Computer-Assisted English Language Learning Environments in Costa Rican Elementary Schools: An Experimental Study

• In Event: Technology Learning for All: Equity, Access, and Diversity Research

Abstract

We present first year, third grade, findings from a 2-year randomized trial study on effective computer assisted language learning (CALL) environments in Costa Rica. We evaluated two varying types of CALL curriculum. A total of 816 third graders from 76 schools were pre- and post-tested. Results from multilevel modeling suggested that (a) students held limited oral proficiency prior to the intervention; (b) although students significantly improved their oral proficiency, they were still below the English-speaking norm, (c) students in Treatment A outperformed their peers in Treatment B and in control classrooms in lexical knowledge and listening skills. These findings imply that exposure to English and the type of CALL instructional technology environment matters for significant gains in language acquisition.

Authors

• Rafael Lara-Alecio, Texas A&M University

• Beverly J. Irby, Texas A&M University - College Station

• Fuhui Tong, Texas A&M University - College Station

• Cindy Lynn Guerrero, Texas A&M University

• Yinan Fan, Texas A&M University