Podcast Applications in Pre-service Language Teacher Education from a Constructivist Perspective

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the perceptions of pre-service English language teachers towards the use of podcasts. In addition, it surveys to what extent the pre-service language teachers use Web 2 tools in their academic lives as well as in their personal lives and their views on the benefits and drawbacks of podcasts. The Teaching Language Skills Course designed specifically for the third year pre-service teachers is blended with podcasting in a web-based platform. Twenty-two pre-service language teachers who take the course constitute the working group. The theoretical background of this study is based on social constructivism and a mixed method research design is used. The questionnaire and face-to-face interviews are held at the beginning and the results are compared to see if there is a significant change. Results show that participants have a positive view of podcasts in general and have a tendency to use the podcasts in their following teaching career.