Using Podcasts to Educate EFL University Students About Sustainability: An Action Research Study in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

The implementation of technology in language teaching is essential, as it can have a positive impact on the learning and teaching environment. For example, podcasts have been proven to be helpful to support learning. Therefore, the current study examines the use of podcasts to educate EFL learners about the important controversial issue of sustainability. In an exploratory stage of action research, a survey was conducted to evaluate the satisfaction of a convenience sample of 25 undergraduate EFL learners being educated about sustainability, following their use of podcasts on the topic as part of an English language listening and speaking course. The results revealed positive responses from the participants. As such, this study recommends the use of podcasts to educate EFL learners about sustainability through the medium of English and will proceed to further implementation.

1. Introduction

Innovative pedagogical strategies in English as a foreign language (EFL) contexts are necessary to foster the education of environmentally conscious and communicative citizens. The convergence of sustainability education and technology-mediated language learning offers a promising approach to address such an imperative. In particular, the extant literature emphasizes the core requirement for university students studying EFL to become proficient in their English listening skills, as well as obtaining knowledge of global topics such as sustainability. This reflects the nature of real-world communication, wherein the ability to listen and comprehend is essential, and where technology such as podcasts can support the development of English listening skills (Alfa, 2020). However, listening skills have often been somewhat neglected in traditional EFL teaching, with its general emphasis on reading comprehension and grammar knowledge.

Nevertheless, podcasts have been extensively researched for their benefits in language classes (Dolzhenkov et al., 2021; Indahsari, 2020). In previous research, podcasts have been found to be very helpful and motivating for language learners to develop their language skills in general. Meanwhile, considering controversial matters that EFL learners need to become familiar with is a must. One of these matters is related to sustainability. Consequently, they should be able to understand the underlying problems and consider possible solutions, with the appropriate ability to understand and talk about sustainability. However, since this topic is not included in higher education curricula in Saudi Arabia—the present research context—and more specifically, it does not form part of the English language and literature curriculum for undergraduate EFL learners, podcasts are proposed as materials for a non-graded extracurricular activity for these students. Accordingly, this study investigates the transformative power of technology, namely podcasts, to ascertain the satisfaction of EFL students being educated about sustainability in this manner. Hence, the study seeks to establish a foundation for investigating the effectiveness of podcast-based learning, in order to help EFL university students learn about sustainability and engage with the topic in real life. Correspondingly, the current study addresses the following research question:

To what extent are undergraduate EFL students satisfied with listening to podcasts as a means of learning about sustainability?

To answer this research question, the following objectives were identified:

• To investigate students’ opinions of using podcasts to introduce them as EFL learners to the topic of sustainability.
• To draw additional recommendations from the research results for using podcasts as a technology tool in extracurricular activities.

2. Literature Review

2.1. Significance of Sustainability Education: Equipping the Next Generation

The 21st century has presented humanity with unprecedented challenges, especially with respect to conserving essential resources and protecting the planet. This necessitates a dramatic shift toward more sustainable practices. As one of the cornerstones of society, university education must therefore equip students with the necessary knowledge and skills to navigate the complex and sometimes contradictory topic of sustainability (Lyons et al., 2001). Overall, sustainability education cultivates environmental literacy, critical thinking in terms of resource management, and the capacity to make informed decisions for a more equitable and ecologically sound future (Leal Filho, 1998; Leal Filho et al., 2019).

The need to incorporate sustainability education into university curricula is underscored by the literature. For example, Tilbury (2011) argues that universities must transcend environmental concerns and develop a comprehensive understanding of sustainability that encompasses economic viability and social justice, rather than relying purely on a siloed approach. Similarly, Wals and Jickling (2002) promote a transformative pedagogy that equips students with the knowledge and skills to be able to confront modern environmental challenges, thereby enabling them to become active changemakers. The specific content of sustainability education is contingent upon the discipline, but core themes include the following:

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The interconnectedness of environmental, social, and economic systems: This is a fundamental concept of sustainability science. Students thereby develop an understanding of the cascading effects of human actions from one domain to another. For example, deforestation for the purpose of agricultural expansion results in the loss of habitat, a decline in biodiversity, and soil erosion, which can have a significant impact on local economies that depend on the affected ecosystems (Vitousek et al., 1986).

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The concept of carrying capacity: This relates to the Earth’s finite resources and the resulting constraints on human consumption and population growth. It is a concept that acknowledges the ecological constraints on human development and the significance of maintaining a balance between the planet’s regenerative capacity and resource use (Ehrlich & Holdren, 1971).

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The multifaceted impact of climate change: Students explore the causes and consequences of climate change to develop their critical-thinking skills in relation to potential mitigation and adaptation strategies. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is a critical resource for comprehending the complexities of this global challenge, providing comprehensive assessments of climate science, impacts, vulnerabilities, and adaptation options (IPCC, 2021).

The incorporation of these topics into EFL classes will help students become more environmentally conscious.

2.2. Importance of Technology in Teaching Listening and Speaking Skills

Improving learners’ listening and speaking skills is crucial for successful communication in EFL settings. Research is increasingly highlighting the importance of listening in spoken language engagement, despite the fact that traditional language training has tended to concentrate on grammar and reading comprehension (for example, Richards & Rodgers, 2014; Rost, 2002). Brown (2006) expands on this by emphasizing that successful communication requires the capacity to understand spoken language in a variety of settings, accents, and tempos. However, even though it is essential, listening is rarely given the emphasis it deserves in EFL classes. Fortunately, cutting-edge resources are available in the digital realm that could completely transform the way in which students learn to listen.

Perhaps most importantly, technology provides unparalleled access to extensive authentic listening resources, allowing learners to encounter the true rhythm and subtleties of spoken English (Warschauer & Meskill, 2000). Platforms like YouTube, streaming services, and online news outlets offer a diverse range of material, including academic lectures, documentaries, interviews, and entertaining podcasts. Exposure to the authentic use of language enables learners to improve their pronunciation and intonation, as well as their use of idioms, resulting in an overall improvement in their language competency (Benson & Reinders, 2013). Furthermore, technology fosters active engagement with language learning. According to Mayer (2009), it therefore has the potential to transform the act of listening from a passive to an active learning experience. Meanwhile, Mishra and Koehler (2006) refer to interactive elements such as stop, rewind, and speed control tools, which enable learners to study at their own pace and return to problematic aspects of their subject. In addition, online systems like Padlet or Mentimeter facilitate immediate participation by allowing users to collaboratively take notes, engage in conversations, and perform quizzes. This promotes active listening and enhances students’ knowledge retention (Lee & Tsai, 2018).

Another advantage of technology is that it can help cater to different learning styles, thereby providing a flexible platform for the diverse learners that are typical of EFL courses. In particular, podcasts and video lectures successfully integrate auditory and visual stimuli, catering to the learning preferences of students who excel in multimodal engagement (Alsawaier, 2018). Additionally, the use of interactive features and gamification components in language learning applications can greatly increase motivation and improve results for students with a preference for kinaesthetic or visual learning (Igreț, 2023).

Further to the above, technology promotes and enables independent learning, revolutionizing the process of language acquisition. This is especially effective where learners engage in self-directed learning outside of traditional classroom settings. Mobile programs such as Duolingo (Macgregor & Lou, 2004) and online platforms like Memrise (Azizi Abarghoui & Taki, 2018) offer students easy access to audio materials and interactive tasks, which encourage independence and self-directed learning (Thornbury, 2001). These tools enhance learners’ ability to take control of their own language learning by supplementing classroom instruction, consequently aligning with the concept of learner autonomy (Benson & Reinders, 2013). Therefore, technology has several benefits for the teaching and learning of listening skills in EFL settings. By offering students authentic resources, promoting their active participation, catering to different learning preferences, and encouraging self-directed learning, technology can greatly improve the experience of learning English as a foreign language through listening.

2.3. Importance of Podcasts in Developing Listening Skills

In light of the above, the effectiveness of traditional EFL training (with its strong emphasis on grammar, writing, and reading comprehension), in adequately preparing students for real-life communication, has been subject to growing scrutiny (for example, Al-Jarf, 2023; Bamanger & Alhassan, 2015; Hassan & Hoon, 2013). Considering the importance of listening skills in practical language usage, it is crucial to adopt teaching methods that combine theoretical knowledge with actual listening expertise. Podcasts, known for their easy accessibility, wide range of information, and engaging formats, have therefore become a potential tool for teaching listening skills (Al Qasim & Al Fadda, 2013; Nisa et al., 2022).

2.3.1. Exposure to Authentic Speech

Podcasts offer exposure to genuine speech in the form of conversations, interviews, and instructive narratives that reflect real life, unlike the contrived conversations that are usually staged in the classroom. This exposure to authentic language is likely to include an array of accents and tempos, wherein some words may be pronounced differently by different people (Rahman et al., 2018). The study illustrates that using podcasts to help develop students’ listening skills can improve their listening comprehension because podcast technology presents genuine information in context, thereby facilitating learners’ understanding. This corroborates Al Qasim and Al Fadda (2013) and Bamanger and Alhassan (2015), who demonstrate that exposure to authentic language promotes an understanding of spoken English among EFL students. Thus, by actively engaging in conversations with native speakers on a topic, students can become proficient in understanding the subtle distinctions of spoken language, learn new foreign language vocabulary in its proper context, and cultivate a natural sense of fluency and cadence in their discourse.

2.3.2. Self-Paced Learning and Targeted Practice

Podcasts have unique advantages over conventional classroom audio exercises since they permit self-paced learning and targeted practice (Cross, 2014), thanks to their intrinsic flexibility. Podcasts provide learners with the freedom to manage their listening experience independently, in contrast to the organized classroom environment. Thus, students can pause, rewind, and listen to audio-recordings as many times as is necessary. This autonomous method therefore enables focused practice such as learning to recognize different types of language, understanding complex arguments, and detecting subtle changes in intonation (Rost, 2002). Aside from a sense of autonomy, podcasts promote learners’ engagement with the information presented by offering them a degree of choice over their listening experience (Vandergrift, 2011).

2.3.3. Variety of Topics and Engaging Format

Podcasts cover a vast range of subjects, presented in an interactive format. This makes learning more interesting and attractive than repetitive memorization exercises. Another advantage of podcasts is their conversational style, which closely resembles dialogue in real life. Thus, not only is their content more relatable and engaging for learners, but it also offers excellent real-world listening practice. Moreover, the extensive array of subjects covered in podcasts appeals to diverse audiences, with a greater chance of eliciting the intrinsic motivation to learn (Evtyugina & Volkova, 2020). In brief, podcasts help create a favourable learning experience, and with regard to the topic of sustainability, they can lead to continued involvement with environmental concerns outside of the EFL classroom.

2.3.4. Development of Listening Skills

Podcasts that include interviews, discussions, and debates on sustainability can help learners progress beyond a basic understanding and develop advanced listening skills (Naidionova & Ponomarenko, 2018). Through active engagement with diverse perspectives and arguments on complex matters, students refine their capacity to study and analyze information, detect biases, and develop their own well-informed beliefs. This critical-thinking component will enable them to engage in debates on sustainability in future and approach the issue with a deeper understanding (Alfian & Lio, 2019). Thus, for EFL instructors, podcasts fulfil the dual purpose of enhancing learners’ English listening skills and cultivating their understanding and consciousness of a topic. As mentioned previously, podcasts are an important tool in the EFL classroom, since they offer exposure to real speech, self-paced learning possibilities, an entertaining format, and the development of critical-listening skills.

Benson and Reinders (2013), present convincing proof of the effectiveness of podcasts to improve the listening skills of EFL learners. In the above study, a post-test was conducted to evaluate the effect of podcast-based learning on EFL students’ listening proficiency and knowledge. Similarly, in the extant literature, Hungerford and Volk (1990) examined students’ attitudes, as well as the development of their content-specific knowledge and listening skills, thereby obtaining positive results.

To summarize, this literature review provides some justification for incorporating podcast-based learning into EFL courses, so as to develop sustainability literacy. The researchers intend to contribute to expanding research in this field by examining the efficacy of a podcast tool, which will be investigated through the use of a survey to measure students’ satisfaction with its implementation in an extra-curricular activity.

3. Methodology

3.1. Research Design

In this current study, an action research design was adopted to investigate the satisfaction of EFL learners with using podcasts as a means of learning about sustainability, and more specifically, becoming equipped to discuss the topic in real life. The Sustainable Jungle Podcast (2024) was selected as a source of appropriate content, especially centred on the preservation of the natural world and conservation of essential resources. Moreover, the language used in the Sustainable Jungle Podcast was anticipated to be easy for the learners to follow. A link to the podcast site was therefore posted via the learning management system provided for the students to facilitate their English speaking and listening course at the start of the first academic term of 2024. However, this podcast task was clearly indicated as an extracurricular activity, meaning that the participants were invited to listen to the podcasts at their leisure, deciding for themselves on the sustainability themes and number of podcasts to listen to. Thus, the learners were given freedom of choice, on condition that they listened to at least one podcast within a specific four-week period. At the end of this period, a post-intervention survey was conducted to determine the participants’ level of satisfaction with learning about sustainability via podcasts.

3.2. Research Tool

The post-intervention survey was created in Google Forms, adapted from Alarcón et al.’s (2017) Student Satisfaction with Educational Podcasts Questionnaire (SSEPQ), which consists of 10 items, scored on a four-point Likert-type scale. These items are designed to determine students’ opinions on the content adequacy, ease of use, usefulness, and benefits of podcasts.

Table 1. Reliability analysis.

Items	No. of Items	Cronbach’s Alpha
TOTAL	10	0.779

presents the SSEPQ’s reliability level, calculated using Cronbach’s alpha.

The above Table demonstrates that the data passed the reliability test, with Cronbach’s alpha values that exceeded the acceptable threshold, given that the Cronbach’s alpha value of the questionnaire was 0.779 (greater than 0.7).

3.3. Sampling Method

Convenience sampling was applied in this study, with a sample comprising 23 female undergraduate EFL students, aged 20–22 years and undertaking an English listening and speaking module in the English language and literature department of a university in Saudi Arabia. The sample was exclusively female because of the religious requirement for gender-segregation in Saudi universities, and the researchers and instructor were also correspondingly female. The students’ English language level ranged from intermediate to upper intermediate, based on the department’s entry test. The instructor was one of the researchers. Thus, the results of the podcast intervention were not included in the module grading, and the researcher had no influence on the students’ participation. Moreover, the students’ participation was entirely voluntary, and the participants were informed of their freedom to withdraw from the study at any time. This was stated in a consent form, which the participants signed. Once permission to conduct the study was granted by the head of the department, the data collection began.

4. Results

In addressing the research aim, namely, to explore undergraduate EFL students’ perceptions of the usefulness of listening to English language podcasts as a means of learning about sustainability, the current study sought to answer the following question:

To what extent do undergraduate EFL students find listening to podcasts helpful in learning about sustainability?

The data collected in a questionnaire survey were therefore analyzed, generating the results presented in

Table 2. Mean and standard deviation (N = 23).

No.	Items	Mean	Standard Deviation	%	Rank	Responses
1	The podcasts are easy to access	3.48	0.511	87.0%	1	Strongly agree
2	The podcasts are useful for learning about this subject	3.48	0.511	87.0%	2	Strongly agree
8	The content of the podcasts is well organized	3.48	0.511	87.0%	3	Strongly agree
5	I am satisfied with the podcasts as a learning tool for this subject	3.39	0.499	84.8%	4	Strongly agree
10	The design of the podcasts makes them appealing	3.39	0.583	84.8%	5	Strongly agree
4	The podcasts make it easier to learn about this subject	3.35	0.487	83.7%	6	Strongly agree
6	The podcasts provide clear information about the theoretical content of the topic	3.35	0.487	83.7%	7	Strongly agree
7	The podcasts provide clear information about the practical content of the topic	3.26	0.541	81.5%	8	Strongly agree
3	The podcasts motivate me to learn about this subject	3.13	0.694	78.3%	9	Agree
9	The information contained in the podcasts is academically rigorous	2.96	0.638	73.9%	10	Agree
	Total	3.33	0.273	83.2%		Strongly agree

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It would therefore appear that the undergraduate EFL students found listening to podcasts significantly helpful for learning about sustainability. The survey data showed that most of the students strongly agreed that the podcasts were easy to access, useful for learning, and motivated them to engage with the subject. The overall mean score of 3.33 out of 4 (83.2% agreement) reflects a high level of satisfaction with the podcasts as an effective learning tool. The students particularly appreciated the clarity of the information provided, organization of the content, and academic rigour. This indicates that the podcasts provided a valuable resource for enhancing the EFL learners’ understanding of sustainability topics.

The highest-ranked features included the accessibility of the podcasts, their usefulness for learning, and their well-organized content, each receiving a mean score of 3.48 (87% agreement). Hence, the students found the podcasts easy to access, highly beneficial, and well-structured, thereby contributing positively to their learning experience. However, some aspects elicited slightly lower levels of agreement, such as the podcasts’ ability to motivate the students and the academic rigour of the content. These items received mean scores of 3.13 (78.3% agreement) and 2.96 (73.9% agreement), respectively, indicating that although the students still perceived the podcasts as motivating and academically sound, there was room for improvement.

The standard deviation for most of the items was around 0.5, indicating a moderate level of agreement among the participants, which suggests consistency in their experiences of using the podcasts. Overall, the findings highlight a positive perception of podcasts as valuable educational resources for learning about sustainability, with specific areas for enhancement to improve their effectiveness.

5. Discussion

Based on their agreement with certain items in the survey questionnaire, the results showed that the participants were satisfied with listening to the podcasts on The Sustainable Jungle platform. They most strongly agreed on the ease of their accessibility, since the podcasts are publicly available on a website that is easy to find. Moreover, they are free to listen to and download, at the listener’s convenience and irrespective of time or place. This flexibility is an important feature of podcasts. Cross (2014) also asserts that podcasts are easy to deal with and can be paused at will and watched later. Besides, listeners can go back to the beginning or a specific point in a podcast, or else fast forward to the end, giving users the option of concentrating on the parts that interest them most or that require special attention.

Several other items in the questionnaire referred to the design, organization, and content of the podcasts as suitable for conveying information about sustainability. These factors are crucial to the success of implementing a technology to facilitate learning in the language classroom. For this reason, the instructor needed to select podcasts that were suitable for the students’ language level and relevant to the specified topic. This is likewise confirmed by Dania and Adha (2021), who highlight that using authentic online materials in a foreign language reading classroom reveals the key role of the teacher in choosing appropriate texts for reading activities that the learners will want to engage in and where they will be able to comprehend the content effortlessly.

Additionally, the participants in the present study found the variety of podcast topics under the heading of sustainability motivating and appealing. They also indicated that they enjoyed the way the topics were presented in a podcast format. As Evtyugina and Volkova (2020) note, this variety is a clear advantage of podcasts, and one that adds to their academic rigour because the topics are often tackled from more than one perspective, thereby exposing the listeners to extensive knowledge.

Finally, podcasts are associated with authenticity and are usually produced by native speakers of the language used. This means that they can offer exposure to the idioms and culture of the foreign language, as well as interactive material that reflects real communication situations. Rahman et al. (2018) especially value the authentic character of podcasts, which allows learners to develop their speaking and listening skills. In the present study, the participants were positive about using the podcasts because they considered them to provide clear theoretical and practical information about sustainability.

6. Conclusions

It has arguably become essential to implement modern technology in the language classroom, given that the upcoming generations are accustomed to its use for obtaining and communicating information. As a result, many of today’s students favour technological tools over traditional classroom teaching, as reflected in the literature. Considering the rapid pace of contemporary life, learners favour the convenience of being able to study when and where they want, in order to maximize their time. This is equally true of EFL learners. The development of technology has provided tools and even artificial intelligence (AI) as teaching aids, and these are gaining popularity over classical face-to-face instruction in some instances.

Of particular interest in the current study was the finding that the learners were satisfied with using podcasts to learn about sustainability issues, even though the intervention was not part of their course and would not impact their grades. Instead, their satisfaction was based on the accessibility, usefulness, and informative character of the podcasts.

Limitations

Nevertheless, this study has several limitations, in that only a small sample was used, due to problems of accessibility. Moreover, this sample was exclusively female, because the researcher is female, and the research was conducted in a context that is gender-segregated for religious reasons. Furthermore, pre- and post-tests were not performed to check the development of the participants’ knowledge of sustainability. Hence, the following recommendations are made to improve the generalizability and robustness of the findings:

• The study could be repeated using a sample of male students.
• The study could be conducted on a larger sample.
• Experimental research could be carried out in the context of sustainability education in an EFL context.
• Interviews can be used to widen the understanding of the participants’ reasons for being satisfied.

It is also recommended that stakeholders in the education sector include the use of podcasts to teach EFL speaking and listening skills.