A Shift from CALL to MALL?

Year 2017, Volume: 4 Issue: 2, 25 - 32, 01.12.2017

İsmail Yaman , Emrah Ekmekçi

Abstract

Technology possesses an ever-changing nature and
holds visible effects in the field of education as is the case with many other
realms of life. Related with technology in language teaching and learning, it
can be easily observed that some acronyms like TELL, CALL, and MALL are broadly
used. Out of these three, CALL turns out to be the most known as it has been a
term in use as of 1960s and 70s. MALL is a quite novel and popular term and may
be traced back to a decade ago, or two decades at most. TELL here can be
regarded as an umbrella term for the use of technology in language learning in
general. This study aims to discuss the following questions on the link between
CALL and MALL: Is MALL replacing CALL? Which term is more popular among
researchers? What are their pros and cons? Which one is more practical and
advantageous for language learners? Which one is more likely to be involved in
the future of language learning and teaching? Are CALL and MALL replacing the
live language teacher? By seeking satisfactory answers for the questions, we
aim to shed light upon the dichotomy of CALL or MALL and contribute to the
existing literature.   

Keywords

technology, computer-assisted language learning (CALL), mobile-assisted language learning (MALL)

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