CALL Evaluation:a Case Study Of Longman English Interactive

In recent years, some new requirements in College English teaching reform in China include the introduction of "computer- and classroom-based" teaching models and the development of internationalized curricula. Under such circumstances, Northeastern University (NEU) has introduced a new computer-assisted language learning (CALL) courseware called Longman English Interactive (LEI) to its EFL (English as a Foreign Language) students since 2011.Observing Chapelle’s Second Language Acquisition research-based CALL evaluation framework (2001), the case study was intended to explore and evaluate the overall appropriateness of the LEI courseware for a given group of EFL learners in the NEU-specific context. The evaluation was done according to the six criteria proposed by Chapelle—language learning potential, meaning focus, learner fit, authenticity, positive impact and practicality. The following research questions were expected to be answered:1. What was the evaluation of the LEI material given by the teacher and students for each of the six criteria?2. What was the degree of agreement between teacher’s and students’opinions?3. How appropriate was the LEI material argued for this context by meeting the criteria, according to the teacher and students?One teacher and her 28 students participated in the study. Their judgments on LEI were collected by means of weekly reflections, questionnaires and interviews. The quantitative and qualitative data were then discussed and analyzed in detail according to the six criteria. By comparing the level of agreement between the perceptions of the participants and the desired CALL qualities, an evaluation on the target LEI material was concluded.Results indicated that as a whole, the LEI courseware had desirable qualities which were generally appropriate for the intended EFL learners at NEU. To be specific, it was excellent in providing positive impact, generally fit for its intended learners and good in enhancing their language learning potential and meaning focus. But it also showed an average level of language authenticity and a fair level of practicality in this particular setting, which called for further improvement.The significance of the study lay in three aspects. Firstly, it could be a supplemented study to Jamieson et al.’s (2005) conducted in a Chinese context; secondly, it offered a feasible example of CALL evaluation for many EFL teachers; and thirdly, it had some pedagogical implications for the teacher and students involved. However, the study was also limited due to certain practical constraints, such as a short span of research time and a small number of sampling.