Review of CALL Development over 30 Years in China

The integration of computer, multimedia and networks into foreign language curriculum is significant in that it leads to the changing of teaching and learning modes, teaching and learning environments, relationship between instructors and learners, and even the whole foreign language education. The concepts of CAI, CAL and CALL are defined. The thirty-year history of CALL in China is divided into three stages. The initial stage is that of epidiascope and type recorder assisted instruction when the theory of behaviorist instruction dominated and the educational philosophy was student-centered. The second stage is that of communicative CALL when computer hardware and software technology developed at a marvelous speed, and attention was drawn to learners' active learning. The third stage is that of integrative CALL when computer and network technology is normalized in language teaching, instructors' leading role and learners' subject status are fully strengthened, and constructivism plays an essential role in the practice of CALL. As analyzed, the future study of CALL will be focused on learner variable and environment variable, since among the three variables of CALL, instructor variable has obtained a great deal of attention while the other two are ignored.