ENHANCING LISTENING COMPREHENSION THROUGH PODCASTS AND ONLINE RESOURCES FOR A2 STUDENTS
Keywords:
Keywords: listening comprehension, A2 learners, podcasts, online resources, scaffolding, digital learningAbstract
Abstract: Listening comprehension is widely recognized as one of the most
challenging skills for A2 learners of English. At this proficiency level, learners are
expected to understand short, slow-paced utterances on familiar topics, yet often
struggle to extract meaning from authentic input. Recent technological advances have
made podcasts and online resources easily accessible, offering multimodal and
interactive support for language development. This paper investigates how podcasts
and online listening tools can be integrated into A2-level English classrooms to
enhance listening comprehension. Drawing on systematic literature review and
thematic analysis of recent studies (2005–2024), the article identifies pedagogical
strategies, scaffolding techniques, and assessment models for effective
implementation. Findings reveal that podcasts, when combined with pre-listening
scaffolds, comprehension checks, transcripts, and post-listening communicative tasks,
significantly improve learners’ decoding skills, vocabulary retention, and confidence.
Online resources further support personalization, multimodal engagement, and
autonomous learning. The paper concludes with practical recommendations for
teachers, highlights current limitations in research on low-level learners, and suggests
future directions.
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