If you’re teaching and researching Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL), you may be interested in the following Call for Papers for a special issue to be published in CALICO Journal, the official journal of the Computer Assisted Learning International Consortium.
The special issue is edited by Carolyn Blume (TU Dortmund), Jules Bündgens-Kosten (Goethe University Frankfurt) and Peter Schildhauer (Bielefeld University), who note that:
There are many ways that digital media, tools, and practices for language learning can accommodate learners who have physical or sensorial preferences, who are neurodivergent or who experience chronic illness. Some of these tools, applications, and activities are designed especially for specific groups of these learners, while others might achieve usefulness through universal design, similar accessibility-focused perspectives, or even incidentally. Hockly (2016) points to several studies that illustrate how “everyday technologies,” such as multimedia texts, voice recording apps, and individualized systems can support language learning for disabled English language learners in TESOL contexts. Such developments can theoretically lead to improved CALL for all, as a wider variety of individual needs among diverse learners drives didactic and technological advancement and adaptivity. However, much remains to be done.
Call for papers
To further explore how digital tools and digital communication practices can contribute to more inclusive teaching across different contexts, the editors invite proposals for chapters on topics including (but not limited to) the following:
- Evaluations of existing CALL tools and materials with a focus on the target groups outlined above;
- Analyses of existing barriers in CALL;
- Conceptual and empirical work related to CALL and different dimensions of heterogeneity (including, but not limited to, physical or sensorial differences, neurodiversity, cognitive ability, chronic illness, language modality);
- Conceptual and empirical work related to language educators and their perspectives, needs as well as necessary competences regarding the implementation of CALL in the target groups outlined above.
Important dates
| Proposal submission deadline | 15th May 2024 |
| Invitation for chapter submission | 30th August 2024 |
| Chapter submission deadline | 1st December 2024 |
| Revisions submission deadline | 1st June 2025 |
| Final revisions deadline | 15th August 2025 |
| Issue publication | February 2026 |
Submission process
Authors interested in submitting a paper should prepare an initial proposal (750 words max.) to the editors at the email addresses listed below. For empirical contributions, this should describe the theoretical framework and justification of the study, research questions and methods, any findings available and implications for teaching and research. For theoretical papers, the proposal should describe a clearly articulated challenge and proposed solution.
After initial review, selected authors will be invited to submit a full chapter (8,500 words max., incl. abstract and references). Invitation at this stage does not guarantee eventual acceptance, as the papers will undergo peer-review.
More information
You can access the full call for papers by clicking on the link below.
Queries can be addressed to the editors:
- Carolyn Blume (carolyn.blume [at] tu-dortmund [dot]de)
- Jules Bündgens-Kosten (buendgens-kosten [at] em.uni-frankfurt [dot] de)
- Peter Schildhauer (peter.schildhauer [at] uni-bielefeld [dot] de).
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