Beyond Determinism and Instrumentalism: Re-Conceptualizing Technology for CALL

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Author(s): Sardar M. Anwaruddin (St. Francis Xavier University, Canada)
Copyright: 2018
Pages: 14
Source title: Applications of CALL Theory in ESL and EFL Environments
Source Author(s)/Editor(s): James Perren (Alliant International University, USA), Kenneth B. Kelch (Alliant International University, USA), Jin-suk Byun (Alliant International University, USA), Seth Cervantes (Alliant International University, USA)and Setareh Safavi (Alliant International University, USA)
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-2933-0.ch002

Keywords: Education / Educational Technologies / Information Science Reference / Web-Based Teaching & Learning

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Abstract

The primary goal of this chapter is to review two dominant theories of technology and propose a new direction of theory and practice for teaching and learning of English as an additional language. I describe this new direction as a cultural theory of technological mediation. The chapter is divided into three sections. In the first section, I review some dominant theoretical approaches in the literature on CALL. In the second section, I discuss two theories of technology: technological determinism and technological instrumentalism. In the third section, I argue that both determinism and instrumentalism have remained as dominant theoretical approaches in the field of CALL. I discuss why both of these approaches are problematic. Then I propose an alternative to these theoretical approaches. I conclude the chapter by providing three pedagogical principles and a set of heuristic questions that may be helpful for language teachers and language-education researchers.

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