2.3.2 The Language Laboratory

By the 1960's, the industrial production of the magnetic tape recorder made possible the language laboratory. Teachers using the then popular Audio-Lingual Method could rely on this new technology to model and reinforce student verbal responses and "to leave to the lab all of the drudgery of drilling and pattern and keep for themselves the interesting aspects of instruction" (Harding Rodgers, 1985, p.23). Thus, the language lab was considered a "major breakthrough in language teaching methodology because of its potential to take the boredom out of the classroom" (Ibid.). Stern (1992) remarked: "Technology became a central feature of the new audio-lingual method and the language laboratory raised hopes of a new era" (p.10). Likewise, Underwood (1989) commented: "Early proponents of the language lab proclaimed noisily that these machines would prove to be the ultimate teacher's aid - a tireless drillmaster, a perfect pronunciation model, and a way to free the teacher for more intellectual pursuits in the classroom" (p.71).

In spite of the optimism surrounding this new technological innovation, the language laboratory is today seen by many "as an unfortunate venture that resulted in a loss of credibility for language education and a growing suspicion among teachers about the value of mediated language teaching in general" (Pederson, 1987, p.101). In her brief review of the literature from 1959-62, Pederson highlights the criticisms of the medium which point largely to the lack of adequate research available at the time to answer teachers' questions, to provide direction, to enable the development of appropriate materials, and, especially, to maximize the potential of the tool in order to use it to enhance language learning. With the demise of the Audio-Lingual Method and the increased interest in Communicative Language Teaching, laboratory use appeared less and less relevant to the goals of language teaching: "With a more active and communicative classroom, the work in the laboratory seemed dull and irrelevant" (Rivers, 1990, p.274).