Engineering Students’ Attitudes Towards Computer-Assisted Language Learning in EFL

Abstract

With a promise of high efficiency, computer-assisted language learning (CALL) has become a much-exploited teaching approach in teaching English as a foreign language (EFL). The use of computers to assist language learners in their studies has shifted from being an innovative approach sporadically applied by an engaged teacher, to becoming the inevitable segment of in-class activities, nowadays almost prescriptively built in syllabi. Attitudes towards CALL constantly re-shape the learning process and affect the learning outcomes. The study addresses engineering students’ attitudes towards the use of computer-assisted language learning in EFL courses taught at the Faculty of Technical Sciences Čačak in Serbia. The study is also concerned with the students’ attitudes towards the use of the website www.englit.net as an online learning tool specially designed for the courses they attend, which is used on a regular basis for in-class practice and self-study. The findings indicate that CALL is perceived as an efficient supporter of the EFL teaching-learning process, generally adding to students’ overall improvement in EFL competence, while at the same time empowering them to engage more in self-study.