ABSTRACT
One of the earliest forms of CALL was the drill or pattern-practice exercise, an activity that reflected the structural orientation of L2 pedagogy in the late 1970s and 1980s. Although current language teaching practices emphasize meaning-focused language use, and learners are encouraged to process target structures in authentic discourse, the effectiveness of structure-based computer software tutorials for improving learner accuracy in the drilled structure has been noted from the earliest reviews of CALL effectiveness (see Dunkel, 1991) and continues up to the present (e.g., Marzio, 2000). The challenge, therefore, is to retain those elements that promote the development of accuracy while providing meaning-focused use of the target structure to enhance SLA. 1 This challenge is met by today’s language-learning software. Whereas early CALL software was text based and was characterized by low interactivity, today’s hypermedia programs provide students with instruction on and practice in using target forms, listening exercises, dictionary assistance, pronunciation exercises, translation, and communicative usages of the forms through authentic texts, sound, and video clips software (Cummins, 2002; Wachman, 1999).
