ADVANTAGES AND LIMITATIONS OF CALL
While Section 3 above shows some of the benefits of how CALL can be used for language teaching and learning, CALL also has some limitations. This section reviews advantages and limitations of CALL.
Advantages of CALL
- CALL can adapt to the learners' abilities and preferences.
- CALL can adapt to the learners’ cognitive and learning styles.
- CALL can adapt to the learner’s self-paced learning. CALL can be used for remedial work for slow learners and to accelerate learning for fast learners.
- CALL offers individualized and private learning.
- CALL, with branching capability, provides choices and paths for learning, allowing learners to work independently.
- CALL allows learners to control their own learning process and progress.
- CALL provides strong motivation for learning. Students will often do on a computer what they are reluctant to do in a textbook or paper-pencil.
- Some CALL features such as graphics, sounds, animation, video, audio are interesting and motivating for many learners.
- CALL can improve learners’ attitudes towards learning English.
- CALL (internet) provides authentic communication that motivates students to use language outside language classroom.
- CALL can provide immediate responsiveness and feedback.
- CALL provides accurate records of the learner’s performance and progress.
- CALL can change the relationship between teacher and student.
- The teacher becomes a facilitator rather than a person who controls the learning environment.
- CALL is predictable and non-judgemental.
- CALL provides opportunities for mastery-learning language skills.
- CALL can lower the amount of time required to master some materials.
- CALL (e.g.simulation games) encourages learners to work cooperatively in problem solving.
- CALL allows learners to learn cooperatively as a result of working together (such as group works, and discussion.)
- CALL (e.g. games and puzzles) create information gaps which provide learners a need to communicate or interact with each other or with the program.
- CALL (e.g. e-mail, chat, moos) promote direct communicative skills for the learners.
- CALL (e.g. e-mail, chat, moos) provides authentic, real communication with native speakers of English outside the classroom.
- CALL (e.g. CD-ROM and the internet) can increase access to information to the learners.
- CALL (CD-ROM and the internet) allow learners to acess to cultures around the world.
- CALL is a neutral medium. Compared to teachers, computers do not lose patience, get angry, or play favourites as some teachers do. This creates a safe learning environment.
- CALL can provide an active and positive learning environment.
- Integration of a variety of multimedia such as texts, graphics, sound, animation, and video, allowing for creating authentic meaningful language learning environments.
- CALL (the internet) has no limitations regarding different time zones and places.
- CALL is cost effective.
Cost
- Schools may lack funds for CALL implementations. Some CALL hardware and software are very expensive. It is problematic in schools that have limited funding.
- The design of good CALL software needs expensive equipment and cooperative team work.
- Not all students can access CALL (e.g. the internet). In many developing countries, there is a problem of "have" and "have not" internet between the rich and the poor.
- ELT teachers may have negative attitudes towards CALL.
- There is fear that CALL might replace teachers.
- Many ELT teachers are anxious about CALL because they have limited skills and experience in CALL theory and delivery.
- There is fear that the computer might isolate students from social activities.
- A lot of ELT teachers still lack training and skills in using the CALL, and training costs are high.
- Training learners to use computers takes students’ time away from other educational activities.
- ELT teachers may lack the necessary computer-related skills.
- Computer hardware is difficult to install and maintain for classroom teachers.
- Spontaneous language production (e.g. speaking) is still limited by the hardware capabilities such as voice-recognition and voice recording.
- Graphics and sounds provided on the computer are sometimes unrealistic and incomprehensible.
- CALL presentation is sometimes restricted by the capabilities of the hardware (e.g. not enough RAM to run big CD-ROM programs).
- Disk space is still problematic for storing large multimedia files.
- CALL (e.g. CD-ROMs) are sometimes not suitable for all computers, platforms and hardware.
- Web pages appear differently on different computer platforms (e.g. Windows, Mac). It sometimes makes students confused.
- There are many poor CALL software programs due to the lack of programmers with linguistic knowledge, language teaching approaches, and experiences.
- A lot of CALL software (e.g. Drill and Practice type) focus on teaching separate, discrete language skills and component, ignoring discourse, contexts, and cultures.
- Some CALL (e.g. the internet) does not support face to face communication (e.g. E-mail, chat) well, though some present technologies can provide sounds and pictures during communication there are some limitations with speed, sound and picture quality.
- A lot of CALL activities (e.g. Behavioristic CALL) are limited to certain types of exercises such as multiple choices, true false, matching, ignoring question-answer interactions.
- There are a lot of web pages of poor quality. There is a lot of junk on the internet. Teachers need to evaluate internet web pages with great care before downloading or assigning the students to access them.
- At present CALL software still lacks ability of abstract reasoning and problem-solving processes.
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