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Arab World English Journal (AWEJ) Volume 17. Number 1, March 2026 Pp. 469-485
Department of Modern European Languages, Faculty of International Trade and Law, State University of Trade and Economics, 19 Kyoto Str., 02156, Kyiv, Ukraine
Department of Modern European Languages, Faculty of International Trade and Law, State University of Trade and Economics, 19 Kyoto Str., 02156, Kyiv, Ukraine
Department of Modern European Languages, Faculty of International Trade and Law, State University of Trade and Economics, 19 Kyoto Str., 02156, Kyiv, Ukraine
Department of Modern European Languages, Faculty of International Trade and Law, State University of Trade and Economics, 19 Kyoto Str., 02156, Kyiv, Ukraine
Department of Modern European Languages, Faculty of International Trade and Law, State University of Trade and Economics, 19 Kyoto Str., 02156, Kyiv, Ukraine
The study examines the role of English-language podcasts in improving listening skills and motivation in EFL students. It addresses the need to integrate authentic digital audio into university courses to enhance auditory competence and intrinsic motivation. The aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of a systematic podcast-based programme across proficiency levels and to explore the relationship between listening improvement, vocabulary development, and motivation. The study involved 200 university students whose English proficiency ranged from A1 to C1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). A year-long pedagogical experiment was implemented, combining pre- and post-tests of listening and lexical competence with motivation questionnaires. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, paired-samples t-tests and Pearson correlation, and were complemented by qualitative analysis of students’ open-ended responses. The findings indicate a statistically significant improvement in listening performance at all proficiency levels, with the strongest gains observed among intermediate learners (A2–B1). Students’ self-reported motivation also increased, and improvements in listening were strongly and positively correlated with motivational growth. The study concludes that structured, podcast-based listening cycles are an effective way to integrate authentic media into English as a foreign language (EFL) courses, and recommends further research on long-term retention and differentiated podcast strategies for different proficiency levels.
Bielova, V., Harbuza, T., Nypadymka, A., Radchenko, Y., & Starosta, H. (2026). The Role of Podcasts in Improving Listening Skills for Students Learning English as a Foreign Language. Arab World English Journal, 17(1): 469-485
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Viktoriia Bielova has more than 25 years of teaching experience in the university and is the author of more than 100 scientific works (articles, collective monographs, textbooks etc.). Field of scientific interests: management in education, modern methods of teaching foreign languages, use of advanced technologies in learning foreign languages. She is a participant of the international scientific project SWorld, a member of the organizing committee (International scientific and practical conferences and symposia held within the framework of the scientific project SWorld) and a member of the editorial board of 3 international scientific journals (included in the scientometric databases Index Copernicus, Google Scholar): “Scientific look into the future” (Ukraine); “Modern engineering and innovative technologies” (Germany); “SWorld Journal” (Bulgaria). ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5427-8943
Tetiana Harbuza has more than 22 years of teaching experience at the university. Her field of specialisation, research interests, publications and presentations cover a wide range of topics related to foreign language education and professional communication. Among these are intercultural communication, the use of modern technologies and teaching methods in foreign language instruction, the integration of IT tools in learning and teaching foreign languages, and distance learning.
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000- 0002-2346-5156
Alla Nypadymka has more than 20 years of university teaching experience. Her research expertise encompasses linguopoetics, intercultural communication, and innovative technologies in foreign language education. She is the author of 3 monographs, over 40 articles, and over 20 educational publications. Her key research areas include foreign language communicative competence development, student motivation strategies, IT technologies in English language learning, and contemporary pedagogical approaches in language acquisition. Her work contributes to bridging theory and practice in modern language teaching methodologies. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3267-6323
Yuliia Radchenko is a Senior Lecturer of the Department of Modern European Languages at the State University of Trade and Economics. She has extensive experience in teaching English in higher education institutions. Her research interests focus on modern methods of teaching foreign languages, the use of advanced technologies in language education, distance learning, and intercultural communication. Her professional activities are focused on the integration of innovative digital tools into the process of teaching English for professional and academic purposes. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6534-4360
Hanna Starosta is Senior Lecturer at the Department of Modern European Languages, SUTE, Kyiv. Hanna Starosta possesses over 20 years of pedagogical experience in higher education. Her scholarly portfolio comprises more than 40 scientific and methodological publications. The scope of her scientific inquiry encompasses gender linguistics, articulatory and auditory phonetics, contemporary translation studies, and the methodology of teaching languages for specific purposes (LSP).
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3746-4648