CALL Research Proposal

CALL Research Proposal

Introduction

One of the most difficult things when learning a new language is the adaptation of a new accent. The degree of difficulty probably depends to some extent on the difference between your mother tongue and the new language that you are learning. Other important parameters are language skills and interest in learning new languages. Also you will need a lot of assistance and attention when you are a beginner. This can be quite a challenge for a teacher with 30-35 students, giving each and every one of them enough attention and the feedback needed to improve (Chapelle, 2001). In this research we are going to analyze the use of CALL as a tool in teaching in Saudi Arabia which is a policy of government to increase effectiveness of learning and teaching process.

Literature review & Research aims

Background of CALL

In the 50's and early 60's empiricist theory was predominant in language teaching, pedagogically audiolingualism as it was described by Stern in. The approach emphasized the use of the target language in a spoken form and students were expected to learn the language through practice. The teacher presented new vocabulary and structures through dialogues which students learned through imitation and repetition. Levy tells about another important influence during the 60's called programmed instruction.

In the 80's the interest in CALL grew dramatically thanks to the microcomputer. It was invented already in 1973 but introduced to society in the 80's. The Storyboard program was one of the big software for microcomputer introduced at this time. Storyboard is an authoring program which enables the teacher or the students to easier write their own texts and these are then saved in the program for future use. According to Levy Storyboard is a good example of how CALL software evolve as the ...