Testing a System that Supports Children in Learning English as a FL: Implications for a More Effective Design

This paper reports on a study carried out to evaluate how a group of Italian children interacts with PARLING, a CALL system for foreign language learning of English that includes automatic speech recognition technology. The tests, which are based on current methodological guidelines for the development of these types of learning environments, allowed the developers to identify limitations in the system that may have otherwise reduced its pedagogical effectiveness. The results thus confirm the importance of involving users in the test and further development of a CALL system.