Podcast-based instruction and listening development in A2 English as a Foreign Language high school learners: A pre-experimental study

Abstract

This study explored the use of podcast-based instruction to improve the listening comprehension skills of a group of high school EFL students. The study used one group pre-test post-test design with survey data. Twenty-three students from technical high schools at A2-level took part. The listening evaluation, adapted from Rahmi et al. (2025), measured prediction, gist understanding, and the retrieval of specific information and inferences. The self-evaluation survey was modified from Kavaliauskien? (2008) to evaluate students’ views on involvement, motivation and listening development. The intervention incorporated short educational podcasts between 1 to 6 minutes in ELLLO platform for A2 learners, with pre-listening, while-listening and post-listening tasks. Results indicated an overall improvement in listening development following the instructional sequence. A major limitation of the study is the lack of a control group. Hence, results should be interpreted as an observed improvement of the instructional sequence rather than evidence of causality. The survey responses suggested generally positive sentiments concerning the use of podcasts in educational contexts. The results indicate that podcast-based activities can be a valuable adjunct to listening instruction if they are adequately scaffolded and adapted to the learners’ level of competence. These findings contribute to the understanding of how structured podcast-based instruction can support both cognitive and affective dimensions of listening development in secondary EFL contexts.