THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS USED IN CALL STUDIES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

In the last three decades, there has been a great interest in the field of Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL). As a newly flourished area, CALL borrowed or adapted theories from other disciplines, such as second language acquisition, linguistics, psychology and education; however, it is still questioned how these theories are modified, utilized and integrated into CALL research. In this study, the articles published in Computer Assisted Language Learning, System, British Journal of Educational Technology, and Language Learning and Technology between 1997 and 2018 were analyzed and the suggested theoretical frameworks for the research studies were examined. First, the articles without any explicit theoretical frameworks were eliminated. Second, the articles with specific theories were categorized and discussed in categories. At the end of the study, it was found that the prominent theoretical frameworks used in the last two decades were Social Constructivism, Sociocultural Theory, and Interactionist SLA in CALL studies. As for further studies, it can be claimed that these prominent theories will continue to be adopted by the researchers no matter what kind of new tools and platforms emerge for educational purposes. These findings might help researchers to better understand the past and the present situation of CALL research and to design further studies.