How free should students be? A case from CALL: computer-assisted language learning

Abstract In the field of CALL (Computer-Aided Language Learning) it is often believed that freedom for the learner with respect to choice of how to learn presents an advantage compared to traditional teaching and learning methods. The experiments described in this paper show that freedom used inappropriately may result in ineffective learning. Hence the suggestion is made to make freedom in CALL dependent on achievement on specific tasks. The experiments also show that one widely used type of CALL exercise, even when carried out as required by the system developer, does not result in better learning.