The effect of computer assisted language learning on the development of EFL learners' writing skills

This study was undertaken to examine the impact of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) on the development of EFL learners’ writing abilities. For this purpose forty-four Iranian students majoring in English as a foreign language were selected and randomly assigned to the two control and experimental groups. The control group continued their course with traditional writing tasks, characterized by direct grammar instruction and receiving feedback on their writing tasks by the instructor as a sole evaluator. On the other hand, the students in the experimental group were exposed to computer based instruction and their writing class was conducted in the Computer Laboratory. The research design adopted for the present study was quasi-experimental with a pre-test, post-test control group design. A pre-test was given to both groups at the beginning of the semester. The results of the post-test (pen-and-paper writing) revealed that the students in the experimental group outperformed their counterparts in terms of using appropriate articles and tense. The findings support our claim that computer based instruction helps students to improve their writing skills. The automatic feedback which they received through Microsoft Word Office along with the comments and suggestions provided by the instructor on their writing tasks activated their common sense, linguistic competence, and logic to correct their own errors.