Balasubramanian, N. (2014). Effectiveness of Computer Assisted Language Learning and Testing in the Context of Learning English as a Second Language at Std. VIII. Unpublished. ERIC, Education

Objectives of the study:

• To develop syllabus based computer software package in English at Std. VIII.

• To develop a software package for construction and administration of tests so as to enable the instructor to utilize the capabilities of the computer to help generate, print, score tests and prepare the profiled of the learner’s performance.

• To develop a standardized objective type question bank, specifying the psychometric characteristics of each item for writing skill.

• To verify whether the developed CALL package facilitate the acquisition of the writing skill in English among the pupils of Std. VIII.

• To verify whether there is significant difference among different modes of CALL software viz., Tutorial, Drill and Practice and Simulation in their effectiveness as revealed by pupils academic achievement in English.

Sample of the study:

• Single group of 20 students of std. VIII was formed to establish the effectiveness of CALL package.

• Three groups of 30 students each were selected to verify whether there exist any significant difference among different modes of CALL software.

Tools Used:

Question Bank Software

Research Methodology:

Pre-test, Post-test, Single Group Design as well as Pre-test, Post-test, non-equivalent Groups design were adopted while conducting experiments.

Statistical Techniques:

Mean, Standard Deviation, t-test, F-value

Findings:

• There is a significant difference at 0.01 level between the mean scores of the pre and post tests administered to various experimental groups having been given the experimental intervention using the CALL package on various content areas. Hence, it is concluded that the CALL facilitates the acquisition of writing skill in English among the pupils of std VIII.

• The Analysis of Variance computed among the three experimental groups having been given the experimental interventions viz., Tutorial, Drill and Practice and Simulation with regard to the Scores of the students as measured by the post test, it is found that the F-value is significant at 0.01 level. Hence, it is concluded that there is significant difference among different modes of CALL package viz., Tutorial, Drill & Practice and Simulation in terms of their effectiveness in facilitating the acquisition of writing skill in English among the pupils of std. VIII.

• The results of the ‘t’ tests attempted between the mean scores of the different experimental groups as measured by the post test with a view to find out the relative effectiveness among different modes of CALL package show that there is significant difference at 0.01 level between the means of the different experimental groups in the scores as measured by the post-test. The mean score of the Simulation group is found to be greater than that of the other two groups while the mean score of the Tutorial group is found to be lesser than that of the other two groups. Hence, it is concluded that among the different modes of CALL package, Tutorial mode is the least effectiveness in facilitating the acquisition of ‘writing skill’ in English among the pupils of Std VIII so far as the effectiveness of the Drill & Practice mode is concerned, it comes between the other two modes of CALL package.

Educational Implications:

• In conjuction with other process-product studies, this study contributes to the knowledge of CALL in teaching of English as a second language at upper primary/secondary level.

• This study provides a rich fund of knowledge for identifying the emerging problems when CALL is introduced in schools and taking appropriate strategies in widespread induction of computers in schools.

• The computerized question bank developed in the study with unique features viz. The indices of Difficulty Level and Discriminative Power, type of questions, level of cognition, etc.can be used as an aid to construct as Primary and Secondary levels of Education. It enables utilizing the capabilities of the computer system to generate, print and whenever needed administer the test to the students and score their responses. If there are networks of computer terminals available in the school, it may ensure easy administration of the tests directly to the learner right at the terminal. When carefully used, both the teach and the taught can save a substantial amount of time in the evaluation process.

• The CALL Package developed covering wider area in-terms of content in English grammar that too in different modes viz. Tutorial, Drill & Practice and Simulation would be a great support to students population both rural and urban areas to develop their knowledge in English as self-learning materials.

Keyword(s): COMPUTER ASSISTED LANGUAGE LEARNING (CALL)