ANALYZING INFORMATION, COMMUNICATIVE AND TECHNOLOGICAL SUPPORT IN SKILLS’ DEVELOPMENT OF LANGUAGE LEARNERS IN OMAN

Abstract

This paper aims at examining information, communicative and technological support of linguistic and generic skills’ development of EFL learners currently existing in the Language Centre of Sultan Qaboos University in Oman. It is founded on understanding the importance of contemporary progress in technologies for empowering language teachers and learners with a variety of information and communication tools (Scully, 2008) and computer software programs that imbibe from “all the specifically human characteristics of development” (Vygotsky, 1987, p.210) and reside on such features as flexibility, facility of access, open dialogue, prompt response to feedback, learning from all parties involved, collaborating, imitating, creating personal learning environments and shared information resources. The examination is conducted from a multidimensional perspective in relation to the concepts of source of learning, support to learning and teaching, stimulation and motivation, and reference (Dudley-Evans, 1998).