Abstract:

DaRT is a Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) system for helping English as a Second/Foreign Language students master English articles. The system uses a diagrammatic reasoning tool described in previous studies (Yoshii, 1997, 1998) to present communicative contexts for exercises in choosing appropriate articles. These diagrams make explicit the "intent-assumption" factors involved in article choice for many situations and permit students and teachers to discuss these factors without relying on English language explanations which depend on concepts foreign to most Asian students. DaRT can generate numerous exercise sentences, provide help based on student interactions, and choose the next exercise based on student performance. DaRT functions, therefore, as a tutorial to help students acquire the skills necessary for analyzing and applying the "intent-assumption" factors in choosing English articles. This article describes the major stages of the project, provides details of the system components, and concludes with the results of an evaluation of the system by Japanese students.

Author: Rika Yoshii, Alastair Milne