Conference PaperPDF Available

A Study on Using Podcast to Facilitate English Listening Comprehension

Authors:

Abstract

While acquiring English as a foreign language, a consideration on providing a genuine English learning environment to learners can arouse a more active and direct immersion of the language learning. By the feature of authenticity, English listening comprehension has been seen as an important prerequisite to other language skills in English learning. Moreover, a different receiving listening process of bottom-up or top-down way might influence how learners comprehend the information. Besides, an appearance of pod cast is identified as a beneficial facilitation to foreign language learning, and through its usage might enrich the language learning efficiency. To this end, this study addresses these notions to concern how the pod cast can be an aid to advance alternative means of English listening comprehension to EFL learners. The findings discuss how and the distinction of the two different listening comprehended processing within pod cast affect learning outcome, the role of prior knowledge, background information, and pod cast among the learning procedure. The expected results tend to show the alternative listening comprehended processing would benefit EFL learners who engage in different prior knowledge and background of English learning experience. A concern of different English level learners might favor either distinct or alternate means of listening processing.
A Study on Using Podcast to Facilitate English Listening Comprehension
Mei-Jen Audrey Shih
Graduate Institute of Network Learning Technology
National Central University
Jhongli, Taiwan
audreyshih32@cl.ncu.edu.tw
Jie-Chi Yang
Graduate Institute of Network Learning Technology
National Central University
Jhongli, Taiwan
yang@cl.ncu.edu.tw
Abstract—While acquiring English as a foreign language, a
consideration on providing a genuine English learning
environment to learners can arouse a more active and direct
immersion of the language learning. By the feature of
authenticity, English listening comprehension has been seen
as an important prerequisite to other language skills in
English learning. Moreover, a different receiving listening
process of bottom-up or top-down way might influence how
learners comprehend the information. Besides, an
appearance of podcast is identified as a beneficial facilitation
to foreign language learning, and through its usage might
enrich the language learning efficiency. To this end, this
study addresses these notions to concern how the podcast
can be an aid to advance alternative means of English
listening comprehension to EFL learners. The findings
discuss how and the distinction of the two different listening
comprehended processing within podcast affect learning
outcome, the role of prior knowledge, background
information, and podcast among the learning procedure.
The expected results tend to show the alternative listening
comprehended processing would benefit EFL learners who
engage in different prior knowledge and background of
English learning experience. A concern of different English
level learners might favor either distinct or alternate means
of listening processing.
Keywords- listening comprehension; bottom-up processing;
top-down processing; prior knowledge, podcast
I. MOTIVATION AND BACKGROUND
In a counting with English as a Foreign Language
(EFL), how to acquire the foreign language, English
effectively has been considerably discussed. EFL learning
is distinct from the first language learning that is seen as a
procedure of information generation; in other words, as a
process of skill learning [1], [2], [3]. Previous studies
indicate that listening skill should be recognized prior to
other language skills due to its authenticity, applicability
and affection [4], [5], [6]. Moreover, by a notion of
receiving method, an alternative means of bottom-up and
top-down processing might influence and reflect on
language learning outcome respectively [7], [8]. Bottom-
up processing emphasizes on a local and linguistic
understanding, while top-down processing aims at a
global and comprehended cognition [9], [10], [11]. In
other words, the former way inclines to text-based
information processing while the latter one refers to a
knowledge-based means. In addition, except from
concerning how to obtain the listening skill, an aspect on
how the learning process of listening comprehension
might be altered via different learners’ prior knowledge
and background should also be taken into considerations
[11].
Listening comprehension is not valued as important as
it should be in practice, since reading and writing
comprehension play more prerequisite roles in EFL
learning through a sequence of grammatical rules and
sentence structures in nowadays’ English teaching and
learning environment. As a result, EFL learners have less
opportunity to engage in listening comprehension, and
more listening anxiety appears [12]. The learners might
just ignore or even give up on listening comprehension if
they have not gained any support.
The abovementioned problem might be due to a lack of
authentic material or environment for either instructors or
learners. The advent of podcast might be able to shape
and foster alternative learning experience [13] though it is
regarded as limited explorations in foreign language
learning, especially for empirically-based studies or in-
depth investigations [14], [15].
II. RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The issues involved include English listening
comprehension, bottom-up and top-down comprehended
processing, learners’ prior knowledge and background,
and the potential of podcast. An initial set of research
questions is designed to investigate the correlation among
the issues. The research questions are as follows:
A. How do the two contexts (bottom-up and top-
down processing) of podcast influence the process
of English listening comprehension?
B. What are the distinctions between the two contexts
(bottom-up and top-down processing) of podcast
for English listening comprehension?
C. To what extent do the prior knowledge and
background information affect English listening
comprehension using podcast?
D. What issues might be concerned while using
podcast for English listening comprehension?
III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
An experiment is designed to study the calling issues.
The target learners are Year ten students who have at least
three-year English subject learning in Taiwan, and two
classes of about 100 students would be participating in the
experiment. Before the experiment begins, students would
be divided into high level and low level English
proficiency groups without telling them the task
assignment. The independent variable is the two-way
comprehended contexts (bottom-up vs. top-down
processing) in order to inspect whether there is different
learning efficiency or not.
The experimental procedure would last for four weeks
which include one pilot study and three topics of podcast
on English listening. Pretest, posttest and questionnaire
results would be collected as quantitative data;
observation and semi-structured interview would be
arranged and supported to view as qualitative data
afterwards.
IV. CONCLUSION
The expected contributions from the initial stage of
research should give insight in distinguishing the
alternative contexts of English listening comprehension
and suggest the potential learning efficiency to English
listening comprehension respectively; though studies did
not clearly reveal the distinction and relevance [7], [8].
An expectation to show the use of authentic learning
material to enhance comprehension via podcast is actually
beneficial to learners. The study should also examine how
the prior knowledge and background information might
play as crucial elements to affect the learning process and
results according to different levels of English proficiency
learners.
Several studies [14], [15], [16], [17] demonstrated that
podcast supports foreign language learning positively, but
yet there were scanty of examinations to see the
relationship between different learning processes with
podcasts. Moreover, a study on ‘listening only’ or
‘reading while listening’ [18] can further explore more
possibilities on English listening comprehension and the
usage of podcast.
V. ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We would like to acknowledge the oncoming
participated target learners for the time in the experiment
and suggestions. This study is partially supported by grant
(NSC 97-2628-S-008-001-MY3) from the National
Science Council of Taiwan.
VI. REFERENCES
[1] Anderson, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the
source of learning and development. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
[2] DeKeyser, R. M. (1998). Beyond focus on form: Cognitive
perspectives on learning and practicing second language grammar.
In focus on form in classroom second language acquisition, 42-63.
Ed. by C. J. Doughty & J. Williams. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
[3] Dekeyser, R. M. (2001). Automaticity and automatization. In
Cognition and second language instruction, 125-151. Ed. by P.
Robinson, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
[4] Gary, J. O. (1975). Delayed oral practice in initial stages of
second language learning. In second language acquisiton research:
issues and implications. Ed. by W. C. Richie. New York:
Academic Press.
[5] Vandergrift, L. (1999). Facilitating second language listening
comprehension: Acquiring successful strageties. ELT Journal,
53(3), 168-176.
[6] White, G. (2006). Teaching listening: Time for a change in
methodology, In current trends in learning and teaching the four
skills within a communicative approach. Ed. by E. Uso & A.,
Martinez-Flor. Amsterdam: Moutonde Gruyter.
[7] Editorial. (2008). Emergent and divergent: A view of second
language listening research. System, 36, 2-9.
[8] Graham, S. (2006). Listening comprehension: The learners’
perspecitve. System, 34, 165-182.
[9] Hinkel, E. (2006). Current perspectives on teaching the four skills.
TESOL Quarterly, 40(1), 109-131.
[10] Mendelsohn, D. J. (1994). Learning to listen: A strategy-based
approach for the second language learner. Sandiego: Dominie
Press.
[11] Tsui, A. B. M. & Fullilove, J. (1998). Bottom-up or top-down
processing as a discriminator of L2 listening performance. Applied
Linguistics, 19(4), 432-451.
[12] Bekleyen, N. (2009). Helping teachers become better English
students: Causes, effects, and coping strategies for foreign
language listening anxiety. System, 37, 664-475.
[13] Kukulska-Hulme, A. & Shield, L. (2006). Are language learning
website special? Towards a research agenda for discipline-specific
usability. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia,
15(3), 349-369.
[14] Ducate, L. & Lomicka, L. (2009). Podcasting: An effective tool for
honing language students’pronunciation. Langauge Learning &
Technology, 13(3), 66-86.
[15] Young, D. J. (2007). iPods, MP3 players and podcasts for FL
learning: Current practices and future considerations. NECTFL
Review, 60, 39-49.
[16] Abdous, M., Camarena, M. M. & Facer, B. R. (2009). MALL
technology: Use of academic podcasting in the foreign language
classroom. ReCALL, 21, 76-95.
[17] Rosell-Aguilar, F. (2009). Podcasting for language learning: Re-
examining the potential. In the next generation: social networking
and online collaboration in foreign language learning, 13-34. Ed.
by L. Lomicka & G. Lord. Callico, Texas: San Marco.
[18] Chang, A. C. S. (2009). Gains to L2 listeners from reading while
listening vs. listening only in comprehending short stories. System,
37, 652-663.
... Other studies investigate the contributing use of technologies in the teaching of grammar (e.g., Van Deusen-Scholl et al, 2005;Shaalan, 2005), the teaching of vocabulary (e.g., Thornton & Houser, 2001;Loucky, 2002;Stockwell, 2007a;Lin, 2010;Wong & Looi, 2010), and pronunciation (e.g., Weinberg & Knoerr, 2003;Liakin et al, 2012). Also a number of studies report the positive effects of technologies on language skills including, for instance, the teaching of writing (e.g., Yoon, 2008;Lee & Bonk, 2009;Quintero, 2012), reading (e.g., Liu et al, 2010;Chang & Hsu, 2011), listening and speaking (e.g., Shih & Yang, 2011;Jepson, 2005;Lamy, 2004;Volle, 2005) (for specific technologies in detail, see Stockwell, 2007b, Levy, 2009. ...
Thesis
Full-text available
With the development of pocket electronic dictionary (PED), an increasing number of researchers and teachers begin to realize the relevance of incorporating PED into the English classroom more effectively and investigating the impact of PED on students’ English learning; however, most previous studies focus on the influence of PED on the overall performance of students by adopting quantitative methods or mixed methods; few studies concern the actual ways of using PED by students and explore the complexity of individuals under the influence of PED. This study explores into a one-year PED-assisted English teaching project on six Chinese students’ ways of learning with respect to their ways of using PED and their changes in ways of learning respectively. The six cases are from a model class in the eighth grade at a key middle school in Beijing. The qualitative case-study approach was used in this study in order to arrive at a holistic understanding of the students’ use of PED in a naturalist setting. Findings of the study show that the six cases demonstrated diversity in ways of using PED although they received the same instruction in the same classroom. PED changed the students’ ways of learning, but to different degrees, depending on other factors unique to each individual. The findings also indicated that PED with high portability could personalize students’ learning by building a seamless learning environment; in addition, PED facilitated students’ learner autonomy and stimulated their motivation, and helped construct a knowledge-building classroom by acting as a medium, thus making an impact on changing the traditional teacher’s role and students’ role. This study brings several implications for the integration of technology in English learning and teaching: technology should be better applied in English learning to empower students with greater autonomy in and out of class; teachers should timely adjust their roles in a technology-integrated classroom to be a co-constructor of knowledge together with the students; researchers should optimize the use of technology in English education by cooperating with both manufacturers and school teachers in order to improve teaching quality.
... Na sala de aula de língua estrangeira, o que qualquer professor pretende é que os seus alunos sejam "produtores", pois, só assim, poderão adquirir competência comunicativa. Aliás, vários autores afirmam que esta deveria ser reconhecida como a competência mais importante de todas devido à sua autenticidade e aplicabilidade (Shih & Yang, 2011;Vandergrift, 1999;White, 2006). Porventura, será mas também a mais difícil de adquirir, pois "aprender uma língua estrangeira demanda, necessariamente, interação, seja entre pessoas, meios e instrumentos para que a coconstrução de significados e, consequentemente, de conhecimento, sejam de facto materializadas" (Furtoso & Gomes, 2011, p. 1037. ...
Article
Full-text available
Resumo Num mundo globalizado onde temos pouco tempo para aceder à informação diferentes finalidades: produção oral ou compreensão oral. A análise dos estudos permitiu verificar que esta ferramenta traz um fator motivacional acrescido e proporciona a melhoria da aprendizagem de uma língua estrangeira. No entanto, várias questões ficam em aberto, abrindo portas para estudos futuros. Palavras-chave: podcast; língua estrangeira; produção oral; compreensão oral; portabilidade. Abstract In a globalised world, where time to access information and knowledge is little, podcasts emerge not only as a viable, practical, almost cost-free alternative, but also as a quite motivating teaching method which allows the student to play an active role in the knowledge acquisition process. The student is no longer a simple consumer; he is also a producer of online information. The aim of this work was to determine the potential of podcast in the acquisition of communicative
Article
Full-text available
Integrating Mobile Assisted Language Learning (MALL) technology (personal multimedia players, cell phones, and handheld devices) into the foreign language curriculum is becoming commonplace in many secondary and higher education institutions. Current research has identified both pedagogically sound applications and important benefits to students. In this paper, we present the results of an initial study which compares the academic benefits of integrating podcasts into the curriculum against using them as a supplemental/review tool. The study’s findings indicate that when instructors use podcasts for multiple instructional purposes (e.g., to critique student projects and exams, for student video presentations, for student paired interviews, to complete specific assignments, dictations, in roundtable discussions, or for guest lectures), students are more likely to use this technology and to report academic benefits. While the study is limited by small sample sizes and by some within-group variation in instructional techniques, the study provides initial evidence that podcast technology has the potential to provide greater benefits if it is used more than simply as a tool for reviewing. The study’s positive findings indicate that additional research to examine the effects of specific instructional uses of podcast technology is merited.
Article
Full-text available
Foreign language anxiety is a psychological factor that may crucially affect student performance. Although many researchers have investigated the effect of anxiety, few have studied listening comprehension. In particular, listening anxiety among language teachers has yet to be examined. This article reports the results of a study on foreign language listening anxiety (FLLA) among language teacher candidates (TCs). The research data was collected with the use of quantitative and qualitative methods, including two questionnaires, open-ended interviews and listening tests. The findings revealed that TCs had high FLLA levels. The respondents’ answers to the open-ended questions revealed that one source of their anxiety was the low priority placed on listening in their previous foreign language education. Another source of anxiety was their failure to recognize the spoken form of a known word, segments of sentences or weak forms of words. The main effects of FLLA were found to be avoidance and physical symptoms.
Article
Full-text available
This paper reports on the findings of an investigation into the perceptions held by English students aged 16–18 years regarding listening comprehension in French and how they view the reasons behind their success or lack of it in this skill. The study suggests that listening comprehension is the skill in which students in the post-compulsory phase of education feel they have achieved the least success. The main problems highlighted by learners were dealing adequately with the speed of delivery of texts, making out individual words in a stream of spoken French, and making sense of any words identified. Furthermore, most learners attributed their difficulties in listening to their own supposed low ability in the skill and to the difficulty of the listening tasks and texts set, with little awareness shown regarding the role played by ineffective listening strategies or skill application. Suggestions are made for addressing problems regarding how students listen and their attitudes towards listening comprehension.prs.rt("abs_end");KeywordsListening comprehension; Beliefs; Learner strategies; French as a foreign languageFigures and tables from this article:Table 1. Numbers of respondents to questionnaire by year group and genderView Within ArticleTable 2a. Areas of most success, by year groupView Within ArticleTable 2b. Areas of least success, by year groupView Within ArticleTable 3a. Attributions for success in listening, by year group (I’ve been most successful in listening because…)
Article
Full-text available
This paper reports on an investigation of podcasting as a tool for honing pronunciation skills in intermediate language learning. We examined the effects of using podcasts to improve pronunciation in second language learning and how students’ attitudes changed toward pronunciation over the semester. A total of 22 students in intermediate German and French courses made five scripted pronunciation recordings throughout the semester. After the pronunciation recordings, students produced three extemporaneous podcasts. Students also completed a pre- and post-survey based on Elliott’s (1995) Pronunciation Attitude Inventory to assess their perspectives regarding pronunciation. Students’ pronunciation, extemporaneous recordings, and surveys were analyzed to explore changes over the semester. Data analysis revealed that students’ pronunciation did not significantly improve in regard to accentedness or comprehensibility, perhaps because the16-week long treatment was too short to foster significant improvement and there was no in-class pronunciation practice. The podcast project, however, was perceived positively by students, and they appreciated the feedback given for each scripted recording and enjoyed opportunities for creativity during extemporaneous podcasts. Future studies might seek to delineate more specific guidelines or examine how teacher involvement might be adapted to the use of podcasts as a companion to classroom instruction.
Article
This article presents an overview of recent developments in second language (L2) teaching and highlights the trends that began in the 1990s and the 2000s and are likely to continue to affect instruction in L2 skills at least in the immediate future. Also highlighted are recent developments in instruction as they pertain specifically to the teaching of L2 speaking, listening, reading, and writing. In the past 15 years or so, several crucial factors have combined to affect current perspectives on the teaching of English worldwide: (a) the decline of methods, (b) a growing emphasis on both bottom-up and top-down skills, (c) the creation of new knowledge about English, and (d) integrated and contextualized teaching of multiple language skills. In part because of its comparatively short history as a discipline, TESOL has been and continues to be a dynamic field, one in which new venues and perspectives are still unfolding. The growth of new knowledge about the how and the what of L2 teaching and learning is certain to continue and will probably remain the hallmark of TESOL's disciplinary maturation.
Article
The abstract for this document is available on CSA Illumina.To view the Abstract, click the Abstract button above the document title.
Article
This study builds on the concept that aural–written verification helps L2 learners develop auditory discrimination skills, refine word recognition and gain awareness of form–meaning relationships, by comparing two modes of aural input: reading while listening (R/L) vs. listening only (L/O). Two test tasks (sequencing and gap filling) of 95 items, and a short questionnaire of immediate post-test perceptions were administered to 84 college students after listening to two stories of equal length and level. Overall test results show that students gained only 10% more with the R/L mode; however, students showed a strong preference for the R/L mode. The majority of the students perceived that listening in the R/L mode made listening tasks easier, the duration seem shorter, the stories more interesting, and they paid much better attention. With such a strong and positive effect on L2 listening, this study suggests R/L aural input mode could be used to develop L2 learners’ listening proficiency in the long run rather than merely to boost test scores in the short term. Teaching suggestions and scope for future research are also provided.