The Effects of Podcast Transcription Activities on Iranian Intermediate EFL Learners' Knowledge of the Past Tense in Online Classes

The ubiquitous use of internet-based mobile devices in education contexts means that mobile learning has become a plausible alternative or a good complement to encourage learning outside the traditional classroom. Yet, podcasting with challenging tasks on grammar is rarely used in online classes. This study aims at investigating the effects of the use of podcasts transcription activities on EFL learners’ knowledge of the past tense in online classes and advocates that, through collaborative technology-mediated tasks we can promote productive language output. In this regard, sixty out of seventy-three intermediate learners were randomly selected through an oxford placement test. They have been assigned to a podcast group (n=۲۰), an enhanced podcast group (n=۲۰), and a control group (n=۲۰). A quasi-experimental design was employed, with a ۱۰-week treatment. To analyze the first and second research questions, a paired-samples t-test was applied. In order to examine the third research question, one-way ANOVA was applied. The results indicated that utilizing the podcast transcription activities had a statistically significant effect on Iranian intermediate EFL learners’ knowledge of the past tense. Regarding pedagogical implications, it is suggested that teachers and material developers should not ignore such features while designing online platforms.

Keywords:

Podcast Transcription , Collaboration , MALL , Grammar Knowledge