Describes a computer program designed to provide language learners with the relevant knowledge to recognize or produce linguistic forms appropriate to a given setting, and to choose one form among a set of similar alternatives. Shows how the influence of pragmatic factors are explored by contrasting learner usage with a computer-based model.…

Reports on two projects dedicated to the compilation of a basic French vocabulary list, the translation of this list into five European languages, and the publication of the results as an electronic reference book for teachers and learners of French as a second language. (Author/VWL)

Describes a project designed to make second language reading more pleasurable, noting how computers can help students achieve this goal. The researcher used HyperCard to create reading software with translations appearing in pop-up windows, allowing students to read text with minimal interruption. Students reacted positively to the software, and…

Examined the effectiveness of computer assisted language learning among two groups of students enrolled in an intermediate French course. One group of students spent more time each week in a computer laboratory than did a second group of students. Overall, students who spent more time in the laboratory had higher class averages at the end of the…

Looks at an innovative organizational tool for syllabus design of English-as-a-Foreign-Language, computer-assisted language learning writing classes that is borrowed from the interdisciplinary field of information architecture. The tool around which this syllabus design is structured is the Location-Alphabet-Time-Category-Hierarchy (LATCH), to…

Describes the design and implementation of a computer-based listening test--the "Text dictation." The article first discusses the importance of listening centering on a coherent text, rather than short listening fragments, and discusses drawbacks of listening programs wherein the required responses consist of noninteractive test types, such as…

Discusses the assessment of learner strategies in the computer assisted language learning context, and the pros and cons. Reviews empirical studies that have used the computer to record the interactive process where second language learners demonstrate different on-line language learning behavior, operationalized as types of learner strategies.…

Concordancing in the classroom is fairly a new approach that has emerged with the use of corpora in language learning. In a concordance, language is presented in an authentic context; learners are able to examine a key word in the context of a string of sentences which can exemplify the use of that particular word. This exploratory study examined…

This article discusses design and usability issues pertaining to context-sensitive "help" in computer-assisted language learning (CALL). As part of the discussion, we present a study in which we examined the effects of three independent factors on student usage of context-sensitive "help": feedback, exercise type, and language proficiency. Forty…

In this paper, I report on the findings of a study that investigated non-native speaker interaction in a three dimensional (3D) virtual world that incorporates avatars and text chat known as "Active Worlds." Analysis of the chat transcripts indicated that the 24 intermediate level EFL participants were able to undertake a variety of tasks through…

Describes The Audio Interactive Tutor (TAIT), an interactive audio/oral computer-assisted study device. TAIT's output consists of explanations and examples along with commands and questions requiring responses from the user. It uses speech recognition to determine the responses made by the user and constructs an evolving model of what the user…

Discusses the relevant educational implications of action psychology. Two topics discussed include the relationship between activity and memory and the conditions for the personal integration of knowledge--the cognitive and affective aspects of vocabulary acquisition as they are relevant to foreign language vocabulary acquisition. (60 references)…

Discusses the application of digital technologies in education and questions the extent to which increases in the power of computing are reflected in the amount of progress made in using computers in the field of English-language teaching. Concludes by identifying a number of areas in digital education where research could be usefully undertaken.…

Examines the impact of new forms of communication technology on our concepts of literacy and literacies, particularly in relation to personal computer use, and argues that the unique quality of hypertext structure underlying computer-mediated communication, asynchronous and nonlinear, challenges many accepted notions of the nature and structure of…

Discusses selected theories of second-language acquisition and their implications for developing a computer-assisted language-learning tool for learners of German,"Textana." Textana was planned as a generic text production tool to provide help to learners in outlining, editing, and postediting texts in German as a foreign language. (Author/VWL)