Computer Assisted Language Learning

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STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS COMPUTER-ASSISTED
LANGUAGE LEARNING IN YEMENI CONTEXT: A CASE STUDY
OF FACULTY OF LANGUAGES - ADEN
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Journal: Computer Assisted Language Learning

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Manuscript ID NCAL-2019-0132

Manuscript Type: Original Article

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Computer-assisted language learning (CALL), students’ attitudes, Faculty

Keywords:
of Languages
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URL: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ncal Email: jozef.colpaert@uantwerpen.be

Page 1 of 20 Computer Assisted Language Learning

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3 STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS COMPUTER-ASSISTED LANGUAGE
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5 LEARNING IN YEMENI CONTEXT: A CASE STUDY OF FACULTY OF
6 LANGUAGES – ADEN
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10 This study has been conducted to investigate how Yemen EFL students of the faculty of
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12 languages perceive computer-assisted language learning, the extent to which CALL is
13 implemented in their learning in and outside their faculty and the difficulties they encounter.
14 Data were collected through a questionnaire that targeted 74 students. Findings revealed that
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16 students have positive attitudes towards CALL and believe in its value in developing their
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17 language skills and making language learning enjoyable and interesting. Female students
18 showed a higher overall positive attitude towards CALL as compared to male counterparts and
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that was reflected in their uses of CALL too. Findings have also revealed that CALL is not
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21 implemented to the required level in their classes as its uses are limited to using power-points
22 presentation by some teachers, CDs and recorders in listening activities, translating programs
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and Smartphone dictionaries. There are differences in students’ implementation of CALL that
25 can be attributed to gender and computer competence. Unavailability of internet, lack of CALL
26 tools and lack of computer competence are major barriers to CALL implementation in their
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concerned faculty. Same challenges are there at home for many students. The study has
29 recommended the faculty of languages to provide CALL tools and internet for English
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30 classrooms and library and to train students on using computers for English learning. It has also
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recommended EFL students of the concerned faculty and Yemeni students generally to exploit
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33 ICTs at hand for learning English.

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37 Keywords: Computer-assisted language learning (CALL), students’ attitudes, Faculty of
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Languages
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41 1. Introduction
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43 Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) is one of the useful tools that can help in
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improving language learners’ competencies and skills and increasing their motivation, autonomy,
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46 creativity, productivity and team work (Lee, 2000; Eslit, 2014). It is not only effective for
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48 classroom teaching and learning but also helps foreign language learners to self-learn outside
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50 classroom; for examples, web technology has provided EFL learners in a free access to many
51 knowledgeable programs that help them a lot in developing their language skills and
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53 competencies. There are today an abundance of websites, CDs, videos, recordings, lectures and
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3 books that have been designed for learning English as a foreign language and learners can use by
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5 themselves in their self-learning of English (Ahmed, Qasem & Pawar, 2019).
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8 CALL’s success and effectiveness usually depend on many factors of which learners’
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attitudes towards CALL can be viewed as one of the most influential. According to Teo (2006),
11 students’ attitudes towards computers have an influential role not only on the extent to which
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13 they accept to use computer as a tool for their learning but also on their future behaviours
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15 towards computers such as using it for further study and vocational purposes. Students’ attitudes
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towards computers are considered as ‘‘a critical criterion in the evaluation of computer courses
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18 and in the development of computer-based curricula’’(Woodrow, 1991). It is for this reason that
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20 with applying computer-based language learning in our schools and universities, we need to
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22 know our students’ attitudes towards computer-based learning and to correct any negative
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attitude they have.

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26 This study, therefore, aimed at investigating EFL learners’ attitudes towards computer-
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28 assisted English learning in the Yemeni context. The study surveyed EFL students of the faculty
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of languages as it seems to be the best faculty in Aden University to utilize ICTs in English
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31 language teaching and learning. Though CALL is not implemented to the level required in the
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33 English classes of the concerned faculty due to many factors, this study aimed to investigate not
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35 only students’ attitudes towards CALL but also to what extent Yemeni EFL students use
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technology in their learning of English in and outside classroom and what technology-based
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38 programs and activities they utilize in their learning. The study will contribute to the field of
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40 CALL research as it will fill the gap by providing a picture of CALL in the Yemeni context and
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how Yemeni students perceive it in their learning.
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44 1.1. Objectives of the study:
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46 This study aims at achieving the following objectives:
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48 1- To examine Yemeni EFL learners’ attitudes towards CALL.
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2- To investigate the extent to which CALL is implemented by Yemeni EFL students of
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51 faculty of language – Aden - in their learning of English.
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53 3- To examine the effect of gender, age and computer competence on students’ attitudes
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55 towards CALL and their implementation of it.
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3 4- To investigate the difficulties students face in CALL.
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7 1.2. Questions of the study:
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This study aims at answering the following questions:
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11 1- How do Yemeni EFL tertiary learners perceive CALL in their context?
12 2- To what extent is CALL implemented in and outside classroom by EFL students of the
13 faculty of languages?
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15 3- Are there any impact for gender, age or computer competence on students’ attitudes
16 towards/ uses of CALL?
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17 4- What factors that may affect their use of ICTs in language learning?
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21 2. Literature review
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23 The term ‘CALL’ stands for computer-assisted language learning that refers to the use of
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25 computer technology in language learning and teaching. Levy (1997:1) has defined ‘CALL’ as
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“the search for and study of applications of the computer in language teaching and learning".
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28 These technological applications designed for language learning and teaching are numerous and
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30 ranged from traditional drills of the 1960s to recent web-based learning programs and mobile-
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assisted language learning applications. In the following paragraphs, this study will survey some
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33 of the research studies conducted on students’ attitudes towards CALL and its effectiveness on
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35 language learning.
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Holmes (1998) has conducted a study to investigate the perceptions of Japanese university
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39 students towards computer-assisted language learning. The researcher has designed English
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41 communication skills courses for 100 Japanese EFL students. Students were then asked to
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43 compare their blended communication skills courses with those similar courses taught without
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using technology in their high school. Results showed that most students answered in similar
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46 ways and showed that they favored computer-assisted instruction. Although there was an overall
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48 agreement as to the advantages of using computer technologies in language learning and the
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50 enjoyment CALL provides to English classes, the real advantage of using technology in class
51 was linked to the students’ goals of communicating internationally.
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3 AL-Naqeeb (2005) has investigated problems encountered by 4th level students of Aden college
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5 of education in using internet and computers in language learning and their interest to use
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7 computer and internet in language learning. His findings have revealed that students have a high
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interest to use computer and internet in language learning. However, there are many problems
10 that interrupt their use of internet in English language learning such as lack of internet access,
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12 understanding computer language programming and on-line costs of using the internet.
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15 Burrus (2009) has conducted a study to explore adult students’ perceptions on computer-assisted
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language learning and how they employ technology in their learning of English. Questionnaire
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18 and interviews were used to collect data from 14 non-native English speakers attending a pre-
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20 university private English school. Results showed that most students enjoying language learning
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22 through computer technology and internet and have a good level of computer skills. Results have
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also shown that students use different computer and internet programs in their learning and they
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25 believe that using computer and technology is useful for their language learning.
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27 IlTer (2009) has shown that one of the advantages of using technology in EFL classroom is the
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29 development of students’ motivation. Her study of the effect of using technology in EFL
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31 classroom concluded that most students view authentic materials available on internet most
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effective, enjoyable, interesting and useful for them. They also emphasized that using technology
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34 in EFL classroom increases their motivation to learn.
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37 Wiebe and Kabata (2010) have conducted a study to examine students' and instructors' attitudes
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towards the use of CALL in foreign language teaching and learning. One hundred and fifty-six
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40 students and five instructors participated in the first phase of data collection, and 27 students and
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42 two instructors in the second phase at the University of Alberta in the winter and spring
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44 semesters while students were taking language courses utilizing CALL materials. The results
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47 such as IT and multimedia materials on students’ language learning. However, the results
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49 indicated that students’ and instructors’ perceptions of information technology use and
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behaviours do not always match and there is a discrepancy between the students’ awareness of
52 the instructors’ goals for using new technologies and the importance instructors placed on
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54 computer assisted language learning. They have also found a disparity between students’
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3 reported use of CALL and instructors’ perceptions of students’ use of CALL as well as what
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5 types of technologies students considered useful for their success in language learning and those
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7 teachers considered useful for their students’ success.
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Arishi (2012) has conducted a study in Saudi context to examine industrial college students’
11 attitudes towards computer-assisted language learning. Seventy students enrolled in the
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13 orientation year of an English program were observed during their English classes and asked to
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15 express their attitudes towards CALL. Results showed that students have positive attitudes
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towards CALL and that there is only a slight correlation between daily hours students spent on
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18 computers and their attitudes towards CALL while other variables such as students’ knowledge
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20 of English, ownership of computers and their computer knowledge showed no correlation to
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22 students’ attitudes toward CALL.
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24 Afshari, Ghavifekr, Siraj and Jing (2013) have examined Malaysian students’ attitudes
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26 towards computer-assisted language learning. Data were collected from 100 students by using a
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28 survey questionnaire. Findings of this study revealed that students had moderate attitudes
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towards computer assisted language learning (m=2.45). The findings also indicated that received
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31 usefulness, perceived ease of use, and subjective norms were significant predictors of
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33 computer positive attitudes. As per the findings, the study recommended lecturers to integrate
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35 more computer technology in their teaching and curriculum design and to be aware of CALL
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applications and softwares. The study also recommended to train students to use computer with
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38 CALL application and to get language labs open to students as many hours as possible.
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41 Navaz and Sameem (2013) have studied the perceptions of Sri Lanka undergraduate students
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43 regarding computer assisted language learning and their practices. Their results showed that
44 more than 80% of the students prefer to learn through CALL. Students participated in the study
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46 showed that they use mobile phones and internet for learning English and the frequency of using
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48 technology ranged from daily to once a month. Results also showed that 90% of the students did
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not have any difficulty in using CALL technology and they prefer using CDs as they can be
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51 repeated again and again.
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3 Hsu (2013) has examined students’ perceptions of mobile-assisted language learning. Data were
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5 collected from 45 participants (n = 45) belong to seven different cultural backgrounds. A MALL
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7 course was designed for the participants so that students could then be surveyed for their
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feedback with regard to technological affordance, applicability and constructivist approach to
10 learning that MALL can offer. Results revealed that all participants have positive attitudes
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12 towards mobile-assisted language learning and agreed that MALL is a potential tool for
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14 constructivism in EFL learning. Results also revealed significant differences exist among
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participants with different cultural backgrounds.
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18 Bueno-Alastuey and López Pérez (2013) have investigated international students’ perceptions
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20 of the usefulness of information and communication technologies in developing language skills
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22 in a context where ICTs are fully integrated in a blended learning language course and compared
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it to a context where ICTs are of low integration level in Spanish as second language classes. The
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25 study showed that students positively perceive the use of technology in their language learning
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27 courses. Their results showed differences in their rating of the usefulness of technology in
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developing language skills that seem to depend on the level of their integration of technology in
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30 their learning. Those students who used technology more in their EFL courses realized more the
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32 potential of technology for developing their pronunciation and productive skills than receptive
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34 skills while those students who used technology less in their SSL courses have perceived its
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usefulness in developing their grammar, vocabulary and receptive skills. As per these results,
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37 their study recommended using ICTs in language learning and adding guides and training to
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39 blended learning experience in order to diminish the number of students rejecting the use of ICTs
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41 in language learning.
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43 Ilter (2015) has conducted a study to examine the teachers’ and young learners’ perspectives of
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45 implementing technology during language learning process and how technology affects younger
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47 learners’ learning process. The data were collected through two structured questionnaires with 12
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language teachers and 10 young learners from a state primary school. Teachers’ responses
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50 revealed that technology based games, cartoon films, blogs and some social sites for children
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52 affected young learners and increased their language and cultural awareness. Young learners’
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3 responses have also shown that English lessons could be easy and enjoyable when their teachers
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5 use technology inside the classroom.
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8 Chamundeshwari and Evelyn (2017) have conducted a study to investigate engineering
9 students’ perceptions of the use of CALL in ESL classroom and how CALL effects the
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11 development of their language learning. The data of this study were collected via a questionnaire
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13 given to 70 students pursuing Btech in Computer Science at Reva University. Results showed
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that students have positive attitudes towards using CALL in English language classroom as using
16 CALL in English language classrooms helps them in enhancing their performance and
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18 developing their language skills. It also plays a role in motivating students to learn English and
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enhancing their autonomy to become independent and efficient learners.
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Behroozian and Sadeghoghli (2017) have studied Iranian students’ perceptions towards using
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24 technology such as computer and internet in English classrooms. Their data were collected by
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26 interviewing five students and three teachers. Findings showed that students have positive
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28 attitudes towards using computer and internet technology in their learning of English. They
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31 easier and faster in developing their learning. Students rarely face difficulties such as insufficient
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significant predictor of students’ attitudes towards technology use in language learning.
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37 Milon and Iqbal (2017) have conducted a study to address Bangladeshi students’ perceptions
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39 towards using technology in their learning of English. The study targeted 120 higher secondary
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41 students from three governmental colleges of Pabna and collected its data by using a
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questionnaire. The findings indicated that using technology tools like social networking
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44 websites, online videos, computer softwares, mp3 records and smart phone and tablet apps have
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46 positive effect and can be very much effective in developing students’ language skills.
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49 Pinto-Llorente, Sánchez-Gómez, García-Peñalvo & Casillas-Martin (2017) have examined
50 Spanish students’ perceptions and attitudes towards some asynchronous technological tools in
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52 improving students’ grammatical competence in English as a second language. Data were
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54 collected from 358 students who were recruited from a population of 451 students. The results
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3 revealed that students perceived the efficacy of the technological tools to improve their
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5 grammatical competence in English. “Participants highlighted the opportunity provided to have a
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7 greater autonomy to be able to set and organize their own pace of study and individual learning.
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They pointed out the potentiality of the VLE implemented to supply a natural environment to
10 learn and practice English grammar in real experiences and situations, and emphasized the
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12 benefits of the e-activities to carry out a continuous assessment and the students’ self-
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14 assessment” (p. 1).
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Saeed and Al-Zayed (2018) have examined Jordanian undergraduate students’ attitudes towards
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18 computer assisted -language learning (CALL) and its effectiveness in the process of learning
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20 English. A questionnaire and semi-structure interviews were used to collect data from 21 BA
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22 students majoring in English. Their results revealed that students have positive attitudes towards
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CALL as they feel enjoyable to learn through CALL and emphasized that CALL facilitate their
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25 writing assignments, improving their creativity, productivity, academic achievement and
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27 enhancing their grammatical, lexical and cultural knowledge. CALL is viewed by students as a
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tool that motivates them to learn English and helps them to interact with their teachers and
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30 classmates.
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33 Lodhi et. Al. (2019) have investigated Pakistani students’ attitudes towards computer-assisted
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35 language learning and whether there is any difference in attitudes between male students and
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female students. A questionnaire was used to collect data from 300 students (150 male students
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38 and 150 female students who belong to private and governmental schools equally). Results
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40 showed that majority of male students have more positive attitudes towards computer-assisted
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language learning as compared to female students. Male students considered CALL more
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43 functional for developing their language proficiency. Female students were found facing more
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45 difficulties as compared to male students when they use technology for language learning
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47 purposes.
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3. Research Methodology
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3 This study is a descriptive survey study that provides quantitative and qualitative findings
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5 regarding Yemeni EFL students’ attitudes towards computer-assisted language learning and its
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7 utilization by the students of the faculty of language – Aden - in their learning of English.
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3.1. Participants
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12 The participants in this study are 74 EFL students (n=74) of faculty of languages located
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14 in Aden. 36 are male students and 38 are female students. Their ages ranged between 21 – 40
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16 years.
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3-2. Data Collection instrument
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21 Data of this study were collected through a questionnaire. Some items of the
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23 questionnaire were adapted from Vandewaetere and Desmet (2009) to meet the objectives of the
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25 study. The questionnaire consists of four sections. First section deals with general details about
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participants such as age, gender, computer competence …etc., second section consists of 15
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28 items and deals with students’ attitudes towards CALL and its effectiveness in developing
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30 students’ language skills and proficiency, third section consist of 7 items that deal with students’
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uses of computer technology in and outsides classroom and the types of technological programs
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33 and activities they utilize in their learning, and fourth section consists of open questions that
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35 request students to describe the extent to which CALL is implemented in their learning of
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37 English in their classrooms, technological English learning programs they use and difficulties
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they face when using CALL in their learning.
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41 3.2.1. Validity of the questionnaire
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44 To measure its validity, the questionnaire was sent to five qualified professors in the field
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46 of teaching English as a foreign language and they were requested to give their opinions on its
47 validity to achieve study’s objectives and on the clarity of its items. Their comments and
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49 recommendations were taken into account in our revision of the last draft of the questionnaire
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51 before administrating it into the field.
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3.2.2. Reliability of the questionnaire
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3 The questionnaire was piloted to 20 students of English departments at Aden University
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5 and found reliable for measuring students’ attitudes towards CALL and its effectiveness in
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7 English language learning with Cronbach’s Alpha (.780).
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4. Findings and Discussion
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12 Findings have revealed that 74 EFL students of faculty of languages participated in the
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14 questionnaire, 36 male and 38 female, and their ages ranged between 21 and 40 with an average
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16 27. 58 participants have computers at home while 16 students have no home computer. 60
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participants are B.A. students and 14 M.A. students and their experience with computers ranged
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19 between 2 years and 17 years. 6 participants rated their computer skills excellent, 25 good, 24
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21 average, 12 poor and 7 very poor. Most of the poor and very poor students belong to the 16
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23 student who said that they have no computers at home.
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26 Table no.1 shows general details about participants
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28 Variables Gender Age Program Do you How long is your How do you rate
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computer at computer? in computer?
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35 Total no. 74 74 74 74 74
36 Missing
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41 N M = 36 21-25yrs =60 B.A. = 60 YES 58 1 - 5 yrs = 34 Very Poor = 7
48.6% 26 -30 = 0 6-10 yrs = 28 Poor = 12
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43 NO 16 Satisfactory = 24
44 F = 38 31-35 = 12 M.A. = 14 10 – 15 yrs = 10 Good = 25
45 51.4%
46 16 - 20 yrs = 2 Excellent = 6
36-40 = 2
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Findings, as shown in the table no. 2, reveal that participants held positive attitudes
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53 CALL makes language classroom more enjoyable and helps them to develop their proficiency in
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3 interesting and motivating and makes them comfortable to learn in class and outside class and it
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5 helps them to develop their autonomy and self-learning. Such positive attitudes are good
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7 predictors for students’ willingness to implement CALL in their learning and its possible success
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in promoting their learning. These findings go in line with previous researches on CALL such as
10 Ayres (2002), Al-Shammari (2007), Tunçok (2010) and Arishi (2012).
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12 When students were asked whether CALL or traditional teaching is more effective,
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14 majority of the participants agreed that CALL is more effective than traditional teaching and that
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learners learn through CALL should be more proficient than those learn through traditional
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17 methods but there are still few participants who disagreed or showed neutral and negative
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19 attitudes towards the value of CALL in comparison to traditional teaching. Such negative and
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21 neutral attitudes towards CALL’s effect in comparison to traditional teaching can be explained in
22 terms of their low experience with computer, difficulties they face in using it for learning
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24 purpose in addition to their long term experience with traditional learning that has become a part
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26 of their learning system and mentality. These attitudes should be corrected through providing
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training for them in how to use ICTs for English learning and building their confidence in its
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31 language learning and teaching and the role that computer technologies play in making language
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learning more communicative.
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Majority of the participants have also shown neutral attitudes towards using computers
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36 and technology in language exams to replace papers and pencils. These attitudes reflect students’
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fear of using computer in exams as they used to conduct their exams via paper and pencil since
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40 they started learning. Only few students, who are perfect in computer, have expressed positive
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43 students expressed explicitly negative attitudes toward using computers in language exams. As
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45 majority of students expressed neutral attitudes, not negative, it means that they believe that
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computer technology is more helpful and effective in language exams but they need some
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48 technical support to accept adapting it in their context.
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3 Table no 2 shows descriptive statistics of students’ attitudes towards CALL
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5 Items N Mean Std. Deviation
6 1- Using computer technology in language classroom makes language 74 4.4595 .55367
7 learning more enjoyable.
8 2- Computer technology helps English language learners to develop their 74 4.5135 .60235
9 knowledge and skills.
10 3- Computer assisted language learning is more effective than traditional 74 3.5676 1.15961
11 teaching in which teachers explain lessons orally with the help of chalks
12 and boards.
13 4- Students who learn English by using computer should be more proficient 74 3.7297 1.11401
14 than those learning it through traditional teaching.
15 5- Computer technology helps English as foreign language learners to 74 4.3514 .74819
16 develop their listening skills.
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17 6- Computer technology helps English as foreign language learners to 74 3.9595 .92809
18 develop their speaking skills.
19 7- Computer technology helps English as foreign language learners to 74 4.0135 1.12862
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20 develop their reading skills.
21 8- Computer technology helps English as foreign language learners to 74 3.9189 .78960
22 develop their writing skills.
23 9- I am interested in learning English with the help of computer and ICT 74 4.2568 .79486
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24 tools.
25 10- With computer technology a language learner can easily do and submit 74 4.4865 .60235
26 his/her assignments.
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27 11- Internet provides English as foreign language learners good and 74 4.3784 .67647
28 interesting opportunities for language learning.
29 12- I think using computer technology in performing English language exams 74 3.5135 1.27401
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30 is better and more effective than using paper and pencil exams.
31 13- I feel motivated when English language learning is assisted by ICT. 74 3.8649 .94106
32 14- I feel comfortable to use computer in my learning of English inside and 74 4.1622 .72200
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33 outside classroom.
34 15- Computer and internet help me to develop my autonomy and self- 74 4.5405 .60112
35 competence as a learner of English.
36 Valid N (listwise) 74
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When comparing students’ overall attitudes towards CALL to some variables such as
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41 students’ gender, age, computer competence as shown in the table no. 30, findings revealed that
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43 female students held a higher overall positive attitude towards CALL than male students and
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45 higher computer competence students show higher positive attitude than their poor computer
46 competence counterparts. It has also been shown that most of the students who don’t have
47
48 computers at home rated their computer competence as poor and very poor. No significant
49
50 difference found that can be attributed to students’ age. Such findings support that gender and
51
52
computer competence have an effect on students’ attitudes towards and implementation of CALL
53 in their learning.
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Page 13 of 20 Computer Assisted Language Learning

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3
4
5 Table no.3 shows students’ overall attitude towards CALL in relation to their gender, age and
6 computer competence
7
8 Gender Age Computer competence
9
10 Male = 3.9815 out Less than 25 = 4.1933 out Poor and V. poor = 3.8982 out of 5
11 of 5 of 5
12 Average competence = 4.1833 out
13 of 5
14
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Female = 4.2404 More than 30 = 4.1048 Good and Excellent = 4.1935 out of
16
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17 out of 5 out of 5 5
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20
21 The second part of the findings presents how CALL is implemented in the classes of the faculty
22 of language and outside classroom and which programs that EFL students of the concerned
23
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faculty use in their learning of English and the difficulties they encounter.
24
25
26
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27 Table no.4: How often do your teachers use ICT tools in your classroom?
28
29 Program N Minimum Maximum Mean Std.
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30 Deviation
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32 How often do your B.A. 60 1.00 4.00 2.5333 .81233
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33 teachers use ICT tools

34 in your English
35
36 classes?
37 M.A. 14 3.00 5.00 3.4286 64621
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40
41 Students’ responses show that EFL teachers at their faculty rarely and sometimes use ICT tools
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42 in their teaching of English in B.A. classes. It seems that CALL is implemented to a higher
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44 degree in M.A. classes as the means of teachers’ use of ICTs in M.A. classes appear to be
45
46 between sometimes and often. It seems that there is still a need for implementing CALL in B.A.
47
48 and M.A. classes. As shown in students’ responses to the open questions, it seems that the lack
49 of ICTs and language laboratories at the faculty can be one of the factors affecting teachers’ use
50
51 of ICTs in their teaching.
52
53
54
Table no.5: Have you ever subscribed on online English lessons?
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56 13
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 Computer Assisted Language Learning Page 14 of 20

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3 Frequenc Percent Valid Percent
4 y
5
No 44 59.5 59.5
6
Valid Yes 30 40.5 40.5
7
8 Total 74 100.0 100.0
9
10
From the table above, it seems that 44 students have never subscribed in any online lessons while
11
12 30 students showed that they subscribed on online lessons. These lessons as shown in their
13
14 responses to the open questions are YouTube channels for teaching English. Responses also
15
16 revealed that among the students who subscribe on online lessons 80% are female students.
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18
19
Table no.6: How often do you use YouTube for English learning purpose?
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Frequency Percent Valid Percent
20
21 Never 2 2.7 2.7
22 Rarely 24 32.4 32.4
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24 Valid Sometimes 22 29.7 29.7

25 Often 18 24.3 24.3
26 Very often 8 10.8 10.8
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27 Total 74 100.0 100.0

28
29
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30 Findings show that 8 students very often use YouTube for learning purpose, 18 students often
31
32 use it and 22 sometimes use it while 24 students rarely use and 2 students never use. Responses
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33 showed that those students who said that they subscribed on online English lessons often, most
34
35 often or sometimes use YouTube and this emphasizes their responses to the previous statement
36
37 about their subscription on online lessons. It seems that YouTube channels are employed by
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majority of students in their learning of English when they are at home. On the other hand, there
40 is still high number of students who rarely use YouTube in their learning. This, as shown in
41
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42 students responses to open questions, can be explained in the unavailability of internet or its
43
44 weakness and their low computer competence. Again, responses here reflect that most female
45
students use YouTube for learning purpose while only few male students who use YouTube in
46
47 their learning.
48
49
50
51 Table no.7: How often do you use social media accounts such as (facebook, what’s up, email,
52 twitter) for communicating with your classmates/ friends in English?
53 Frequency Percent Valid Percent
54 Valid Never 28 37.8 37.8
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3 Rarely 8 10.8 10.8
4
Sometimes 19 25.7 25.7
5
6 Often 10 13.5 13.5
7 Very often 8 10.8 10.8
8
9 Total 74 100.0 100.0
10
11
12 Responses show that 18 students often and very often use social media in communicating with
13
14
their classmates and friends in English while the majority (36 students) never or rarely uses
15 social media accounts for communicating in English. 19 students sometimes use social media in
16
Fo
17 their communication in English.
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20 Table no. 8: Do you participate in any What’s up group or Google classroom where you, your
21 classmates and teachers share knowledge and have discussions?
22
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Frequency Percent Valid Percent

24
25 No 28 37.8 37.8
26 Valid Yes 46 62.2 62.2
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27 Total 74 100.0 100.0

28
29
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30 Table no 8 shows that 46 students participate in what’s up groups and Google classroom where
31
they and their teachers share knowledge and discussions in English while 28 students don’t
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33 participate in such groups. Some students showed that such groups are Arabic-medium and their
34
35 use of English is very limited.
36
37
Table no. 9: How often do you submit your assignment online?
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40 Frequency Percent Valid Percent
41 Never 16 21.6 21.6
ly

42
43
Rarely 32 43.2 43.2
44
45 Valid Sometimes 10 13.5 13.5
46 Often 14 18.9 18.9
47 Very often 2 2.7 2.7
48 Total 74 100.0 100.0
49
50
51 Table no. 9 shows that 16 students very often and often submit their assignments to their teachers
52
53 online while 16 students never use online service to submit their assignments and 32 rarely use.
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 Computer Assisted Language Learning Page 16 of 20

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3 10 students sometimes submit their assignment online. Most of the 16 students who submit their
4
5 assignment online are M.A. students.
6
7
8 Table no.10: What is the approximate time do you spend on computer and internet for English
9 language learning purpose?
10 Frequency Percent Valid
11 Percent
12
Never 2 2.7 2.7
13
14 Less than 5 hours per 42 56.8 56.8
15 week
16 Valid 6 - 10 hours per day 26 35.1 35.1
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17 11 - 15 hrs per day 2 2.7 2.7
18 More than 15 hrs per day 2 2.7 2.7
19 Total 74 100.0 100.0
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22
23 The average time for using computer and internet to learn English seems to be low as 2
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24
25 students never use at all, 42 students (the majority) use it for less than 5 hours per week, 26
26
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students use it for 6 to 10 hours per week, 2 students use it for 11 – 15 hours and only 2 students
27
28 who spend more than 15 hours learning from computers and internet. It seems that for most
29
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30 students, computer and internet are not primary sources for learning as they spend only few
31
32 hours per week on computer and internet and this has been supported by students’ responses to
iew

33 open questions where they mentioned that due to low internet they depend on the hard notes and
34
35 books given to them by their teachers.
36
37
Participants were also asked to respond to three open questions regarding what ICTs they
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40
and their teachers use in classroom, what’s programs they use for learning English outside
41 classrooms and the difficulties they face in using ICTs in and outside classrooms. Their
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42
43 Responses will be summed up in the following lines:
44
45
46 M.A. students showed that some of their teachers use PowerPoint and data show for
47
presenting their lectures while others use board and pens. B.A. students showed that most of their
48
49 teachers don’t use computer in their classroom and only few teachers who use technology such
50
51 as computers in presenting their lectures and CDs and recorders in teaching listening skill
52
53 activities. Participants mentioned that there is no complete language lab in their faculty as it was
54 collapsed during the war and only few ICT tools are available for teaching English.
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3 So far as CALL at home, students mentioned that they use computer and internet for their
4
5 learning of English. The most used CALL programs they use for learning English are YouTube,
6
7 translators like CAT, MemoQ and Google translator, Microsoft office word, Google chrome,
8
9
Smartphone online and offline dictionaries. They mentioned that Google chrome helps them a lot
10 in getting information about any topic they want to understand. YouTube channels for learning
11
12 English like zAmerican English, English with Adriana...etc. for some students are of a high value
13
14 in developing their proficiency in English.
15
16
Students have also mentioned some of the barriers that they encounter when
Fo
17
18 implementing CALL in their classes such as unavailability of internet, lack of ICT tools and lack
19
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20 of computer competence for some students. Though most students have computers at home but
21
22 due to low internet and high internet cost, computers and internet are not used too much in their
23
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learning of English and most of them use computers for preparing assignments and reading PDF
24
25 files or accessing Google chrome for reading some topics.
26
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27
28 This study suggests overcoming the above mentioned barriers for implementing CALL
29
better in the faculty of languages in Aden and in Yemeni universities generally. Faculties and
ev

30
31 institutions of English language should provide ICTs and internet to their classrooms, language
32
iew

33 laboratories should be supplied with software and hardware materials required for learning
34
35 English, training and workshops should be conducted to train students and teachers on computer
36
skills and how to use ICTs for English language learning purposes.
37
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40
41 5. Conclusion
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42
43 This study has been conducted in the context of the faculty of language - Aden to
44
45 investigates EFL students’ perceptions towards CALL. The study came to a conclusion that
46
47
Yemeni EFL learners studying in this faculty held positive attitudes towards CALL and believe
48 in its value in developing their language skills and competences and making language learning
49
50 more motivating and enjoyable. It has also revealed that CALL is not implemented to the
51
52 required level and many students use it in its minimum level due to many factors such as
53
unavailability of internet in the faculty, lack of ICT tools, lack of training and the poor internet
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 Computer Assisted Language Learning Page 18 of 20

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3 connection at homes. The study recommends faculty of languages to provide ICT tools and
4
5 internet to its EFL classrooms, library and language laboratory and to trains students and
6
7 teachers on how to use ICTs for language learning purposes. It also recommends Yemeni EFL
8
9
students of the concerned faculty to use ICTs at hand for promoting their learning of English as
10 there are an abundance of English learning materials online today.
11
12
13
14 References
15
16 1. Afshari, M., Ghavifekr, S., Siraj, S., & Jing, D. (2013). Students’ attitudes towards
Fo
17
18 computer-assisted language learning. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 103,
19 852-859.
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21 2. Ahmed, S.T.S & Pawar, S. (2018). Communicative Competence in English as a Foreign
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24 Creative Launcher, 2 (6), 302-312.

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26 3. Ahmed, S. T. S., Qasem, B. T. A., Pawar, S. V. (2019). Using Computer Technology in
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31 4. Alnaqeeb, A. M. A. (2005). A Study of Problems of Using the Internet in Second
32 Language Learning Encountered by 4th- Level BA Students at the Faculty of
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36 econd_Language_Learning_Encountered_by_4th-
37 Level_B.A._Students_at_the_Faculty_of_Education_Aden_2005
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5. Al Shammari, M. H. (2007). Saudi English as a foreign language learners' attitudes
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42 https://search.proquest.com/openview/ff7cc611fe84810fa616165ba8b0d3f3/1?pq-
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46 6. Arishi, S. A. (2012). Attitudes of Students at Saudi Arabia's Industrial Colleges toward
47 Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL). Teaching English with
48 Technology, 12(1), 38-52.
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50 7. Ayres, R. (2002). Learner attitudes towards the use of CALL. Computer assisted
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