The Use of Podcasts in Enhancing Listening Comprehension Among EFL Learners: A Case Study at Dong a Polytechnic College

The development of language acquisition depends on listening comprehension, yet EFL learners struggle to build this skill because they receive insufficient genuine spoken English exposure. This research investigates the effects of podcasts on EFL students' listening comprehension skills at Dong An Polytechnic College. The research design used both quantitative pre-test and post-test assessment results together with qualitative semi-structured interview data. The study results show that the experimental group outperformed the control group in listening scores thus demonstrating podcast-based learning enhances listening proficiency. The students discovered podcasts to be both interesting and adaptable while stating that these resources exposed them to various accents and authentic speech patterns and conversations. Students who used podcasts reported a significant increase in their self-assessed listening comprehension abilities. The research findings validate earlier studies which suggest digital learning tools should be used as teaching methods for EFL instruction. The study advises teachers to incorporate podcasts into their language curriculum because they enable independent students to learn and improve their listening skills. Future research should investigate both the prolonged effects of podcasts on learning and the effects of proficiency levels and the combination of podcasts with digital tools to achieve maximum language learning results.