Computer-assisted language learning (CALL) and a method of foreign language teaching

This paper has been written in the process of developing a theoretical background for the employment of microcomuputers in teaching Polish as a foreign language in the Polonia Research Institute of the Jagiellonian University. The author points out the influence various methods and techniques of language instruction have had on CALL, and he provides some evidence that CALL is not a single instructional method. His purpose in discussing some of the unique features of CALL is to show that CALL may be an effective tool in language instruction which in addition provides teachers with some new perspectives. The lack of any significant research in CALL in Poland forces the author to illustrate his points with foreign experiences in the field, mostly American. Finally, conclusions are drawn which clarify the role of the microcomputer in the instructional process and constitute valuable implications for the future research in the field of teaching Polish with the aid of the microcomputer