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Three Modes of CALL Communication
Richard Watson Todd
King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi

Abstract
One aspect of CALL which has received little attention in both research into and design of multimedia language learning software is the mode of CALL communication. By this I mean who the software user is interacting with and how they are interacting. Most multimedia software is designed for a one learner – one computer mode of communication. However, modes where learners interact with each other either face-to-face with two learners sitting at one computer or over a network could be integrated relatively easily into most software. This study compares three modes of CALL communication, namely, one learner to one computer, competitive face-to-face pairs, and networked pairs. To conduct the comparison, a program involving a noughts-and-crosses game and multiple-choice questions on collocation was designed. Findings show that learner-learner communication in the two paired modes was impoverished, but that learners preferred these modes and were more involved in learning in these paired modes.

The noughts-and-crosses/multiple-choice game in 3 versions (one-to-one learner computer; face-to-face competitive pairs, networked pairs) can be downloaded from this site.

Download the game

When you have downloaded the program, you will need to unzip it. Then, click on 'Setup' to install the program.

Thanks are due to Sukhanitta Poomdaeng for her help with the programming.