The Effects of Podcasts on Listening Comprehension and Listening Anxiety in Teaching Turkish as a Foreign Language

Podcasting is an innovative technology in language learning. In this study, the effect of podcasts on listening comprehension and listening anxiety of students who learn Turkish as a foreign language are examined. The sample consists of 61 students at the B2 level who learn Turkish as a foreign language in Afghanistan. Supplementary podcasts were sent to the experimental group once a week for six weeks. The students in the control group continiued their lessons with traditional methods. “Turkish Proficiency Test, “Foreign Language Listening Anxiety Scale”, “Participant Identification Form” were used as data collection tools. Findings revealed that there is a significant difference of listening comprehension post-test score between two groups, favoring experimental group. The anxiety levels of students in the experimental group were significantly lower than control group. The results of the study reveal that podcasts are an effective tool for teaching Turkish as a foreign language. Keywords: Listening anxiety, listening comprehension, podcast, teaching Turkish as a foreign language