| A mix of qualitative and quantitative research methods are used to describe the current state of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) departments of four government-funded universities in Saudi Arabia. Responses to a questionnaire administered to all faculty and chairmen in EFL-oriented departments and programs at these schools were used to identify 20 frequent users of CALL technology, 13 of whom agreed to be interviewed. Purposeful sampling techniques helped identify three participants to be treated as case studies: one assistant professor and two instructors who used CALL technology more than their colleagues. Each was interviewed three times and observed twice during class sessions in which computers were the focus of instruction. Supplemental data was collected via interviews with departmental chairmen, a dean, CALL coordinators, and campus computing directors, as well as from CALL-related documents taken from each EFL program.; The study's primary results were: (a) most of the four schools' instructional equipment is obsolete and of limited utility; (b) the majority of EFL faculty do not have adequate access to instructional equipment, computers, software, or the Internet, nor do their students have adequate access to computing services; (c) institutional support for using CALL is very limited; (d) word processing, e-mail, and the World Wide Web are the three most frequently utilized CALL resources for EFL instruction; (e) the majority of respondents hold positive attitudes toward the use of computers for EFL instruction; and (f) social factors affecting the use of CALL are linked with cultural and religious attitudes held by EFL faculty, administrators, and students.; These results indicate that the use of computer resources by EFL faculty at the four universities is both minimal and superficial. Apart from drill-and-practice programs, especially at KFUPM, few teachers use CALL to teach English. Finally, the computing and networking facilities currently available at these schools are insufficient for supporting state-of-the-art CALL software. Suggestions are offered for encouraging the use of CALL in these programs. |
