The creation of podcasts to enhance the development of speaking and specific vocabulary in authentic contexts: A case study on the use of Anchor with ESP Tourism students

Abstract

[eng] One of the direct consequences of the pandemic was the fact that language teachers had difficulties finding enough time to enhance the development of students’ spoken skills due to logistic, technical, or personal reasons. Consequently, they had to find alternative ways of motivating students to practice oral skills outside the classroom. This chapter analyses the perspectives of a group of 21 ESP Tourism undergraduates regarding the creation of podcasts on the instant messaging tool Anchor to enhance their speaking skills and contextualise specific vocabulary outside the classroom. The research material used was a questionnaire with 42 items which followed a 1– 5 Likert scale. Broadly speaking, positive results were obtained since the students believe that: a) Anchor is easy to use and is a useful tool for practising foreign languages, b) the podcasts allowed them to put into practice the vocabulary learnt inside the classroom and they will re- use such language in their future professional lives, c) they have learnt to work autonomously, d) they improved at grammatical, lexical and phonological levels, e) the feedback their teacher recorded for them was detailed and helpful, and, f) they enjoyed working in teams.