Leveraging Podcasts for Reading Comprehension: Students' Perspectives
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31849/3d1xtj60Keywords:
EFL learners, podcasts, reading comprehension, qualitative description, students' perspectivesAbstract
Reading comprehension plays a fundamental role in English language learning, yet many university students continue to encounter challenges in understanding academic texts and engaging meaningfully with reading activities. This study aimed to describe students' perspectives on leveraging podcasts for reading comprehension and to identify the challenges and opportunities they experienced during the implementation of the learning activity. Employing a descriptive qualitative design, the study involved six English Department students at a private university in Malang who had completed the Reading course. Participants were selected through convenience sampling. Prior to the podcast sessions, participants independently read assigned texts and watched supporting videos on selected topics. Data were primarily collected through semi-structured interviews following the podcast sessions and analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings revealed that students perceived podcasts as an engaging learning medium that encouraged preparation, active discussion, and meaningful interaction with reading materials. Participants also reported challenges related to time management, technical issues, and speaking confidence during the learning process. Addressing a gap in prior podcast research, this study highlights students’ perspectives on podcasts as an interactive discussion medium following engagement with reading materials. The study suggests that podcasts can serve as an alternative instructional medium to facilitate reading comprehension while encouraging active participation in English language learning.
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