather that only receive it. Students can work on their own or in larger groups, in order to write an assignment, the size of which may vary according to the objectives set by the instructor. A variety of sources can be used besides the Internet such as school libraries, encyclopedias, reference books etc. The Internet itself can provide a lot of food for thought. The final outcome of their research can be typed using a word processor. A word processor can be used in writing compositions, in preparing a class newsletter or in producing a school home page. In such a Web page students can publish their project work so that it can reach a wider audience. That makes them feel more responsible for the final product and consequently makes them work more laboriously.

The Internet and the rise of computer-mediated communication in particular have reshaped the uses of computers for language learning. The recent shift to global information-based economies means that students will need to learn how to deal with large amounts of information and have to be able to communicate across languages and cultures. At the same time, the role of the teacher has changed as well. Teachers are not the only source of information any more, but act as facilitators so that students can actively interpret and organize the information they are given, fitting it into prior knowledge (Dole, et al., 1991). Students have become active participants in learning and are encouraged to be explorers and creators of language rather than passive recipients of it (Brown, 1991). Integrative CALL stresses these issues and additionally lets learners of a language communicate inexpensively with other learners or native speakers. As such, it combines information processing, communication, use of authentic language, and learner autonomy, all of which are of major importance in current language learning theories.

One of the consequences of the rapid growth of computers in education is that the terminology has become confused and confusing. People use the term “Computer Assisted Language Learning” (CALL) to mean a number of different things all concerned with the use of a computer to learn about something.

Within the overall field of learning with the aid of the computer, distinction should be made between the use of the computer to manage learning by supporting the assessment, routing record keeping and reporting functions, and the more intimate intervention in the learning process itself

Again the distinction between CALL and CML is rather blurred for some computer assisted language learning materials can help with assessment, keep records and advise learners on their route through their course of study. Similarly, some CML systems take advantage of the assessment function to provide feedback which assists the students to learn.

Impact of CALL

Research and practice suggest that, appropriately implemented, CALL can contribute significantly to:

2.6.1 Experiential Learning

The World Wide Web makes it possible for students to tackle a huge amount of human experience. In such a way, they can learn by doing things themselves. They become the creators not just the receivers of knowledge. As the way information is presented is not linear, users develop thinking skills and choose what to explore.

Motivation

Computers are most popular among students either because they are associated with fun and games or because they are considered to be fashionable. Student motivation is therefore increased, especially whenever a variety of activities are offered, which make them feel more independent.

Enhanced Student Achievement

Network-based instruction can help pupils strengthen their linguistic skills by positively affecting their learning attitude and by helping them build self-instruction strategies and promote their self-confidence.

Authentic Materials for Study

All students can use various resources of authentic reading materials either at school or from their home. Those materials can be accessed 24 hours a day at a relatively low cost.

Greater Interaction

Random access to Web pages breaks the linear flow of instruction. By sending E-mail and joining newsgroups, EFL students can communicate with people they have never met. They can also interact with their own classmates. Furthermore, some Internet activities give students positive and negative feedback by automatically correcting their on-line exercises.

Individualization

Shy or inhibited students can be greatly benefited by individualized, student-centered collaborative learning. High fliers can also realize their full potential without preventing their peers from working at their own pace.

Independence from a Single Source of Information

Although students can still use their books, they are given the chance to escape from canned knowledge and discover thousands of information sources. As a result, their education fulfils the need for interdisciplinary learning in a multicultural world.

Global Understanding

A foreign language is studied in a cultural context. In a world where the use of the Internet becomes more and more widespread, an English Language teacher's duty is to facilitate students' access to the web and make them feel citizens of a global classroom, practicing communication on a global level.