Are We Conditioned to Follow Links? Highlights in CALL Materials and Their Impact on the Reading Process

This article argues the case for evaluation of some of the additional features of CALL materials designed to enhance second-language reading comprehension. The experiment carefully analysed the effects of highlights indicating a link towards dictionary definitions on the second language reading process. The findings demonstrate that randomly highlighting words in a text on screen influences the amount of vocabulary incidentally learned by the reader. Moreover, the results strongly indicate that reading in a highlighted or marked setting is fundamentally different from reading a text in an unmarked condition. This calls for reflection on how to present the learner with the enhancements of CALL.