Abstract:
This paper discusses an action research project that examines the effects and
outcomes of using computer assisted language learning (CALL) to facilitate second
language acquisition with ESOL students. Nine students who were enrolled in an ESOL
10th grade English class participated in this study. These students worked for
approximately three days a week interacting with an ESOL component of an interactive
CALL program. Module scores, dialog/conversation analyses, and teachers' reports
showed that the ESOL students made progress in their acquisition of the English
language after approximately five weeks of CALL instruction.
In order to investigate whether their progress in acquisition of the language was
evident in other modes of language production, students engaged in small and large group
discussions, during which their conversational dialog was analyzed. They also wrote
various types of compositions in which they applied language skills. The quantitative and
qualitative analysis of their products revealed a marked improvement in the students'
manipulation of the English language. The results concluded that computer assisted
language learning can enhance students' motivation and confidence in using the English
language and can improve language acquisition in ESOL students.