Podcasting as a tool to develop speaking skills in the foreign language classroom

• Main Authors: Mario Tomé Díez, Marlisa Amanda Richters
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universitat Politècnica de València 2020-03-01
• Series: The EUROCALL Review
• Subjects: podcasting; speaking skills; pronunciation; foreign language acquisition
• Online Access: https://polipapers.upv.es/index.php/eurocall/article/view/13191

It is essential for foreign language learners to have adequate opportunities for speaking in order to enhance the acquisition of oral communicative competence. Although research over the last few years has dealt with the potential of podcasting for the development of oral competencies, little has been done towards its application in the improvement of speaking skills or the correction of pronunciation. This article presents experiments with podcasts developed in French foreign language classes over the course of ten years. The results obtained relate to the following three aspects: firstly, selection and analysis of the available tools fostering greater oral activity and effective correction of pronunciation; secondly, the quantification of spoken language according to the actual duration of the podcasts, as well as preparation time estimated by the students; finally, the evaluation of spoken language using certain indicators of improvement of pronunciation.