Integration of technology which includes the use of a smartphone is currently one of the trends in ESL writing classes. Particularly in collaborative activities, it is assumed that the use of smartphones contributes to the attitude of the learners towards writing and their writing performance as well. Consequently, the present study investigated…

Grounded in the three-tiered transdisciplinary SLA framework of the Douglas Fir Group (2016), we explore how the concept of 'semiotic resources' may be integrated into CALL activity designs. Starting at the macro level, we discuss how language ideology may influence where to situate semiotic resources within initial design considerations. We next…

This research aims to define a sustainable resource in Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL). In order for a CALL resource to be sustainable it must work within existing educational curricula. This feature is a necessary prerequisite of sustainability because, despite the potential for educational change that digitalization has offered since…

Theoretical education is mainly based on university text-books, which usually include texts not structured according to any theory of text comprehension. Structuring a text is a demanding process. Text should be organized and structured in order to include descriptions on micro and macro-level representation of the knowledge domain. Since this is…

The theoretical framework of this article is based on critical literacy (Janks, 2010) and genre theories (Swales, 1990; Schleppegrell, 2004). The article's main purpose is to contribute to an understanding of the use and production of text genres as a power-embedded practice. In doing so, we analyse firstgrade children's texts in terms of genres…

The purpose of this research was to examine the role of personalized and non-personalized online texts on elementary school fifth grade students' comprehension and their attitudes toward reading. Participants were 47 fifth-grade students from a rural elementary school in north Florida. The subjects were randomly assigned into two (personalized…

In the study, we investigated effects of 2 different versions of a web-based tutoring system to provide 5th-grade students with strategy instruction about text structure, which was an intervention to improve reading comprehension. The design feature assessed varied in individualization of instruction (individualized or standard). The more…

In two experiments we investigated the effects of temporal and spatial contiguity on learning from a computer-based geographic map and associated text. In Experiment 1, participants were randomly assigned to conditions that presented text either contiguous to (temporal or spatiotemporal) or noncontiguous to corresponding map features. The results…

Discussion of learner preferences for text densities on computer screen displays highlights two studies of college students that compared preferences for multiple or single screen presentations with high-, medium-, or low-density screens from an actual course using computer-assisted instruction. Results are analyzed, and further research needs are…

This article summarizes the findings of research studies designed to improve the comprehension of expository text for students with learning disabilities. Twenty-nine studies were located that met the inclusion criteria. Interventions gleaned from the review were categorized as content enhancement (i.e., advance and graphic organizers, visual…

Discussion of screen layout design for computer assisted instruction focuses on the perceptions of the viewers. Combinations of text format design variables that facilitate specific learning processes are investigated; evaluative criteria for text displays are discussed; individual and group perceptions are analyzed; and future research topics are…

Two variables that designers should consider when developing computer-based instruction (CBI) text screens are text density, which manipulates the context of the information presented, and screen density, which is a measurement of the amount of information presented at one time on the screen. A study on text density was designed to identify…

Describes a study of undergraduates that examined differences in computer screen formats and their effects on search time and strategy. Row, diagonal, and column information formats are compared, as well as tightly packed and loosely packed displays, and results of regression and residual analyses are discussed. (38 references) (LRW)

Compares student performances when reading printed text and text on a microcomputer screen. Reports that students have more difficulty locating information on-screen than in-print, particularly within prose passages. (MG)

Describes the design and exploratory use of an interactive hypertext program, SKEIM (Shell for Knowledge Engineering, Instruction, and Measurement), that was developed to record university students' review strategies of a set of lecture notes. Topics discussed include domain experts; navigation; text display guidelines; and the relationship of…