| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of this study was to explore the use of CALL technology in teaching English reading strategies by EFL teachers at the UTAS-Shinas in Oman. In order to explore the participants' perceptions of CALL, its integration with reading strategies, and the potential problems involved in its implementation, the study utilised questionnaires and interviews with 32 EFL teachers.
The findings of the present study revealed that most participants had a basic understanding of CALL and positive perceptions about its integration into teaching. They acknowledged that it had the potential to improve the level of engagement, attention, and learning results among students. It was believed that CALL was beneficial because it increased student participation, provided a more engaging educational setting, made it possible for students to practise outside of the classroom and encouraged student autonomy. In addition, participants said that it made it easier to implement a variety of teaching strategies and improved the interaction of both students and teachers.
The present study did, however, uncover a few challenges that are associated with the incorporation of CALL. These problems included the requirement for students to have a high level of experience in computer abilities, difficulties associated with accessibility, the danger of becoming overly dependent on technology and the requirement for learners to have aid and supervision on an ongoing basis. Difficulties were raised regarding the ability of technology to distract attention, increase the amount of work that teachers have to do, limit their independent teaching and raise problems about whether or not anything found online is culturally acceptable. A variety of technologies, such as videos, PowerPoint presentations, photos, emails, Moodle, and other online platforms, were used in teaching reading strategies in order to explore the perceptions of participants. The use of CALL made it specifically challenging to teach reading strategies such as drawing inferences and the comprehension of texts. The importance of having a better understanding of how to include CALL in the teaching of these strategies properly was highlighted by this realisation. According to the findings of the present study, in order to make successful use of CALL technologies, there is a real need to increase training and professional development. Because of this, there is an urgent need for a better understanding of reading strategies and the teaching of these strategies through the integration of CALL in the teaching of English in colleges and universities. Accordingly, there is a need for more investigation and improvement in the use of technology in EFL classrooms, specifically with regard to addressing the challenges found.
In conclusion, the present study shows the benefits of CALL in teaching reading strategies and addressing the difficulties that EFL teachers face. This highlights the relevance of addressing these challenges to improve teachers' skills in using CALL and alter CALL technologies to align with the whole educational environment more effectively. | en_GB |
