Call Dimensions: Options and Issues in Computer-Assisted Language Learning (Book Review‪)‬

CALL Dimensions: Options and Issues in Computer-Assisted Language Learning Mike Levy and Glenn Stockwell 2006 ISBN 080585634X US $ 29.95 (paperback); US $89.95 (hardcover) 310 pp.+xviii Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Mahwah, New Jersey CALL Dimensions: Options and Issues in Computer-Assisted Language Learning is based on a detailed analysis of a corpus of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) works and papers. By creating a thesaurus of CALL descriptors, such as "design" and "evaluation", which are termed identifiers (p. 255) in the book, the authors, Mike Levy and Glenn Stockwell, are able to describe each corpus article and identify its areas of study. The frequencies of the identifiers' usage were then counted and the seven most frequently used identifiers (design, evaluation, computer-mediated communication (CMC), theory, research, practice, and technology) are used in the book as chapter titles, also called dimensions of CALL. This approach enables the authors to develop a presentation of the most-researched areas in CALL, based on published papers in the field. However, the field of CALL can never be perceived as a discipline consisting of separate constituent parts because of the multiple aspects that need to be taken into consideration when practicing or researching it. Therefore, discussing these identifiers, or dimensions, individually may be misleading for the formation of a complete picture of the field. For example, it is unrealistic to talk about CALL design (Chapter 2) without mentioning evaluation, CMC, second language acquisition (SLA) theory, or technology, because these are the factors that determine design choices and process. To cope with this problem, the last section of the book (Chapter 9, Integration, and Chapter 10, Emergent and Established CALL) is devoted to helping readers form a holistic and integrated understanding of the field.