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The researchers utilized student blogs in an integrated CALL program for low proficiency, low motivation Japanese university language learners in a seven-day intensive English course in September 2004. The program included tasks completed both on computers and in traditional classrooms. In this paper, the researchers describe learner gains in writing fluency by comparing the number of words and word frequency levels in student blogs at the beginning and at the end of the program. On the first day, the student blog entry average word count was less than 35 words over a 20-minute period. Nearly all words produced fell within the most frequent 1000 word level. By the end of the CALL program there was nearly a 350% increase in the number of words used in students’ blog entries, as well as a substantial increase in the number of 2000 word level and even lower frequency level words. |
