The Effectiveness of CALL in the Palestinian Schools

Abstract

This study aimed at investigating the effect of CALL on primary school learners’ achievement in reading comprehension. It also investigated the effect of CALL on the learners' attitude in four areas: The importance of computer and Internet in learning, their attitudes toward using the computer and Internet in learning, the role of computer and Internet is improving the learners' language skills, and learners' anxiety towards using computers and the Internet. It also examines whether the availability of the computer, the Internet access, and the number of hours of using computer and Internet affect learners' attitudes and achievement. Finally, it investigates whether gender has an effect on the achievement or attitude in using CALL. The participants of the study are 265 EFL students of the eighth and tenth grades in Hebron; 127 females and 138 males. Their native language is Arabic. Two schools from the four schools participating in the experiment were chosen: one for boys and the other is for girls to form the experimental groups of 131 participants. The other two boys' and girls' schools form the control group of 134 participants. Results of the study which were collected through pre and post questionnaires and pre and post tests show that CALL affects EFL learners' achievement and attitudes in the four dimensions positively. Besides, attitudes and achievement aren't affected by gender. Therefore, results revealed that there were no statistically relationship between the attitudes of the students and their achievement due to gender.