Integration of technology into language teaching: A comparative review study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to monitor the effectiveness of earlier and contemporary practices in the application of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in language learning/teaching. It was revealed that current literature on the effectiveness of technology uses in language education is very narrow and there are three aspects that stand out: (1) The number of well-structured and comprehensive studies about the effects of technology uses on language education was very diminutive, (2) the settings where the studies were handled were restricted to higher education, (3) the experiments were often short-term and they mostly focused on only one or two aspects of language learning (e.g., vocabulary acquisition). However, the existing studies based mostly on experimental data showed a pattern of positive effects when compared to the conventional methods of language instruction. In terms of differences between the research done outside and in Turkey, the theme that was studied in international literature was based on technology use for providing opportunities for communication while in Turkey the studies concentrated on providing access to materials.