ABSTRACT
Those of us who have been doing research for some time in computer-assisted language learning (CALL) tend to selectively read reports by the same researchers repeatedly within one theoretical perspective. This can lead to feeling at home within our assumptions, frameworks, and theories and extrapolating this comfort to a sense of knowing the overall layout of CALL. In 1 hour of everyday work, encountering a different perspective is a rare occurrence. However, an experience that exposes us to alternatives, such as attending the 2003 WorldCALL conference, can shake loose bearings and unearth feelings of disorientation. There attendees could float from one perspective to another, drifting from one set of assumptions to another. In those circumstances, the range of disparate points of view on CALL research became obvious. From room to room, seasoned voices spoke, and newer voices emerged. Bernstein (1976), noting a similar experience in a different field, described the resulting sound as “a virtual babble of voices demanding our attention” (p. xii).
