Podcast in Listening Class: A Student-Centered Strategy for Improving Listening Skills (A Quasi-Experimental Study of Second-Year English Education Students)

Abstract

One of the most important language skills is listening. However, university students often become passive listeners due to the dominance of traditional teacher-centered approaches. Thus, by contrasting its efficacy with traditional audio textbook materials, this study seeks to investigate the use of podcasts as an authentic, student-centered learning technique to enhance the listening skills of students in the English language education program. The participants consisted of 24 second-year students from an English Education Study Program at a private university in Ciamis. The sample was divided equally, with twelve students in the experimental group and twelve in the control group. The study employed a mixed-methods approach with an explanatory sequential design. In the first phase, a quantitative approach was conducted using a quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group design, while the second phase employed a qualitative approach through semi-structured interviews. The experimental group received podcast-based listening instruction, whereas the control group received conventional listening instruction using audio textbook materials. Data were gathered through 15-item multiple-choice pre-tests and post-tests as well as supplementary interviews involving six students, consisting of three students from the experimental group and three from the control group, who were selected through purposive sampling based on their achievement levels. The findings revealed that the experimental group's average listening comprehension score increased from 60.92 on the pre-test to 85.33 on the post-test. The N-Gain score was 0.65 (65%), which was categorized as "enough effective," and the Cohen's d effect size was 0.29, indicating a modest effect. Meanwhile, the average score for the control group increased from 65.25 to 80.25, with an N-Gain score of 0.46 (46%), categorized as "less effective." Although the Independent Samples t-Test indicated no statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups (*p* = 0.474 > 0.05), the Mann-Whitney U Test also confirmed that there was no statistically significant difference, with an Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) value of 0.597 (> 0.05). Therefore, the findings indicate that podcasts did not statistically outperform conventional listening instruction under the conditions of this study. Nevertheless, the higher N-Gain score and modest effect size in the experimental group indicate that podcast-based instruction showed practical potential for supporting students' listening development. The qualitative findings further explained the quantitative results. The interview data were analyzed thematically and revealed four main themes: learner control and flexibility, listening difficulties and learning barriers, topic relevance and engagement, and perceived benefits and limitations of podcast-based learning. The findings showed that students perceived podcasts as providing greater control and flexibility in the listening process because they could pause, rewind, replay, and adjust the audio speed according to their individual needs. Podcasts also encouraged students to engage with authentic English, vocabulary, different speaking styles, and topics related to their interests. However, students still experienced difficulties, particularly with unfamiliar vocabulary, different English accents, speaking speed, and maintaining concentration during independent learning. These findings suggest that podcasts can support student-centered learning by providing opportunities for learner control, flexibility, motivation, and engagement, although appropriate teacher guidance and material selection remain necessary. Therefore, the researcher suggests that instructors integrate podcasts into their lesson plans for listening classes, that students use them as a tool for independent learning, and that future researchers conduct similar studies with larger sample sizes and longer durations to establish stronger statistical validity.