As technology advances so does the availability of computer-assisted learning software. Since the Swedish curriculum and syllabus in the subject English do not state how teachers should teach grammar or what grammatical items they should focus on, it is left to the teachers to decide themselves. This thesis aims to investigate how one can make use of CALL, Computer-Assisted Language Learning, when teaching grammar in the English language classroom. The following three research questions are posed:  • In what ways is CALL used in teaching grammar?  • Are any of the different ways of using CALL more successful than others?  • What are the students’ reactions to using CALL as a means of learning grammar?  The questions are answered by analyzing the theoretical background of second language acquisition, as well as by analyzing ten articles about learning grammar with the help of modern technology. The findings show that there are more ways of using technology in a teaching environment than there are articles about it, and this thesis only covers a few of the different means of using CALL to teach grammar. The findings also show that the results of computer-assisted teaching and learning are overall positive, but it cannot be concluded whether this is because of the software or the novelty of using CALL. Some software shows better results than other, such as error correction software. The overall perceptions of using CALL in the classroom are overwhelmingly positive from both teachers’ and students’ perspective. Furthermore, the results show that the students believe that using technology to learn helps them more than it actually does, showing how it helps motivate students to acquire new knowledge by making it more interesting for them. All in all, the findings of the research give teachers an overview of the current progress of CALL, as well as giving them suggestions about how to incorporate technology in their own teaching.

Processing instruction (PI) is a language teaching technique based upon the model of input processing developed by VanPatten (1993, 1996, 2002, 2004). The present study investigated the effects of PI as well as two other experimental conditions (traditional instruction and control) on the acquisition of the Spanish copulae ser and estar by 66 Chinese university students enrolled in a blended (partially presential and partially online) fourth-semester language course. The PI treatment condition included non-paradigmatic grammar explanations, processing strategies designed to help learners avoid commiting errors they may be predisposed to make, and structured input activities which eliminate redundant features of language that may make difficult the establishment of form-meaning connections. The traditional instruction (TI) treatment condition included paradigmatic explanations of grammar as well as production-based activities and exercises. Participants assigned to the control condition did not receive any instruction during the course of the study. The results of an experiment comparing the effects of each treatment condition on learners' scores on the Knowledge Test of Spanish Copulae, a measurement instrument designed for this study, found PI to be superior to TI at the immediate posttest level for tasks of interpretation and production. However, mean difference scores for the PI group were not significant when compared to those of the control group. Moreover, the learning gains exhibited by the PI group at immediate posttest were not durative, as they were not significant at the delayed posttest.

This thesis aims to explore whether some Swedish teachers and students feel that they are helped by ICT tools in their classrooms or not. It is vital for this thesis to find out whether or not teachers experience that their students are positively stimulated by the use of ICT when learning English. Ascertaining whether teachers find that ICT tools make it easier for them to teach or not is also of particular interest. Students’ answers to questions regarding the perceived benefits of technology and what they think about their teachers’ technology usage are also important. In order to accomplish this aim, four teachers were interviewed about their opinions on this matter and one English class per teacher, totaling 70 students, answered questionnaires regarding their opinions on the matter. The results reveal that teachers believe that while ICT offers some great tools to create variation in the classroom and that it might increase student motivation, opinions on whether or not technology also helps students to produce better results differ. The students’ results on the other hand clearly show that most students believe that they learn better when using computers, they would like to use computers more during class, and they prefer to write using a computer rather than pen and paper. Overall, the students have a more positive attitude to ICT tools than the teachers.

The thesis examines the concept of normalisation of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL), i.e. complete, effective integration of technology, in the context of primary Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) in England. While normalisation research is conducted predominantly in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) context, understanding normalisation in the primary mainstream education in England is important due to the contrast between teachers’ lack of readiness to deliver languages as part of the National Curriculum, and technology penetration in the classrooms. This thesis therefore, taking a sociocultural perspective of Activity Theory, attempts to redefine normalisation to include context specific characteristics, identify what factors contribute to and impede normalisation, and assess where primary CALL is on route to normalisation. An ethnographic approach was deemed to be most suitable to gain deep understanding of normalisation. Prolonged immersion in a primary school and the thematic analysis of observations, interviews, field notes and audio recordings revealed that factors impeding normalisation of primary CALL revolve around the following areas: attitudes, logistics, training and support and pedagogy. The issues related to the subject itself, e.g. negative attitudes toward the subject, lack of skills, impact on the achievement of normalisation to larger extent than issues related to technology. Hence in the primary context, normalisation needs to be considered from the point of view of normalisation of MFL and then the technology that is embedded into MFL. The analysis of the data allowed the researcher to create a model which serves as a form of audit of factors that need to be considered when thinking of successful technology integration into languages. Such guidance is needed for the primary MFL context having reoccurring issues, but is also relevant to primary EFL contexts in Europe where similar problems related to teaching of the subject are reported.

This study examines English language learners working in pairs on two different types of computer programs to determine whether the quantity and quality of discourse varies with the type of software program. Also, to investigate how collaborative CALL activities can be designed to promote oral academic language proficiency.

abstract: Globalization is driving a rapid increase in motivation for learning new languages, with online and mobile language learning applications being an extremely popular method of doing so. Many language learning applications focus almost exclusively on aiding students in acquiring vocabulary, one of the most important elements in achieving fluency in a language. A well-balanced language curriculum must include both explicit vocabulary instruction and implicit vocabulary learning through interaction with authentic language materials. However, most language learning applications focus only on explicit instruction, providing little support for implicit learning. Students require support with implicit vocabulary learning because they need enough context to guess and acquire new words. Traditional techniques aim to teach students enough vocabulary to comprehend the text, thus enabling them to acquire new words. Despite the wide variety of support for vocabulary learning offered by learning applications today, few offer guidance on how to select an optimal vocabulary study set. This thesis proposes a novel method of student modeling which uses pre-trained masked language models to model a student's reading comprehension abilities and detect words which are required for comprehension of a text. It explores the efficacy of using pre-trained masked language models to model human reading comprehension and presents a vocabulary study set generation pipeline using this method. This pipeline creates vocabulary study sets for explicit language learning that enable comprehension while still leaving some words to be acquired implicitly. Promising results show that masked language modeling can be used to model human comprehension and that the pipeline produces reasonably sized vocabulary study sets. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Software Engineering 2020

With the rapid development of Web 2.0 in the field of education, which allows users to interact and collaborate with teachers and peers on the web, many researchers have focused on exploring the developments of using Course Manage System (CMS) in service of L2 writing (e.g., Chun, 2011; Warschauer & Grimes, 2007). Simultaneously, participation in learning and teaching Chinese as a foreign (TCFL) has been accelerating. Learning and teaching Chinese writing plays a significant role in the field of world languages education. In the field of Second Language Acquisition (SLA) and Foreign Language Education (FLE), many studies have examined the effectiveness and efficiency of Written Corrective Feedback (WCF) (e.g., Bitchener, 2008; Ferris, 2010). Existing studies on WCF mostly focused on languages other than Chinese. There were few published studies investigating WCF in a computer-mediated coded WCF Chinese writing setting. This dissertation study applied a multiple-case study design to investigate the effects and students’ views of teachers’ coded WCF in an online multiple-draft Chinese writing setting. Six intermediate-level learners of Chinese completed four writing assignments, four revisions, four surveys, and four interviews. The dissertation employed a theoretical framework from sociocultural theory: Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and Scaffolding. Coded WCF and the CMS are considered as scaffoldings, and students’ ability to correct errors is viewed as ZPD. The researcher investigated students’ responses to the computer-mediated coded WCF and the evidence of acquisition in Chinese writing accuracy as reflected in the changes in errors over the course of the semester. In addition, the researcher also explored the students’ attitudes and views of the computer-mediated coded WCF, and the researcher further examined the factors influencing students’ incorporation of teacher feedback in their writing. The researcher employed within-case analysis and cross-case analysis to report the research findings and study results. Based on the findings, the researcher further discussed the effectiveness of WCF, the theoretical implications, the pedagogical implications, and instructional technology implications. The research findings revealed that the student participants generally had lower scores in the revision of the first writing assignment, but the situation improved in the revision of the third writing assignment. The evidence of acquisition in Chinese writing accuracy in the positive changes in errors over the course of the semester was associated with the “transferrable error types” rather than the “non-transferrable error types”. Student participants had dynamic attitudes and views toward the computer-mediated coded WCF. The research findings revealed four main factors influencing students’ incorporation of teacher feedback in their writing: the types of errors and Chinese language proficiency levels, students’ familiarity with the computer-mediated coded WCF, changes in students’ self-modifying skills and strategies, and students’ dynamic attitudes and views toward the computer-mediated coded WCF. This dissertation shed light on the instructional design of online courses and CALL activities in the context of TCFL, and the dissertation also filled up a research gap in computer-mediated WCF in Chinese writing.

On the journey of learning a language we are exposed to countless words that are easily forgotten and subsequently difficult to find again. This study investigates how to design a personal data management system that enables its users to efficiently organize, find and input the words and phrases that they encounter on their journey. Using DSRM, an artifact was iteratively developed and tested in usability tests and interviews by a total of 10 participants. The feedback from the respondents indicates a strong demand for this type of app and also uncovered design knowledge in this new context. The contribution of this study is a set of 14 design principles for making data management in language learning apps more user-friendly and efficient.

Developments in technology have influenced all areas of life, including education and in particular, language learning and teaching. The computer has become very advantageous in the teaching of foreign languages, especially with the augmentation of hardware, software and the World Wide Web. Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) is beneficial, since it helps teachers to enhance their teaching and gives students the opportunity to learn in an authentic and interesting environment. The impact of CALL has led many researchers to carry out studies to explore the significance of CALL and the factors that could enhance or reduce the integration of CALL into language learning and teaching. Although CALL could be beneficial to the enhancement of English proficiency among Saudi Arabian students, the integration of CALL is still narrow in terms of quantity and quality among EFL teachers in public female secondary schools in Riyadh. So, this study aims to explore the current integration of CALL among these teachers. Furthermore, this study aims to explore some of the factors that contribute to the integration of CALL, those being computer literacy and the computer training that is available for both pre-service and in-service teachers. In addition, the study focuses on the kind of training that is vital to enhance teachers' use of CALL. Also, this study revolves around the teachers' roles when using CALL, their barriers to the integration of CALL, as well as their attitudes toward CALL. The first step in this study is a background of the history of language teaching methods, starting with the traditional methods and ending with the integration of CALL. The literature review follows in order to substantiate this study with relevant studies that have been conducted in this area and to provide the theoretical background of the study. After that, the methods that are used to carry out the study are indicated; including the questionnaire, follow-up interviews and two focus groups. Lastly, an analysis of the results is done in order to come up with the findings. The findings of the study suggest that the current levels of computer use and computer literacy among EFL teachers are still insufficient. The available computer training is inadequate for both pre-service and in-service teachers and there are no computer courses facilitated by the Ministry of Education. Moreover, in-service teachers still need ongoing computer training courses to keep them up to date with recent developments in educational technology. Recommendations to increase teachers’ computer literacy and to enhance their use of CALL are considered as well as recommendations for further Saudi Arabian studies on CALL. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Afrikaans / unrestricted

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(情報学) / 甲第20505号 / 情博第633号 / 新制||情||110(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院情報学研究科知能情報学専攻 / (主査)教授 河原 達也, 教授 黒橋 禎夫, 教授 壇辻 正剛 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Informatics / Kyoto University / DFAM