Mobile Foreign Language Learning with Podcasts

Abstract

Mobile learning in the field of learning foreign languages may take place in different settings and in various application scenarios. The following article focuses on the mobile learning of foreign languages by means of podcasts. The paper describes firstly the theoretical foundations of mobile foreign language learning and reports the current state of research on using podcasts in learning foreign languages. Subsequently the design of the exploratory questionnaire survey, conducted among students at the Language Centre of TU Darmstadt, will be explained. The survey was carried out in order to find out, how podcasts are used by students to learn foreign languages and what kind of wishes they have in connection with this. Building on this, the selected survey results concerning the use of mobile devices and podcasts to learn foreign languages will be presented and discussed. On this basis, the consequences for possible application scenarios in and outside the foreign language classroom will be drawn here as well.