Podcasting in the development of the listening skill

Abstract

The accelerated growth of Information and Communication Technologies has a great influence in all areas of human activity. Specifically in education, its impact has been evident in many aspects of teaching-learning processes. In this research we analyzed the influence of Podcast, a tool categorized in web 2.0 technologies, in the development of Listening Skill. After proposing the theoretical and conceptual basis of support for the research, through an experimental design applied to students of the first semester of the career of the National University of Chimborazo, it was demonstrated that the use of this technological tool improved the listening skill of the students. To execute the experiment, two groups were generated, one of control and the other experimental; in the first, traditional learning strategies were applied with teacher-student interaction while, in the experimental group, Podcast was used intensively. At the end of the experiment a standardized test was applied to evaluate the listening skill, finding a significant statistical difference between the two groups which allowed to conclude that the tool does have an influence on the development of this skill. The average obtained in the experimental group was higher than that of the control group, which led to the conclusion that there was a positive and significant influence of the Podcast in the development of the listening skill. Therefore, a proposal focused on the intensive use of Podcasts for the teaching-learning process of the language, specifically to develop the skill object of this study, is put forward. According to the findings of the study, it is recommended to generate training courses on the use of this type of technology, aimed at teachers involved in teaching the English language and a second language in general.