Practice and challenges of computer-assisted language learning in English classes at Ethiopian teacher education colleges

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the practice and challenges of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) in English classes by English language teacher educators at Ethiopian teacher education colleges. The participants of the study were 29 English language teacher educators teaching in six teacher education colleges in Ethiopia, which were elected through convenience sampling. Data were collected through questionnaire and interview. The quantitative data were analyzed using mean and frequency count. However, the qualitative data from the open-ended items of the questionnaire and the interview were analyzed thematically. The results of the study indicated that the participants rarely or never applied CALL in their teaching of English. They did not even send assignments via email or created Telegram or WhatsApp groups to encourage their students to share ideas in writing or learn English independently. The results further showed that there were major barriers faced by the participants in integrating CALL into language classrooms such as lack of technical support from the administrations of the colleges where they were teaching and limited access to the internet. Moreover, the results revealed that the participants perceived that the students they were teaching had low English language proficiency which could potentially hindered them from applying CALL in their classrooms. In fact, the participants also perceived that their students did not have the required computer skills. The participants underscored the significance of timely training to introduce EFL teachers to the application of multimedia in language classrooms. Finally, it is recommended that further research be made on how prospective teachers use technology to improve their English language skills.