Supporting Diversity in CALL Settings: A Study of Teacher Trainers’ Perceptions and Practices

Abstract

Inclusive education in language learning and teaching is nowadays seen as difficult and even impractical. Although legislative and educational systems require inclusive practices to be adopted and embedded within pedagogy, neutral and even negative attitudes and practices toward students with disability are a common trend among language teachers in numerous countries. Likewise, the role of diversity, inclusion and individual differences in computer-assisted language learning (CALL), which has been shown to have the potential to enhance students’ language learning, has been scarcely explored, especially concerning teacher trainers’ perceptions. In this light, this qualitative study explores the attitudes towards attention to diversity and inclusion within CALL held by Spanish Higher Education language teacher trainers (n = 5). Findings show that participants tend to use technology to improve students’ learning but also to address diversity through CALL, especially by promoting independent work and personalizing learning through adapted materials adjusted to cognitive levels and additional time. Moreover, classroom observation seems to be the best method to understand learners’ preferences, readiness and necessities, according to participants. Ultimately, this study shows that teacher trainers believe that CALL can effectively address learner diversity by providing personalized learning experiences tailored to individual needs, preferences, and learning paces.