Impact of Technology Enhanced Language Learning (TELL) in promoting ESL learners’ reading comprehensibility and skills: students’ and teachers’ perceptions

Abstract

The paper documents on the learners’ and teachers’ attitudes, preferences and priorities in technological implementation in the ESL reading context of Bangladesh. The research is conducted among 3 Government-based Bangla Medium Schools and 1 NGO-based English Version School in Dhaka city. The specified schools were chosen by the researcher based on their availability of technological applications and its usage in language classrooms. The qualitative and quantitative data of the research showed relevance with that of former study by Patel(2014), Parvin(2014) etc. in favor of technological modes. The study reflects that technology plays a pivotal role in producing Krashen’s(1991) low affective filter in pedagogical reading environment and, thus, promoting the learners’ reading comprehensibility. However, the current research also provides more in-depth notion of the variation of learners’ and teachers’ opinion on the impact of technology in development of academic reading skills and sub skills, like skimming, scanning etc. This appears to be an unexplored and often neglected area in the domain of language learning and instruction giving for most Bangladeshi pedagogical settings. Again, the study also provides subjective and objective ideas about the possible limitations that tend to crop up in technologically advanced reading classes in an ESL context like Bangladesh