Developing Listening Skills Among English as a Second Language Learners Through AI-Generated Podcasts: A Quasi-Experimental Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54855/callej.262722Keywords:
L2 Listening Skills, AI-Generated Podcasts, Google NotebookLMAbstract
Developing listening comprehension remains a persistent challenge in secondary school ESL education, exacerbated by a lack of scaffolded, learner-centered listening materials. This quasi-experimental study investigated how repeated exposure to AI-generated English-language podcasts via Google NotebookLM impacts listening performance among junior secondary ESL learners in Sri Lanka. The study also explored learners’ perceptions of using AI-generated podcasts to develop listening skills. Thirty purposively sampled Grade 9 students were divided into control (N-15) and experimental (N-15) groups. The experimental group interacted with customized NotebookLM podcasts prior to formal contact sessions. Paired-sample t-tests revealed a statistically significant improvement in the experimental group’s listening performance after the intervention (t(14) = -15.20, p < .001), with a mean increase of 6.6 points (SD = 1.68) from pretest to posttest. Qualitative insights indicated that while native-speaker accents posed initial challenges, the automated podcasts enhanced vocabulary familiarity, pronunciation awareness, and self-directed learning. This study demonstrates the importance of AI-Generated Podcasts to bridge resource gaps in developing listening skills.
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