PODCASTING IN PRE-SERVICE LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION

This study aims to investigate the perceptions of pre-service language teachers towards the use of podcasts. For this reason, participants of this specific study were exposed to the Methodology Course in the ELT Department of Cukurova University embedded with web based platform including podcasts to be listened and discussed throughout the 2014-1015 Fall Term. The 22 participants of the course were third year ELT students involving 15 female and 7 male students. The study gives a comprehensive picture of this randomly chosen class case. The web site has been constructed for the needs and interests of the participants of the course and has comprised of downloadable podcasts, podcast-related weekly tasks, and a reflection log. The theoretical background of this specific study is based on social constructivism where a collaborative learning environment is mostly created. Combining both qualitative and quantitative data, a mixed method research design is used. Questionnaire prepared by the researchers, semi-structured face-to-face interviews and learners’ reflections are chosen for collecting data to ensure triangulation. The questionnaire and interviews were held at the beginning and the end of the course and results were discussed comparatively. Qualitative data were analyzed through SPSS program involving descriptive statistics mainly. The content analysis was conducted with the qualitative data of the study. After delving into related literature, related themes were discussed and the emerging themes were formed based on the researchers’ double checking process. The results of the study reveal that language learners do really benefit from referring to podcast in their methodology course. There is also some negativity discussed regarding podcast integration. This study may also have some crucial implications for curriculum designers, material developers, language instructors, and students.