High-ability (n=97) and average-ability students (n=84) were asked to read a Spanish passage on a computer and use glosses provided for certain words to aid in comprehension or create glosses using a Spanish-English dictionary and annotation software (experimental task). High-ability students performed significantly better after the experimental…

Describes a curriculum for teaching writing with computers. The approach is process-oriented and employs low-end technology, requiring only computers equipped with word processing programs, and follows an assignment structure that can be executed by high schools or universities. (Author/VWL)

Examines a collaborative language learning project that brought together elementary and middle school students in France, Canada, and a Basque school to communicate about monsters--a topic of concern to any child who has heard a fairy tale or watched a Disney movie. The Internet is used as the medium of interaction, allowing more students to…

This study investigated the effect of using computer-mediated reading supports on the reading comprehension and reading behavior of beginning learners of Arabic as a foreign language. Recommendations for future research are given as well as theoretical and pedagogical implications for second-language instruction. (eight references) (LRW)

Computer-assisted studies (CAS) attract foreign language professionals' attention due to the reliability of personal computers, the decreasing cost of available technology, and the new generation of students for whom electronic media are a familiar habitat. This article focuses on a project of the Defense Language Institute that produced over…

One teacher's experiences with second-language instructional technology are recounted, including language labs, computer-assisted instruction, videotapes, personal computers, laser discs, and compact discs. The value of and potential uses for interactive multimedia are outlined. (LB)

This study compared the exam performance of 65 foreign students of Dutch whose homework had been regularly checked by a computer program with 62 students whose homework had been randomly checked. On a 100-item proficiency test the former group obtained an average score of 77.2, while the latter group obtained an average score of 65.4. (Contains 21…

Argues for the development of tailor-made computer-assisted learning (CAL) tutorials with the aim of replacing traditional lectures in second-language instruction. Issues related to the production of multimedia modular templates and prototypes, including module design, design criteria, methodology, and learner interaction, are described. (seven…

A case is made against the educational application with nonproficient writers of "canned" feedback provided by text analysis computer programs marketed as grammar checkers and style analyzers. The feedback does not teach students. Alternative approaches for giving students feedback in the electronic medium are offered. (46 references) (Author/LB)

Examines the use of computers in classroom research, particularly for second-language acquisition. Highlights include the research cycle; understanding second-language learning; the use of computers; learner research on developing language awareness; teacher research on understanding second-language classrooms; and the roles of learners and…

ALICE, a multimedia framework for intelligent computer-assisted language instruction (ICALI) at Carnegie Mellon University (PA), consists of a set of tools for building a number of different types of ICALI programs in any language. Its Natural Language Processing tools for syntactic error detection, morphological analysis, and generation of…

The effects of a French tutorial with spoken feedback, written feedback, written/spoken feedback, and no feedback were examined with 56 undergraduates using a Macintosh computer. Results supported the hypothesis that students receiving written/spoken feedback perform better than those in the other three feedback categories. (eight references)…

"Abra Cadabra," a new computer program for second-language learning for fourth- and fifth-grade students, is described that is based on the whole language approach to language acquisition. (two references) (LB)

Discusses the use of computers for teaching foreign languages and for research purposes. Highlights include the ability of computers to analyze data and transactions with or without interacting with the learner; the learner's acquisition of grammatical concepts; and changes in the discipline and in curriculum development that may result from…

Highlights methods of teaching grammar that have been adapted for computer-assisted language learning. (Author/VWL)