CALL and second language acquisition: The use of the 'Reader' computer program to improve student proficiency in French

Since the 1960s, educational tools which incorporate the latest technological developments have expanded at an enormous rate. Consequently, in many classrooms, attempts are being made to integrate multi-media technology into the curriculum. The personal computer is one aspect of this technological expansion which has become increasingly prevalent, and the computer's importance in the classroom has grown. The purpose of this study will be to investigate the use of the computer in second language learning, particularly in a university context. A computer program, referred to as the "Reader", was developed by faculty and graduate students at the University of Pennsylvania. The Reader is an interactive computer program which presents texts and related reading exercises to the student. In addition, the program provides the student with cultural and grammatical background information and an on-line dictionary. The basic assumption underlying this research was that an interactive computer reading program, designed for use in the foreign language classroom, would positively influence college students' overall proficiency in French. During the course of one semester, students used the Reader's texts and exercises weekly in an attempt to improve their overall language proficiency. Potential changes in students' proficiency as a result of using a computerized reading program may be explained with reference to three distinct areas of research. These include: computer-based education, especially studies in CALL; reading models, most particularly readability theory; and the environmental factors of input, interaction and feedback in SLA and CALL. The results of this study show that the experimental group did not statistically outperform the control group on any of the tests used for the research. Certain factors which may explain the lack of significant improvement by the experimental group need to be studied before considering the full-scale implementation of CALL materials. Examples of these factors are student familiarity and acceptance of CALL, the ergonomics of the computer and the program, and the application of the materials.