The Importance of Multimedia CALL Software as a Facilitator for Teaching General English to Teacher- Students

Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) is an established field of academic inquiry with distinct applications for second and foreign language teaching and learning. It involves the use of technology in the form of computers ranging from software to the Internet (Hewer, 2007). The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of using CALL software, created by the researcher, on learning and retention of vocabulary by Farhangian University students. In order to investigate this topic, 120 male students were selected from among the teacher students in Shahid Beheshti Campus. They were randomly assigned to two groups as the experimental and the control groups with the experimental group receiving instruction using the multimedia CALL software and the control group receiving traditional instruction using printed text materials. The results showed that the participants of the CALL group significantly outperformed the traditional group (p<.05) in both recall and retention of the words.