The interview questions, as listed in previous chapter, (also see Appendix C) were developed to gain more insights into the issue of the factors for CALL adoption.
Among the 186 participants in the questionnaire, nine of them were selected to take part in the interviews. Among these nine interviews, six of them were conducted face to face, and two were through Skype, and one was with telephone. The background information of the 9 interviewees is shown in Table 4.10 (coded as Teacher A, B, C, and so forth).
Table 4.10 Background Information of the Interviewees
In all, the data from interviews were consistent with the results from the questionnaires, especially with the responses in the open-ended questions, as presented in the previous part. In this section, the information provided by the interviewees is classified into 5 categories. The first category is concerned with the teachers’ attitudes toward CALL, and the following category is about the advantages and disadvantages of using CALL. Category 3 discusses the effectiveness of CALL
for language teaching and learning and then the potential factor for using CALL is illustrated in category 4, and the suggestions for EFL teachers on using CALL are presented in the last category.
Teachers’ Attitudes towards CALL
Question1: What kind of attitude do you hold towards the use of CALL in your teaching practices?
Generally speaking, the interviewees held different attitudes toward the trend.
Most teachers would combine CALL with their teaching if CALL could contribute to their students and serve their teaching purposes.
The niche of CALL is that it could complement the traditional teaching methods or classroom limitations. Teachers should not treat CALL elements exhaustively without considering its necessity. (Teacher A)
I regard CALL as a tool which cannot replace the role of teachers because it is a subordinate, but not indispensable part in my classroom. I am not a tech person, so I only choose those basic elements and functions to meet my students’ needs. (Teacher B)
I do not reject using CALL; but I also do not think CALL could substitute for the classroom instruction. The interaction between teachers and students is very important. I am not sure how many students could learn a language through self-study. (Teacher C)
Besides, some of the interviewees had a more definite view on the use of CALL because computers and technology could fulfill the idea of boundless learning environment. The use of CALL also stimulated language teachers to acquire new information and knowledge of different areas because “laziness is a universal human nature and lifelong learning is a must” (Teacher F).
I take a positive attitude toward CALL in language teaching in that it makes learning go beyond the space-time limitations. Learners could access to information at any time and any
Generalizing from the above data, CALL has truly embedded with language teaching and learning; nevertheless, the extent it connects with teaching is determined mostly by teachers’ perceptions of CALL. No matter how effective CALL is, it is often served as a secondary element in teaching practices for most teachers.
The Effectiveness of CALL in Language Teaching
Question 2: Since the adoption of computer and technology are a current trend, do you think CALL will indeed enhance your teaching quality? Why or why not?
In response to the current trend, the interviewees shared their own experience on using CALL and explained how CALL facilitated their teaching. Generally speaking, CALL indeed to some extent adds more varieties to teaching, such as the audio and visual effects, more authentic linguistic inputs or cultural information, the extensive learning resources, the channel for teacher-student interaction, and so on. However, it is noteworthy that teachers observed different effects of CALL according to how much teachers are engaged in using CALL.
I have always been CALL user so I cannot compare the differences of CALL and non-CALL in teaching. It is convenient for me; that’s why I use CALL. There is no arbitrary connection between CALL and good teaching outcomes. For me, using CALL is not so easy because I have to go through the processes of complicated design and preparation.
(Teacher E)
It is difficult to measure how much CALL could contribute to teaching quality in a quantitative manner, so I cannot definitely claim that CALL enhances my work. The successful teaching is decided partially by the learners’ efforts. I try my best to use different resources to involve students into language learning more, but the effects should be tentatively reserved. (Teacher C)
As shown above, teachers confirmed that CALL in fact complements the traditional classroom in various respects. Nevertheless, the incorporation of CALL
implies that teachers have to overcome the potential problems. For example, there was a serious problem in which “learners tend to be interested in the classes with CALL at the beginning, but their curiosity will diminish in a couple of weeks later” (Teacher I).
The opinions of the interviewees helped to clarify that the commonly recognized popularity of CALL needs to be reconsidered. The issues are closely related to the question addressed in the next category.
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Using CALL
Question3: In your own opinion, what are the major advantages and disadvantages of using CALL?
Though the role of CALL has been recognized by the interviewees, most teachers found it impossible to use CALL without bothering by its problems. From its advantages, “CALL creates a potential power for both teachers and students to perceive the promising picture of extensive learning beyond the classroom” (Teacher A). Besides, CALL provides learners with “varied inputs, self-paced tutorial materials, the portfolio of learning process, cultural exposure and global view and understanding” (Teacher E).
Considering the disadvantages of CALL, some teachers thought that operation and technical problems of CALL would affect the flow of class instruction and increase more workload for them. Most teachers believed that the shortcomings of CALL have a lot to do with the learners’ involvement. As a matter of fact, the tool itself is neutral; however, “if the learners lack autonomous learning abilities, teachers cannot expect CALL alone to achieve good learning results” (Teacher E). On the other hand, teachers are greatly concerned with the administrative support from school.
Teachers are not familiar with computers and technology, which is an obstacle for them to
available. (Teacher H)
How to instruct students to use the CALL-related resources wisely is a big challenge for teachers, because teaching students how to make good use of the resources is more important than showing them the materials. But it takes a long time for student themselves to absorb and organize the information. (Teacher B)
Teachers have to search for and try on software beforehand, or we cannot convince students to use those resources; however, teachers will have more teaching loading in this aspect.
(Teacher D)
In general, the interviewees benefited some advantages from using CALL;
however, they encountered some difficulties or limitation simultaneously. How to strike a balance between the strengths and weaknesses of CALL is a critical point for language teachers.
The Potential Factor for Using CALL
Question 4: In addition to the five major underlying factors in the questionnaire, are there any more factors or reasons for you to accept or refuse CALL?
The findings in this question were in line with the factors mentioned in the questionnaire. For most teachers, the frequency of using CALL depends on the setting of the external environment, the reliability of the instruments, enough technology training, administrative facilitation, learners’ feedback, and the like.
Some confusion may arise if we overuse CALL in the classroom since some teachers do not agree that language programs should implement with CALL in language laboratories.
(Teacher I)
Teaching styles are an important factor for this issue. Some teachers who are low-tech have no confidence in using technology, but some are highly curious about the innovations. Take myself for example. I will be overwhelmed and confused by the large amount of
information, so it is not urgent for me to try those elements until I need them. (Teacher B)
According to their responses, it was found that making CALL more user-friendly and time-saving could increase the teachers’ willingness to give it a try. The problems and concerns differed from school to school in that the resources are not the same with all colleges.
The Suggestions for EFL Teachers
Question 4: Do you have any suggestions or opinions on using CALL for EFL teachers in Taiwan?
In addition to sharing their own experiences and opinions on using CALL, the interviewees also reported their suggestions for to other EFL teachers and their expectations of CALL in the near future. It could be a useful and practical reference for all college teachers in Taiwan. For most teachers, “the intensive training courses and orientation on CALL-relates resources are needed most (Teacher F). They also called for more elaboration on the essentiality of CALL to construct a more consistent definition for language teachers (Teacher A; Teacher G). Apart from the external support, some points are marked as follows:
The essentials of teaching would not be changed by adopting CALL; it could serve as an assistant rather than the critical part in language teaching. (Teacher B)
Compared to work alone, a teaching group could help a lot for better utilizations of CALL.
The discussion and collaboration among colleagues with the sufficient promotion from the administration will have a deep and positive influence on the frequency of using CALL.
(Teacher C)
If possible, language teachers should promote more intercultural communication and interaction to create a global vision and diverse opportunities for Taiwanese students. With
the facilitation of technology, the worldwide learning environment will be promising.
(Teacher D)
The results from the teacher’s interviews were identified in this section. From the information on CALL-related issues provided by the participants, the successful adoption of CALL requires the collaboration of many aspects. In reality, CALL has already received a great deal of attention among college English teachers.
CHAPTER 5