由創新擴散理論探討大專英文教師使用電腦輔助語言教學之信念

Abstract

教師信念與教學實踐間關係緊密，且電腦輔助語言教學（CALL）為時下英語教學一大趨勢，許多研究致力於探討電腦輔助語言教學的成效，然而對於教師對使用CALL的信念並未獲得足夠的研究關注。教師既為教學主體之一，其信念將影響CALL在教學上的使用成效，因此瞭解其潛在的影響因素將有助於CALL的推廣。有鑑於以往文獻對此議題關注之不足，本研究之主要目的為調查教師對於CALL的信念以瞭解CALL在台灣大專院校使用的現況，並藉由創新擴散理論（Diffusion of Innovation）來分析教師教學上的問題與需求。 本研究以全台大專院校的英語教師為研究對象進行問卷調查與訪談，希望瞭解教師對於CALL的看法及實施現況，同時針對教師所面臨的困境及需要協助之處提供具體建議。問卷含有五大類別：相對優勢 (Relative Advantages), 相容性(Compatibility), 複雜性(Complexity), 試用性(Trialability), 與可觀察性( Observability)。回收問卷共計186份，有效問卷共計176份。另亦針對9位大專英語教師進行深入訪談，以便充分反映教師的意見。研究結果發現：(1) 聽力與閱讀為CALL最常運用的教學項目；(2)本研究所調查與CALL相關的四項應用領域包含：超/多媒體、E化教學平台、線上參考工具與學習網站均為大部分教師所知，且運用在其教學中；(3)每週使用電腦時數在使用CALL與未使用CALL兩組教師間有顯著差異； (4)問卷中的五大類別均為教師考量使用CALL時的主要因素（M值 > 3）;試用性(Trialability)與相對優勢 (Relative Advantages)分數最高；而試用性(Trialability)與相容性(Compatibility)為預測CALL使用率最顯著的兩因素。教師教學所需之配套措施則包括：充分有效的在職訓練、電腦技術方面的支援、軟硬體及時更新、教師社群間的互助合作管道等。對於教學上應用CALL的建議如下：教師自身對於科技知識應持續更新、行政者需重視教師的教學風格與需求、教師需謹慎考慮課程性質、學習者的需求與投入重於技術操作。 本研究的發現證實CALL雖為一流行趨勢，教師在實際教學應用上仍有其諸多考量與限制。若要將CALL更成功地運用於英語教學，除了問卷調查中五、大潛在影響因素，尚須將其他相關因素如學習者的參與、課程性質與行政資源充足與否納入考量。

Teachers’ beliefs play an important role in understanding the actual practices of classroom instruction. CALL is a relatively intriguing area prevailing throughout the last few decades in language teaching and learning. However, most of the literature on CALL has been concerned with the pedagogical effectiveness of different types of technology or computer programs in language teaching. Research on teachers’ beliefs about using CALL has often been ignored, resulting in research which explores the link between language teachers’ beliefs and their use of CALL is relatively rare. The present research aims to examine the underlying factors affecting the adoption of CALL in Taiwan based on the theoretical model of “Diffusion of Innovation Theory” proposed by Rogers (1995). A questionnaire partly modified from Martins et al (2004) was administered to 186 college English teachers to identify the possible factors for adopting CALL-related resources as a vehicle to teach English at colleges. Five attributes were explored in the survey, including Relative Advantages of CALL compared with other instructional methods or tools, Compatibility with teachers’ existing values and experiences, Complexity to understand and adopt CALL, Trialability of CALL prior to adoption, and Observability of the teaching results. In addition, semi-structured and in-depth individual interviews were conducted to elicit relevant data to make a more comprehensive investigation. Data analysis of the questionnaires involved descriptive statistics, independent t-test, Chi-square, and logistic regression. The major findings suggested the following: (1) listening and reading were the two language skills with the highest adoption rate of CALL; (2) the four major CALL categories including hypermedia/multimedia, E-learning delivery platform, on-line reference tools and learning websites were generally known and accepted by most teachers; (3) weekly computer using hours showed significant difference between CALL and non-CALL groups of teachers; (4) among the five attributes in Rogers’ theory, Trialability was the most significant factor to predict teachers’ adoption rate of CALL. This study would shed some light on the understanding of language teachers’ beliefs about CALL and raise their awareness of the benefits and limitations of using technology in classroom. The results may provide both language teachers and school administrators a different view into teachers’ beliefs about the use of CALL. It is hoped that the field of foreign language teaching and learning may also benefit from insights into the potential factors for adopting CALL for English college teachers.