CALLing Student Teachers. Modern Language Student Teachers and their Perceptions of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) in Initial Teacher Education

Doctoral Thesis / Dissertation from the year 2023 in the subject Pedagogy - Media Pedagogy, grade: Pass, University of Ulster, language: English, abstract: The perceptions of student teachers on Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) remain underexamined in literature. This mixed methods study explored the perceptions of Modern Language (ML) student teachers to CALL at commencement and completion of Initial Teacher Education (ITE) in 2020/21. These student teachers were in seven institutions across England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It was found that student teachers were less positive about CALL usage at the end of their ITE programmes. Self-directed learning also overtook university education to become the primary channel of CALL knowledge acquisition for student teachers at ITE close. A total of thirty factors were found to influence the CALL behaviours of student teachers. The issue of workload was especially significant in follow-up focus groups. The CALL behaviours of student teachers also diverged from their initial expectations. However, these findings were not a one-size-fits-all for the whole student teacher population. There was evidence of local diversity between and within whole UK jurisdictions. Student teachers collectively suggested twelve recommendations to enhance CALL instruction in Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) and Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) courses. This investigation has produced a new and original theoretical framework that depicts the student teacher pathway to CALL adoption. The Student Teacher CAL Acceptance Model (STCAM) has been designed, tested, and refined over the course of my research project.