ERIC Number: EJ1120560
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0952-3987
EISSN: N/A
The Application of Podcasting as an Instructional Tool to Improve Turkish EFL Learners' Speaking Anxiety
Hamzaoglu, Harika; Koçoglu, Zeynep
Educational Media International, v53 n4 p313-326 2016
The present study was designed to investigate: (a) the effect of podcasts in EFL students' oral performance, (b) the effect of podcasts in EFL students' speaking anxiety, (c) the relationship between speaking anxiety and oral performance, and (d) EFL students' perceptions of using podcasts. This study was conducted in a high school in Istanbul, Turkey. The students in two ninth-grade classes in the subject school were given the anxiety questionnaire, consisting of 24 items related to general foreign language class anxiety and in-class activities. A total of 30 students with the highest anxiety levels were chosen among these students. The oral performances of these students were evaluated through the Test of Spoken English and the students were also interviewed about their speaking anxiety and their oral performances. For 12 weeks, the control group followed the course book and did the speaking activities in it, while the experimental group created podcasts in addition to those activities. At the end of 12 weeks, the participants were given the anxiety post-test, the post-interview, and the oral performance post-test. The perceptions of the students in the experimental group of podcasts were examined through three interviews during the study. The results of the study showed that students who used podcasts had higher oral performance and lower speaking anxiety levels than the students who did not use podcast; and there was a negative relationship between the participants' oral performances and speaking. The analysis of the interviews on podcasts revealed that the students believed podcasts helped them feel not or less anxious, and more confident; improve their oral performances and pronunciation; and expand their vocabulary.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Multimedia Instruction, Multimedia Materials, Speech Communication, Speech Skills, Speech Improvement, Anxiety, English (Second Language), Oral English, Student Attitudes, Grade 9, Questionnaires, Teaching Methods, Instructional Effectiveness, Quasiexperimental Design, Pretests Posttests, Interviews, Intermode Differences
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Grade 9; Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education; High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Turkey (Istanbul)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A