CALL
Z. Cheraghi; A. Derakhshan; F. Moghisseh
Abstract
Background and Objectives: The rapid advancement of technology has not just significantly transformed, but revolutionized language education by integrating Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL). These tools, far from just enhancing, have completely ...
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Background and Objectives: The rapid advancement of technology has not just significantly transformed, but revolutionized language education by integrating Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL). These tools, far from just enhancing, have completely redefined language learning by making it more interactive and accessible. However, their successful implementation depends on teachers' proficiency and confidence in using them. In Iran, where English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instruction is crucial for students' academic success, understanding the factors influencing teachers' engagement with ICT and MALL is essential. Self-efficacy, or the belief in one's ability to succeed, and self-regulation, which involves goal-setting and monitoring progress, are critical for teachers as they adopt new instructional methods. Recent research indicates that self- efficacy and self-regulation are important for how teachers master their practice. Despite the presence of enough literature on online learning and teaching, however, there is little research examining the relationship between teachers' self-efficacy and self-regulation and their knowledge of MALL and ICT engagement. In this study Self-efficacy and self-regulation were chosen as key constructs in exploring MALL and ICT due to their significant impact on teachers' success in language teaching. This study aims to address the relationship between EFL teachers' knowledge of ICT and MALL with their self-efficacy and self- regulation. The study also sought to explore EFL teachers' attitudes and opinions regarding MALL, ICT knowledge, and their effects on developing teachers' traits.Materials and Methods: The research employed a mixed-methods design of two phases which enriches the findings, allowing for a more nuanced interpretation of the results and better addressing the complexity of the research question. The quantitative phase involved 120 EFL teachers. They were chosen by convenience sampling from private language centers in Tehran. The participants needed to complete three scales in self-efficacy devised by Smith and Betz’s (2000), self-regulation articulated by Miller and Brown (1991), and ICT and MALL engagement (Zylka et al., 2015(. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to identify significant relationships between variables. Moreover, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient was run to find the correlation coefficient between the variables of the study. The qualitative phase included structured interviews with 20 teachers that were randomly selected to gain deeper insights into their experiences. The qualitative data and interview results were extracted and analyzed manually to identify common themes and patterns in the participants' responses, enriching the overall understanding of their engagement with technology in language instruction.Findings: The results indicate a positive correlation between teachers' knowledge of ICT and MALL and their self-efficacy and self-regulation. Quantitative analysis revealed that teachers proficient in digital technologies and mobile applications for language learning demonstrated higher confidence and effective self-regulatory strategies. Qualitative insights from structured interviews confirmed teachers' strong understanding of ICT and MALL, highlighting how technology engagement enhanced lesson planning, classroom management, and teaching effectiveness. This combination of quantitative and qualitative data underscores the significant relationship between teachers' technological competencies, self-beliefs, and self-regulatory practices.Conclusions: The study indicates that teachers' MALL and ICT knowledge is associated with their self –efficacy and self- regulation. It concludes that teachers' use of ICT in teaching practice can be facilitated by their ICT self-efficacy for instructional purposes. It emphasizes the importance of increasing ICT proficiency among educators and underscores technology's critical role in language instruction. Ongoing professional development should focus on integrating ICT and MALL into practices, boosting teachers' confidence and self-regulation for more effective learning environments. The findings suggest tailored support systems for Iranian EFL teachers to improve language education, ensuring that educators adapt their methods to meet the linguistic demands of the 21st century. The use of convenience sampling and a focus on private language centers in Tehran may restrict the generalizability of the study's results. Future research should aim for a more diverse sample across different locations and educational settings to improve the applicability of the findings.
CALL
R. Bagheri Nevisi; R. Shazdeh Ahmadi
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Educational research has paid close attention to technology in language learning, especially computer-assisted language learning. CALL provides a dynamic and interactive platform for students to engage with language learning activities, multimedia resources, and communication ...
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Background and Objectives: Educational research has paid close attention to technology in language learning, especially computer-assisted language learning. CALL provides a dynamic and interactive platform for students to engage with language learning activities, multimedia resources, and communication channels. CALL has immense potential in helping English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners to develop their skills through the summary writing process. Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) has emerged as a prominent approach in language education, utilizing computer technology and interactive materials to support language learning. This mixed-methods study aimed to explore the effectiveness of CALL in enhancing the summary writing ability of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners, compared to a non-CALL integrated assessment.Materials and Methods: The study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative data analysis and qualitative insights. Two intact classes of intermediate-level EFL learners, comprising 40 participants, were selected based on their intermediate language proficiency. Various measures, including placement tests, reading materials, scoring guidelines, interviews, and self-assessment reports, were utilized. Data analysis involved a One-Way Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) to examine the impact of instructional methods on summary writing performance.Findings: The findings emphasized the potential of CALL-integrated assessments, highlighting personalized instruction, timely feedback, authentic writing practice, collaborative learning, integrated language skills development, and effective curriculum design.Conclusions: The study's implications extend to personalized instruction, authentic practice, collaborative learning, integrated language skills, curriculum design, and formative assessment. The results contribute to the ongoing discourse on technology in language learning and demonstrate the positive impact of CALL on EFL learners' summary writing ability. Integrated assessment approach for non-calls involves self-reflection. Students are encouraged to analyze their own writing by examining their own progress, strengths, and weaknesses. Students can take ownership of their language learning and learn it in their own way. It enables students to set targets and track their progress over time. Reflection on writing skills can enhance students' self-awareness and a proactive approach to learning a language.
CALL
Z. Saeedi; N. Nikoobin
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Educational psychology is one of the core concepts in the area of teaching and learning and plays a key role in any educational context including language instruction. Learners’ mindset (fixed or growth) may have an impact on the learning process and the ubiquitous technology ...
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Background and Objectives: Educational psychology is one of the core concepts in the area of teaching and learning and plays a key role in any educational context including language instruction. Learners’ mindset (fixed or growth) may have an impact on the learning process and the ubiquitous technology can be of influence in making a change in students’ mindset. Despite the claim that through practice learners can improve in their subjects, many still consider it futile without related innate intelligence. Finding solutions for shifting this detrimental mindset is essential. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the effect of using gamified and interactive content (H5P) on shifting English learners’ mindset, moving from a fixed mindset into a growth one. Another purpose was to discover the probable relationship between learners’ different General English (GE) levels, the rate of their initial mindset, and the proportion of change induced in their mindset throughout the course.Materials and Methods: The participants consisted of 225 students aged 12-13 (111: experimental; 114: control). After conducting a placement test and using Dweck’s (2017) mindset questionnaire to measure their initial mindset, both groups went through a 12-week-long course, receiving similar instruction, except for the teaching phase. While the experimental group’s course was conducted through gamified and interactive content hosted on the Learning Management System, the control group’s was conducted live through web conferencing. Afterward, the learners redid the questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using ANCOVA and ANOVA statistical tests.Findings: To compare the GE levels two by two, a Scheffe test was used, and based on its results, it can be deduced that mindset differences mean for Pre-A1 (p = 0.001), A1 (p = 0.001) and A2 and above (p = 0.025) were all significant. Comparing the mindset differences means between the three English level groups, it can be inferred, however, that the Pre-A1 group was the highest in mindset differences mean, while A2 was the lowest. In other words, the weaker was the students’ level of GE, the higher the amount of change in their mindset type towards a growth one. The findings of the present study showed that the use of gamified interactive content (H5P) in the bichronous format of the LMS can have a significant effect on improving high school EFL learners’ Growth Mindset levels by 39%. The contents, which were provided for students in both gamified and H5P classes, resulted in immediate feedback exchanges, which raised the motivational level and encouraged them to go on with different interactive tasks and activities.Conclusions: After carrying out the research, the researchers concluded that using gamified and interactive content as part of the learning process could induce a Growth Mindset in learners, higher GE students mostly had higher initial rates of Growth Mindset, and weaker learners experienced greater shifts towards growth. This study can motivate language learners and teachers to utilize gamified and interactive content in online courses and can help educational system policymakers notice more deeply the effect the application of gamification and H5P plugins have on teaching English, which can result in new curriculum development for schools.
CALL
S. S. Hosseini; H. Soleimani; F. Hemmati; J. Afshinfar
Abstract
Background and Objectives: In response to the burgeoning significance of environmental and sustainability education, the educational landscape is undergoing rapid transformations, presenting new opportunities for foreign language classrooms to assume a distinctive role in exposing learners to the fundamental ...
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Background and Objectives: In response to the burgeoning significance of environmental and sustainability education, the educational landscape is undergoing rapid transformations, presenting new opportunities for foreign language classrooms to assume a distinctive role in exposing learners to the fundamental concepts and principles of environmental literacy. Drawing on a newly constructed Ecolinguistic computer-assisted language learning (CALL) evaluation scale, this study aims to investigate the implementation of this scale and the interplay between language, centering on an Ecolinguistically-based task that illustrates the interaction between and among the affordance of technology, the teacher participant's pedagogical considerations and their goal of encouraging learner agency in nurturing learners' ecological perspectives, content aspects, and competency of environmental knowledge.Methods: A sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was adopted to implement a newly constructed Ecolinguistic CALL perspective to promote environmental literacy among foreign language learners. Two intact classes, including 30 English foreign language learners, were randomly assigned to investigate the implementation of the subscales. A paired-sample t-test was applied to analyze the quantitative data. As part of implementing the Ecolinguistic scale and qualitative data analysis, the participants were assigned an Ecolinguistically technology-based task and were informed about the fundamental concepts of the subscale domains of environmental literacy using a technology-mediated task. Thematic analysis was run to gain a more robust view of the participants' ecological views.Findings: The study findings unveil a notable and affirmative influence on students' ecological perspectives, as evidenced by the rigorous quantitative data analysis and the participants' thematic analysis reflections. The successful implementation of the Ecolinguistic subscales and the Ecolinguistically-based task significantly bolstered learners' ecological perspectives while concurrently enhancing their comprehension of intricate ecological concepts. These outcomes substantiate the proposition that integrating Ecolinguistic dimensions into technology-mediated pedagogies holds promising potential for cultivating environmental literacy among English foreign language learners.Conclusions: This research highlights the need to reconceptualize environmental challenges and problematizes the traditional positivist framework underlying mainstream linguistic inquiry. It accentuates the significance of thoughtfully integrating appropriate technologies into language learning environments to enrich students' learning experiences and stimulate motivation that aligns with their individual interests. Moreover, the study underscores the importance of employing practical and cost-effective evaluation techniques to assess students' environmental literacy. The findings yielded by this research endeavor will facilitate and advocate for embracing an eco-dimensional strategy that harmonizes numerous concerns about the volatility of the human habitat and the augmentation of the ecosystem's capacities via the integration of technical concepts, methodologies, and linguistic analysis techniques. This approach endows us with universally applicable to implementing humanitarian endeavors through CALL. It furnishes invaluable perspectives that enrich our comprehension of environmental literacy, thereby bolstering the efficacy of decision-making processes in enhancing our grasp of transformative endeavors within the realms of curriculum design and policy. Several noteworthy limitations warrant consideration. Primarily, the investigation failed to acknowledge the potential ramifications of additional constructs on the subscales of the Ecolinguistic scale. Secondly, the inquiry into the environmental literacy of the participants surpassed the confines of the study's purview. Notwithstanding these limitations, the study's findings and methodologies have propelled our comprehension of environmental literacy to new heights. Nonetheless, further measures are imperative to bolster curriculum design and policy formulation decision-making processes. The study carries substantial implications for pedagogy and academia, encompassing the enhancement of environmental literacy among English as a Foreign Language learners and the cultivation of a comprehensive approach to language acquisition. Additional research is indispensable to delve into the pedagogical preferences of educators, regulate variables, and encompass a more expansive sample size. Educators are strongly encouraged to adopt student-centered, transformative pedagogies while simultaneously ensuring equitable access to technology-driven resources. A thorough understanding of sociolinguistics and a thoughtful consideration of technological affordances also assume pivotal roles in this endeavor.
