Engaging Language Learners through CALL
From Theory and Research to Informed Practice
Edited by
Nike Arnold [+–]
Portland State University
Nike Arnold is Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics at Portland State University in Oregon.
Lara Ducate [+–]
University of South Carolina
Lara Ducate is a Professor of German and Applied Linguistics at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC.
Engaging Language Learners through CALL provides an updated overview of the field of computer-assisted language learning beginning with one chapter on the intersection of second language acquisition (SLA) research and CALL and another on online and hybrid language courses. The next eight chapters focus on the use of CALL for specific language skills or other learning goals and the volume concludes with a discussion of ways to evaluate courseware and apps. Each chapter contains preview questions, an overview of the most relevant and recent research, implications for teaching, assessment options, questions for reflection, case studies, and ideas for action research.
While the fundamental lens for this volume is informed practice based on key theories and research, there are several themes that run throughout the chapters, including how technology creates unique learning opportunities and its ability to overcome constraints of time, space, and interlocutors, how CALL can facilitate the integration of applications originally developed for other purposes, and the high level of autonomous and student-centered activities that CALL provides. As these themes demonstrate, CALL provides an array of affordances and sometimes, challenges. It is our hope that this volume will continue to support readers in implementing a research-based CALL pedagogy and updating their practices as technology and research findings develop.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Introduction [+–] 1-6
Portland State University
Nike Arnold is Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics at Portland State University in Oregon.
University of South Carolina
Lara Ducate is a Professor of German and Applied Linguistics at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC.
Engaging Language Learners through CALL provides an updated overview of the field of computer-assisted language learning beginning with one chapter on the intersection of second language acquisition (SLA) research and CALL and another on online and hybrid language courses. The next eight chapters focus on the use of CALL for specific language skills or other learning goals and the volume concludes with a discussion of ways to evaluate courseware and apps. Each chapter contains preview questions, an overview of the most relevant and recent research, implications for teaching, assessment options, questions for reflection, case studies, and ideas for action research. While the fundamental lens for this volume is informed practice based on key theories and research, there are several themes that run throughout the chapters, including how technology creates unique learning opportunities and its ability to overcome constraints of time, space, and interlocutors, how CALL can facilitate the integration of applications originally developed for other purposes, and the high level of autonomous and student-centered activities that CALL provides. As these themes demonstrate, CALL provides an array of affordances and sometimes, challenges. It is our hope that this volume will continue to support readers in implementing a research-based CALL pedagogy and updating their practices as technology and research findings develop.
Chapter 1
SLA Theories and Practices in CALL [+–] 7-50
Carnegie Mellon University
Bonnie L. Youngs (PhD, University of Pennsylvania) teaches in the undergraduate French & Francophone Studies program and the MA in Applied Second Language Acquisition program, and is the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Department of Modern Languages at Carnegie Mellon University. Her research focuses on using logged online course data and student interviews to understand learners’ interactions with online course materials, and providing teachers with data to give effective feedback and guidance to online learners.
The advent of CALL added a new focus to SLA research – does adding technology to online or traditional learning environments change our perspective of language learning? This chapter contains a short review of the ‘invention’ of CALL and explores language learning theories in conjunction with research on effective CALL use.
Chapter 2
Michigan State University
Senta Goertler is an Associate Professor of Second Language Studies and German at Michigan State University. She is the co-editor of the 2008 CALICO book on online education and a co-recipient of a CALICO Journal Article of the Year Award. Her co-authored article on planned online language education versus crisis-prompted online language teaching is one of the top most cited articles in the Foreign Language Annals. Recently she co-wrote a book on education abroad.
With increasing online enrollments, it is imperative that institutions, teachers, and learners are prepared for this changing educational landscape. This chapter provides an overview of different online education formats and their history; summarizes benefits of and challenges in online education; and presents guidelines for course development, implementation, and evaluation.
Chapter 3
Culture and CALL [+–] 93-140
University of Padova
Sarah Guth teaches English as a foreign language (EFL) at the University of Padova, Italy. She was the Program Coordinator at the SUNY COIL Center from February 2013 to June 2014. Her research focuses on telecollaboration, intercultural communication and the normalization of virtual exchange in higher education. She is the President of the UNICollaboration Organisation. She has published numerous articles and book chapters on language learning and testing, computer-mediated communication, intercultural competence, and culture learning and co-edited the book Telecollaboration 2.0: Language, Literacies and Intercultural Learning in the 21st Century with Francesca Helm.
University of Padova
Francesca Helm is assistant professor of English at the Department of Political Science, Law and International Studies, University of Padova in Italy. Her research research interests are in the fields of identity, intercultural learning, virtual exchange and internationalisation of education. She is currently leading the Monitoring and Evaluation in the European Commission’s recently launched Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange project. Recent publications include the volume Emerging Identities in Virtual Exchange https://research-publishing.net/book?10.14705/rpnet.2018.25.9782490057191
This chapter explores uses of technology in addressing culture, a complex and multifaceted construct, in the language class. The pedagogic practices identified offer learners opportunities to access and critically engage with online multimedia resources which relate to culture; to communicate and collaborate with culturally and/or geographically distant peers through intercultural exchange; and bridge learner engagement in online cultures with formal language learning.
Chapter 4
KU Leuven
imec – ITEC
Department of Linguistics
imec – ITEC
Department of Linguistics
Maribel Montero Perez is a postdoctoral researcher at KU Leuven (imec ITEC research group). She has been primarily interested in the role of technology-enhanced interventions for stimulating L2 listening and vocabulary acquisition (such as video with different types of subtitling). Her research has been published in a. o., Language Learning & Technology, The Modern Language Journal, and Computer Assisted Language Learning.
This chapter provides an overview of different types of technologies that can be used to develop listening fluency in a second language. It also looks into the role of listening for stimulating second language vocabulary learning and provides an overview of research-based criteria that can inform the conceptualization of listening activities.
Chapter 5
Brigham Young University-Idaho
Alan M. Taylor (PhD, Purdue University) is French Section Head at Brigham Young University-Idaho. His research areas include CALL and L2 reading, Reading Strategy Training, L1 glossing and meta-analytic methodology in L2 research. He wrote one of the first quantitative meta-analytic dissertations in the L2 learning field in 2002 and has since published seven quantitative meta-analyses examining the effects of paper-based glossing, CALL glossing and strategy training on L2 reading comprehension. His work has been published in journals such as CALICO, Reading in a Foreign Language, Language Learning and Technology, Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics and the Canadian Modern Language Review.
This chapter discusses how CALL can enhance L2 reading via glossing, reading strategies and from a sociocultural perspective. Reading assessment and pedagogical implications are also included, along with online resources and useful mobile apps. Teaching and research applications are then presented in light of current research.
Chapter 6
University of Arizona
Jonathon Reinhardt is Associate Professor of English Applied Linguistics and Second Language Acquisition and Teaching at the University of Arizona.
Portland State University
Steven L. Thorne is Professor of Second Language Acquisition and holds faculty appointments in the Department of World Languages & Literatures at Portland State University and in the Department of Applied Linguistics at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
After surveying relevant research, this chapter describes a pedagogical framework that considers how ‘traditional’ digital literacies – computer, information, and media literacies – have changed to be more participatory, multifarious, and everyday. It concludes with descriptions of six L2 digital literacies activities that reflect these new qualities.
Chapter 7
Writing between the Lines: Acquiring Writing Skills and Digital Literacies through Social Tools [+–] 240-266
Texas Tech University
Idoia Elola is Professor of Spanish and Applied Linguistics at Texas Tech University, USA. Her research focuses on second language writing, collaborative and individual writing when using social tools, digital literacy and the use of multimodal texts, Spanish heritage language learners’ writing processes, and revision and feedback. Her work has been published in national and international journals and specialized books.
University of Maryland Baltimore County
Ana Oskoz is Professor of Spanish at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), USA. Her research is on the applications of technologies to language learning. In particular, it focuses on the use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) and social tools to enhance the development of second language writing and intercultural competence development. She has published numerous articles and book chapters on these topics. She is currently co-editor of CALICO Journal.
The presence of digital tools, such as wikis, blogs, Twitter, or digital story software in the L2 classroom, has shaped the act of writing in ways unthinkable a few years ago. This chapter discusses the relevance of these tools in the development of multimodal digital genres and provides specific examples.
Chapter 8
Interpersonal Communication in Intracultural CMC [+–] 267-308
University of California Santa Cruz
Zsuzsanna I. Abramsis Professor of Applied Linguistics and Multilingualism at the University of California Santa Cruz. Her research focuses on computer-mediated communication, computer-supported collaborative L2 writing, L2 pragmatic development, and language pedagogy. She applies her research to help learners develop the ability to use the L2 in real-world communicative situations by engaging them actively in analyzing authentic materials and interacting in the L2 as it is used by culturally complex communities of practice. Her research has been published in the CALICO Journal, CALL and Language Learning and Technology, among other venues.
This chapter discusses the role of CMC among L2 learners in facilitating communicative competence through meaningful practice, with the goal of developing literacy skills for authentic communication in real-world L2 contexts. Pedagogical guidelines are provided for task-design, implementation and assessment; challenges, solutions and suggestions for future research are also addressed.
Chapter 9
University of Calgary
Mary Grantham O’Brien (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin) is a Professor of German at the University of Calgary. She is the co-author (with Sarah M. B. Fagan, University of Iowa) of the 2016 textbook German phonetics and phonology: Theory and practice. Her research focuses on L2 pronunciation, and she primarily investigates listeners’ reactions of nonnative speech as well as how L2 learners perceive and produce L2 prosody.
Research has demonstrated that it is possible for second language learners to improve both their speech perception and the intelligibility of their pronunciation through computer-assisted pronunciation training (CAPT). This contribution reviews key features of research-informed pronunciation instruction and demonstrates how certain technologies can effectively target learners’ perception and production.
Chapter 10
University of Oregon
Julie M. Sykes is an Associate Professor in the Department of Linguistics and the Director of the Center for Applied Second Language Studies at the University of Oregon. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota with a focus on applied linguistics and second language acquisition. Her research focuses on the use of digital technologies for language acquisition with a specific focus on inter-language pragmatic development and intercultural competence. She has also presented and published on lexical development and web-based, self-access instruction for learners in addition to L1 Spanish research in the areas of phonology and translation.
University of New Mexico
Christopher L. Holden is an Associate Professor in the University Honors Program at the University of New Mexico in his hometown of Albuquerque. He received his Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2008. While there, he spent two years designing augmented reality games with the Local Games Lab. At UNM, his research focuses on the design and implementation of place-based mobile games, mostly using ARIS (arisgames.org). In collaboration with Dr. Sykes, he has designed and implemented Mentira, an ARIS game for Spanish language learning that is played as part of the UNM 202 Spanish curriculum. He also uses ARIS as a design tool for students in some of the classes he teaches and more generally to convert the masses. While not taking over the world with place-based mobile games, he cares for his 3 cats, 5 chickens, and 3 little boys. His favorite games are still DDR and Katamari Damacy.
University of Oregon
Stephanie W.P. Knight is the Assistant Director at the Center for Applied Second Language Studies at the University of Oregon. Her research focuses on initiatives designed to increase educational access for underrepresented populations of students in advanced secondary and post-secondary contexts and the intentional use of digital tools to advance language acquisition outcomes.
Community and second language (L2) learning in the 21st Century are inextricably intertwined. Given the ubiquity of digital technologies, learners are exposed to communities worldwide. This chapter examines three digital contexts, massively multiplayer online games (MMOGs), social networking sites (SNSs), and place-based digital games and their capacity to promote community building and involvement for L2 learners. It begins with an overview of relevant research for each space, discusses research approaches, and then evaluates the pedagogical implications of exploring these communities in the classroom while providing practical ideas for educators.
Chapter 11
Stanford University
Philip Hubbard is Senior Lecturer in Linguistics and Director of the English for Foreign Students Program at the Stanford University Language Center. A professional in computer-assisted language learning (CALL) for over 30 years, he has published in the areas of CALL theory, research, methodology, listening, teacher education, learner training and evaluation. Over the past three decades, he has served CALICO as a member of two executive boards and as its president (2015-2016). He was previously the courseware review editor for the CALICO Journal and is a current member of the journal’s editorial board. His recent projects focus on CALL as a transdisciplinary field, teacher support for informal language learning, and teaching reflectively with technology.
This paper reviews options for evaluating tutorial courseware, including mobile apps and online resources. It discusses and compares three major approaches to evaluation—checklists, SLA-based approaches, and methodological frameworks—emphasizing the practicality and flexibility of the last. Targeted at language teachers, it also has value for program coordinators and developers.
End Matter
Index [+–] 431-436
Portland State University
Nike Arnold is Associate Professor of Applied Linguistics at Portland State University in Oregon.
University of South Carolina
Lara Ducate is a Professor of German and Applied Linguistics at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC.
Engaging Language Learners through CALL provides an updated overview of the field of computer-assisted language learning beginning with one chapter on the intersection of second language acquisition (SLA) research and CALL and another on online and hybrid language courses. The next eight chapters focus on the use of CALL for specific language skills or other learning goals and the volume concludes with a discussion of ways to evaluate courseware and apps. Each chapter contains preview questions, an overview of the most relevant and recent research, implications for teaching, assessment options, questions for reflection, case studies, and ideas for action research. While the fundamental lens for this volume is informed practice based on key theories and research, there are several themes that run throughout the chapters, including how technology creates unique learning opportunities and its ability to overcome constraints of time, space, and interlocutors, how CALL can facilitate the integration of applications originally developed for other purposes, and the high level of autonomous and student-centered activities that CALL provides. As these themes demonstrate, CALL provides an array of affordances and sometimes, challenges. It is our hope that this volume will continue to support readers in implementing a research-based CALL pedagogy and updating their practices as technology and research findings develop.
