Student Off-task Behavior and Motivation in the CALL Classroom

Recent research has suggested that the misuse of intelligent tutoring software is correlated with lower learning. This article investigates the frequency and impact of different kinds of off-task behavior in three intact CALL classrooms using two intelligent tutoring systems (DynED and ALC) for English language learning. Thirty Japanese university students in each class were observed for four weeks to investigate whether off-task behavior had an effect on performance. It was found that students seemed to engage in far less misuse of the software than was hypothesized, but that off-task behavior was nevertheless strongly correlated with overall performance and post-test scores. Further analysis suggests that two motivational factors (Attitude toward the Target Group and Perceived Usefulness of English) were good predictors of specific off-task behavior.