O n f e r e n c e

CALL Research: Impediments to Success
Bio data 
Le Thi Hong Vo
has worked in English language teaching for 10 years, mostly in 
universities in Vietnam. I am particularly interested in English language curriculum 
innovation evaluation, Computer-assisted Language Learning (CALL), using technology in 
English teaching and how English language training can be improved with IT support. I 
am also interested in how teachers’ knowledge, attitudes and beliefs develop, influenced 
by action research and in how these changes in their cognitions influence their classroom 
practices to achieve improvement in English language teaching and learning.
I am currently a PhD student at Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of 
Portsmouth, U.K. My research has involved identifying a gap between English education 
at university and English requirement of graduates at the workplace and assisting 
teachers to be reflective on their teaching practice by doing action research to contribute 
to solve the problem.
Abstract 
The advent of technologies in learning process is apparent. Computer assisted language 
learning (CALL) is a new approach based mainly on the recent technologies of the twenty 
first century. 
CALL, as Levy (1997, p.1) defines, is “
the search for and study of applications of the 
computer in language teaching and learning”.
CALL adds advantages to the language 
class and offers students many chances to practice language learning (Brown, 2001). It 
also presents language teachers with a clear challenge and a good opportunity for 
change. Teachers are recently encouraged by school administration to gain competencies 
of CALL to meet a number of requirements for tutoring online in order to better prepare 
themselves for a successful delivery of computer-assisted learning courses and for 
English education in general. 
However, despite the efforts made by the school administration, there has been the lack 
of effectiveness of CALL. This indicates a need to conduct research to identify the real 
causes for the problem. The study on this issue, in its turn, faces difficulties to carry out. 
This paper discusses the methodological problems encountered when designing, 
conducting and reporting the research which attempts to identify the real causes for the 
lack of effectiveness of CALL at the Center for Information Technology Development 
(CITD), Vietnam National University.
This paper contends that the success of conducting a study on CALL depends on historical 
research in support of CALL, teachers’ cognition o
f their role in assisting CALL and the 
efficient support from the administration. The investigation of this issue was based on: 
(1) a questionnaire on the teachers’ understanding of CALL and their experience in using 
computer-assisted facilities in their English teaching at CITD; and (2) an interview with 
the school administrators about CALL at CITD. The result from the study reveals some 
significant issues that would support to enable research in the field.

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-328- 
2014 CALL Conference 
LINGUAPOLIS
www.antwerpcall.be