Teachers' attitudes towards using computer assisted language learning (CALL) in the Foreign Languages Department at Osmangazi university
Author(s)
Advisor
Nassaji, HosseinDate
2000Publisher
Bilkent University
Language
English
Type
ThesisItem Usage Stats
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Abstract
Computers are becoming important components of education and the number of
computers used at schools is increasing. They are utilized throughout the field of
education and in language learning and teaching. Students generally like computers in
classes as they find computers attractive. For teachers, the situation is not definitely the
same, although similar. Teachers have to be able to answer any question asked by
learners so even if they agree with using computers in classes they might have fear
towards using them. If teachers know how to utilize computers in classes (by being
trained about the use of computers) and accept computers in their classes as facilitators
instead of as substitutes for themselves they can benefit from them as well.
The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers’ attitudes towards
Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in the Foreign Languages Department
(FLD) at Osmangazi University (OGU). There is one computer lab with 20 computers in this department. The teachers already make use of the computers for their own work
(e.g., using the word processor and the internet).
Data was collected through questionnaires distributed to the 35 teachers in the
FLD. Thirty-three of them returned the questionnaires. The questions aimed to discover
the purposes of teachers’ computer use and their amount of knowledge about and
attitudes towards CALL. The questionnaire contained 26 questions: 19 Likert-scale type,
three questions in which teachers could choose more than one option, two open-ended,
one rank order and one multiple choice question.
Data was analyzed by employing descriptive statistics, such as frequencies and
percentages. In order to support the results that are found this way, the chi-square value
of each Likert-Scale question were also calculated in order to find the significance level.
The results revealed that the teachers in the FLD of OGU had positive attitudes
towards using CALL and were willing to teach in the computer lab for a few hours a
week. They agreed that using CALL will increase students’ interest and language
learning abilities. The teachers wanted to use computers for both teaching and practicing
skills. They also stated that the most important skills to be focused on are grammar,
reading and vocabulary. In addition to their agreement with using CALL, they indicated
a need for training to be able to use CALL effectively. As almost none of them had
experience with using CALL, so they needed to learn to use computers for teaching.
According to the attitudes, needs and preferences of teachers, the researcher made
suggestions about the ways CALL could be used and teachers’ training, such as designing training sessions, appropriate ways of preparing a curriculum and choosing the
appropriate software and use of the internet in CALL lessons.