Plug in, listen in, rise up: Climate change education through podcast-based learning in English pre-service teacher education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17509/2w9ybj39Keywords:
Educational podcast; awareness; climate change education; English language teaching; 21st-century competenciesAbstract
This study investigates the use of educational podcasts to support climate change awareness and twenty-first-century competencies among pre-service English teachers. Specifically, the study examines changes in students’ climate change awareness before and after engaging in podcast-based learning activities, as well as their perceptions of podcast effectiveness, perceived challenges, and self-reported podcast themes in relation to twenty-first-century skills. The participants were 75 undergraduate students enrolled in English Language Education programs at multiple universities in Indonesia. Data were collected using a structured Likert-scale questionnaire administered before and after students participated in podcast-based learning activities, including listening to and producing educational podcasts on climate change. Quantitative data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test and descriptive statistics. The results after participating in podcast-based learning indicate a statistically significant increase in students’ self-reported climate change awareness (W = 0.00, Z = -7.52, p < .01). Students also reported positive perceptions of podcasts as a learning medium, particularly in supporting understanding of complex concepts, contextualizing environmental issues in English learning, and developing professional competencies as prospective teachers. Reported challenges included the need for technical and pedagogical training, difficulties with collaboration, technical constraints, and adapting climate-related content to English-language teaching contexts. Students further reported addressing themes such as environmental impacts, the role of education, and climate change mitigation and adaptation. Overall, the findings suggest that podcast-based learning represents a promising pedagogical approach for integrating climate change education into English language teacher education while supporting the development of essential twenty-first-century competencies.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Rita Inderawati, Tita Ratna Wulan Dari, Hamdi Aksan (Author)
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