Speaker
Description
Technological development and the effects of multimedia and virtual spaces on learners’ lives make educational institutions and educators explore new tools and strategies to learn the target language. Podcasts provide content available on the Internet and can become an influential teaching strategy that may enhance the teaching–learning process of EFL. This study aims to investigate the effect of audio podcasts on undergraduate students’ EFL linguistic competence. A sample of seventy-eight students was randomly distributed into a control and an experimental group during a semester at Foreign Trade University - HCMC. As instruments for data collection, the grades got from different skills in the pre and post-tests and different task performance scores were analysed in both groups. The methodological framework is defined as a quasi-experimental design that gives quantitative data. The results show that the hypothesis the creation and use of podcasts are beneficial for improving EFL linguistic competence, especially speaking and listening skills. Practical implications aimed at organising English language classes to enhance EFL proficiency are recommended for higher educational institutions.
Keywords: Podcasts, English as a foreign language, Linguistic competence, higher educational institutions
