Designed for a literate, hearing clientele, traditional CALL tools do not necessarily meet the needs of deaf people, and are not adapted to their learning styles, especially in the area of literacy. Current developments lead us to believe that, in order for deaf people to subscribe to literacy campaigns and to ensure that such measures are efficient, two conditions must be met: Quebec Sign Language must be the language of instruction (Dubuisson et al., 1997) and the participation of deaf people must be felt at every stage of the development of course material. Research has shown that in architecture, for example, the participation of the target clientele in the design process of the product can lead to the emergence of significant solutions (Vezeau et al., 1999). In light of the quantity of Web systems and products that are hardly used or difficult to use, Rubin (1994) reminds us of the need to consider the user, and not only the machine or the system, in the development process. The main goal of our research is to establish design parameters (developmental process, type of software, and content) for CALL software aimed at deaf adults. Only the data relating to the developmental process will be presented here. We will analyze and discuss the responses obtained through interviews with deaf members of the development team, audiotapes (on which an interpreter recorded the words of the team members), and videotapes of meetings. The interpretation of this data will give way to a qualitative assessment of the efficiency of the approach in the development of material adapted to the needs of the target population.

The advantages of computer-assisted grammar teaching and more recently, web-based grammar teaching, include the possibility, for the instructor, of devoting class time to teaching communication skills, and the capacity of individualizing the course work. Several websites have been created for these very reasons. However, most of these sites include only a small portion of the grammar and very few are based on educational principles. This paper will summarize what should be the guiding principles in the design of this type of website, most of which involve instructional design and the need for structure and adaptability to different learning styles. It should also be noted that there are design principles specific to grammar teaching, such as the distinction between exploratory and pre-established modes, and the scaffolding of concepts. The application of these principles will be illustrated through the presentation of a web site.

This article presents briefly the advantages and disadvantages of reusing natural language processing (NLP) tools in the CALL context. The issue is addressed through the description of GBGen, a sentence generation system. The abstract semantic representation used as input for the generator is described, as well as the actual generation process, from a deep structure to a grammatical sentence through transformations and the application of morphology. The possible didactic value of such a tool is then evaluated and the outline of a CALL scenario given. Finally, proposed adaptations of the generator for the CALL context are discussed.

This paper analyses new research into learner-assisted testing. The results of this research, in addition to advances in computer technology and programming, have opened up the possibility of helping students to learn more effectively by providing immediate feedback or further information in the form of clues or hints. The implications of these developments regarding a formative approach to assessment and autonomous learning are reviewed. Finally, innovative approaches within computer-based assessment of language learning, such as modules entirely taught through the use of computer courseware and CAL methods, and applications of Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) to foreign language learning, are discussed.

This article reports on aspects of an investigation into learners' approaches to vocabulary learning that was carried out as part of an experimental project integrating CALL into an ESL (English as a Second Language)/computer training course. Data from two of the learners is presented, and contrasting ‘deep’ and ‘surface’ approaches are identified. The link between approach and learning outcome is demonstrated. The importance of qualitative analysis of learning processes, and the possible contribution of CALL to this kind of analysis, is discussed.

One of the issues that has been debated in the context of fairly open learning partnerships such as tandem learning has been whether and, if so, how much pedagogical support should be provided. Another issue is how do language learners who have grown accustomed to maximising their learning through comprehensible input and output make the transition to a reciprocal learning partnership where they are supposed to switch between the roles of learner and expert or resource. The three principles behind tandem learning are bilingualism; reciprocity; and learner autonomy. At Trinity College Dublin we have conducted extensive research into tandem learning in object-oriented Multiple User Domains (MOOs) since 1998. Of the three tandem principles, we found that balanced bilingualism, where both languages are used equally in the exchange, is difficult to achieve, particularly though not surprisingly in partnerships where L2 proficiency differs substantially. We think that technology, at least in MOOs, can contribute towards a solution to the problem. The bilingual tandem analyser (BTA) analyses MOO input while users are communicating and gives feedback to learners (and possibly teachers) on bilingualism in the exchange. Here, we discuss what attitudes towards bilingualism learners bring towards the tandem exchange and how they react to the BTA as a tool to monitor and regulate bilingualism: will learners perceive balanced bilingualism as a necessary principle of the partnership; what efforts do they make to keep the balance between the languages; how do they see the BTA: as an instrument of control, directed by the teacher; or do they perceive it as a useful tool to support their tandem exchanges?

Studies with an explicit focus on dropouts in blended language learning (BLL) are rare and non-existent in the Asian context. This study replicates the early qualitative interview study by Stracke (2007), who explored why foreign language learners drop out of a BLL class. While the 2007 study was carried out in the German higher education context, we conducted this study at a university in Vietnam, where we conducted semi-structured interviews with five students who had left their blended English course after the first semester of study. Our findings indicate that the successful complementarity and integration of the blend components, the crucial role of teacher support and feedback within a learner-centred environment, interactive learning materials, a high level of interaction, and a good relationship between students and teachers are key for students’ perception of a successful blended class and retention. The lack of complementarity between the components of the blend remains a major reason for students’ dissatisfaction that resulted in them leaving the course in both the 2007 study and this study. Our study allows for a deep understanding of the reasons why Vietnamese EFL students leave a BLL course, thus providing some evidence for pedagogical adjustments for the delivery of current BLL classes in Vietnam and similar contexts. Understanding the reasons why students drop out can help improve the effectiveness of these programs and lead to higher retention rates, a reduction of costs (both financial but also emotional), an increase in student satisfaction, and a better student experience.

Within the context of on-going research,1 this paper explores the pedagogical implications of contrastive analyses of multiword units in English and Spanish based on electronic corpora as a CALL resource. The main tenets of collocations from a contrastive perspective – and the points of contact and departure between both languages – are discussed prior to examining the commonest types of verb + noun combinations as a significant case of so-called ‘de-lexicalized’, ‘light’, ‘empty’, ‘thin’, ‘stretched’ or ‘support verbs’. A qualitatively and quantitatively-oriented case study is accordingly conducted, determining the weight of dar in support verb constructions within the Corpus de Referencia del Español Actual (CREA) and of the English equivalent stretched verb constructions with give within the British National Corpus (BNC). Based on the empirical data obtained in this way, this paper provides relevant insights for more accurate translations, helping to enhance the collocational competence of L2 students, who tend to avoid constructions including empty verbs like give in favour of full-verb forms. The detailed findings in this paper come to shed light on the potential of CALL resources for improving the collocational usage of foreign-language learners, as quantitative and qualitative comparisons of collocations based on electronic corpora serve to highlight the similarities and, more importantly, the lexical and typological differences between both languages, thereby substantiating the invaluable role that corpus analysis may play for language teaching in general and for collocational knowledge and proficiency in particular.

Collaborative learning has attracted attention as pedagogic mediation to assist learners’ corpus consultation, but some studies have pointed to negative aspects of collaboration. Based on the two sides of collaboration in language learning, this study presents a qualitative investigation of different effects of collaboration depending on task types used in learners’ corpus consultation. This study examined two types of tasks: a conceptual task, which tested students’ competence to draw a generalizable conclusion through a meaning-making process of corpus consultation; and a procedural task, which asked students to complete problem-solving activities strategically through corpus analysis. Two groups of three students were given the same tasks of corpus consultation but asked to complete the tasks either collaboratively or individually. The students’ verbal and nonverbal behaviors during the task completion, pre-and post-interviews, and the instructor’s observation notes were the main sources of data for analysis. The results of this study showed that collaboration has significantly different effects depending on the task types of corpus consultation. The collaborative group (CG) outperformed the individual group (IG) in the conceptual corpus consultation task, but the procedural task was more efficiently completed by the IG than the CG. The underperformance of the CG in the procedural task seemed to be partly attributable to the role of established intersubjectivity and the power inequality in the CG. Despite some limitations, the findings of this study reveal task-dependent effects of collaboration in corpus consultation and suggest practical implications for more effective and pedagogically beneficial use of learners’ corpus consultation in second language (L2) instruction.

Although the linguistic and sociocultural benefits of class-based email projects are widely acknowledged, there has been little investigation of what occurs after a curriculum activity finishes. In particular, what factors promote continued communication or cause communication breakdown have received less empirical attention. This paper explores factors which promote the continuation or non-continuation of email interactions between Australian and Japanese students after the conclusion of their coursework email exchange task via the analysis of two class surveys, in addition to collected email interaction and interviews with four key students (two continuers and two non-continuers) who serve as case studies. The experiences of these four students who were randomly assigned partners in the project are contrasted with those of a fifth student, Lucas, who chose to communicate with a long-term Japanese friend for the assessment, instead of being paired by the teacher. A number of factors which influence continuation are identified, including past sojourn experience, existing social networks, perceptions towards the curriculum task and their partners, shared topics of interest, time constraints, explicit statement of desire to continue, and potentially face-threatening behaviour, and several recommendations for enhancing online exchanges are given.

The globalisation of business and the internationalisation of companies witnessed over the past decade has increased the need for business people operating across cultures to become both culturally and linguistically aware. The evolution of multimedia computing means that learning material can be created which amalgamates video, subtitles, tasks, text and a variety of support tools. This environment lends itself to the provision of learning opportunities and materials which aim to develop cultural understanding. This paper describes an on-going development project entitled SELECT which is creating multimedia courseware to develop cross-cultural awareness of the British business context. The paper outlines the background to the creation of the courseware and the needs it aims to meet. The theoretical underpinning of the development is outlined, covering the nature of cross-cultural competence, its development and the fit between the capabilities of multimedia and such competence. The approach taken and methods used to research and construct a valid, empirically-based cross-cultural syllabus relevant for those doing business with Britain is described and exemplified. The process of creating the courseware, including the authentic video assets and configuration of the learning design is discussed. The paper concludes with projections of future developments in technology assisted development of cross-cultural competence.

The genesis of the ASTCOVEA project for French and German grammar learning under Phase 2 of TLIP is explained and the paper goes on to describe the design and structure of the system, showing representative screen shots and giving an example of how the system may be used to explore a particular grammar point in German. The point is mode, in condusion, that the ASTCOVEA approach can readily be adopted for other languages, including EFL, without major new programming.

The paper presents the results of an evaluation study conducted in the context of a project called “Computer assisted Learning of German as a Foreign Language” for children of non-German mother tongue, undertaken in Hesse, Germany. The study aimed at finding out whether the integration of an audio component enhances the effectiveness of learning (remembering) vocabulary with CALL materials. LeseWelt, a computerised vocabulary development game for children, was used for the experiment. It is available in two different manners of presentation: visual only and visual plus acoustic. The paper briefly presents the two versions of the program, then describes the design of the experiment and reports the results.

When Professor Jonathan Wilkenfeld presented ICONS to a group of staff and students from Karlsruhe College in Spring 1989 and subsequently let us in as “observers” of the ongoing simulation, we hardly suspected what a radically new kind of learning experience awaited us in an ordinary language class when we participated “for real” in Autumn 1989.