A Systematic Review and Empirical Study of Educational Podcasts in Listening Instruction at SMP Negeri 20 Bengkulu Selatan

Abstract

Educational podcasts have emerged as a flexible digital medium for supporting listening instruction through authentic, contextualized, and accessible audio content. This study examines the use of educational podcasts in Indonesian language listening instruction by integrating a systematic review of relevant scholarly literature with an empirical investigation at SMP Negeri 20 Bengkulu Selatan. The systematic review maps existing findings concerning the pedagogical application of educational podcasts, particularly their potential to strengthen listening comprehension, vocabulary acquisition, concentration, critical response, and learner engagement. The empirical component investigates the implementation of educational podcasts in Indonesian language lessons, students’ responses to podcast-based learning activities, and the pedagogical factors that shape their effectiveness. The study employs a qualitative descriptive approach involving classroom observations, teacher interviews, student responses, and analysis of relevant instructional documents. The findings indicate that educational podcasts provide opportunities for students to engage with varied spoken-language materials, improve their comprehension of oral information, and develop more attentive and reflective listening habits. Students demonstrate greater participation when podcast content is relevant to their developmental level, learning interests, and everyday experiences. Teacher facilitation remains important in selecting appropriate podcast materials, establishing focused listening objectives, designing pre-listening and post-listening activities, and guiding students in interpreting information critically. The study concludes that educational podcasts can function as an effective supplementary medium for Indonesian language listening instruction when supported by purposeful pedagogical design, appropriate content selection, adequate technological access, and sustained teacher guidance. The integration of systematic literature evidence and empirical classroom findings offers a contextualized perspective on the development of digital listening instruction in Indonesian lower-secondary education.