The Effects of Intensive English Podcast Listening on High School Students’ Comprehension Skills and Impact on Learning Motivations

Abstract

Listening is one of the most essential basic skills in foreign language learning. In recent years, technological advances have provided students with a wide range of digital applications, including podcasts, to improve their listening skills. This study aims to determine the impact of intensive listening to English podcasts on high school students’ comprehension skills and motivation to learn. The research centers on the following questions: “Does intensive podcast listening in a foreign language improve high school English learners’ language comprehension competence? Does intensive podcast listening in a foreign language provide retention in high school English learners’ listening skills? Does intensive podcast listening in a foreign language increase high school English learners’ motivation for language learning?” The study sample consists of 27 male and 27 female students studying in the 10th grade of Atatürk Anatolian High School affiliated with Erzurum National Education Directorate in the second semester of the 2022 academic year. The podcast listening practices with the participants were conducted in two 40-minute class hours each week for 12 weeks. Podcasts with an average duration of three to six minutes in the BBC Learning English application were used in the study. Qualitative and quantitative research methods were used in the study. Quantitative methods were used to analyze the data, and qualitative methods were used to interpret them. The survey results show that podcasts improve English high school students’ listening skills and increase their motivation to learn. Podcasts make high school students willing to listen and understand English.