A Pilot Study: Integrating CALL Into Task-based Language Teaching To Promote Learner Autonomy

One point of general interest on the reform of English language education is integrating technology into task-based language teaching. The integration of task-based learning and CALL information resources online based on a WebQuest is an ideal way to bring together vast resources of authentic multimedia material and encourages the learner to make conscious decisions about his or her language use and the way his or her learning should be structured, therefore providing an autonomous multimodal interface that can be adapted to different learner needs and ways of learning.This study investigated the effectiveness of WebQuest task in promoting learner autonomy. The goal of this study was to find whether WebQuest environment would give learners the chance to learn actively to promote certain aspects of learner autonomy. The subjects were 31 second-year students of senior high school at the ages of 17-19 years old. A WebQuest project was designed and carried out. Throughout the whole learning process, data about the learners' beliefs in learner autonomy were collected in a number of ways. All the students were given a pre-questionnaire in order to investigate their general beliefs in learner autonomy; a post-questionnaire allowed comparison with the initial one and reflected the changes of students' attitude. After the questionnaire investigation, the participants were interviewed and asked a range of questions about the effectiveness of WebQuest in promoting learner autonomy; these interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed. During the study, the researcher observed the whole process and took intensive field notes; the descriptions helped to demonstrate the effectiveness of WebQuest in promoting learner autonomy. In addition, students were asked to write on their expectations of a course at the beginning of the term, write dairies and then fill in evaluation sheets, and report on the outcomes of the course at the end of the term.The WebQuest activities were then analyzed in light of learner autonomy. All the data collected from the questionnaire were subjected to the SPSS 13.0 and the quantitative...