Student Teachers and CALL: Personal and pedagogical uses and beliefs

The student teaching semester affords teacher candidates the chance to apply what they have learned during their teacher preparation coursework. Therefore, it can be a prime opportunity for student teachers to implement computer assisted language learning (CALL) and use technology for their own language learning. This study explores United States K-12 foreign language (FL) student teachers’ use of and beliefs about CALL technologies. Four research questions guide this study: (a) How are FL student teachers using CALL for personal language learning (if at all)? (b) What do FL student teachers report they believe about their own personal language learning using CALL? (c) How are FL student teachers using CALL pedagogically (if at all)? (d) What do FL student teachers report they believe about their teacher preparation in CALL? Data from 73 FL student teachers suggest FL student teachers do not feel well prepared to use CALL technologies pedagogically and that they have a limited repertoire of technology resources. Approximately 85% of these student teachers self-report their knowledge of CALL technologies as novice or intermediate. This article examines the virtues and shortcomings of FL student teachers’ preparation and use of CALL and offers suggestions for FL teacher education.