LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 24, No. 1, October 2021 LLT Journal: A Journal on Language and Language Teaching http://e-journal.usd.ac.id/index.php/LLT Sanata Dharma University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia 650 EFL LEARNERS’ ATTITUDE TOWARDS PODCASTS FOR EXTENSIVE LISTENING Christela Angelia and Hanna Juliaty Universitas Kristen Krida Wacana, Indonesia christelaangelia@gmail.com; hanna.juliaty@ukrida.ac.id correspondence: hanna.juliaty@ukrida.ac.id DOI: 10.24071/llt.v24i1.3034 received 44 February 2021; accepted 31 October 2021 Abstract One of online materials used more frequently nowadays in Extensive Listening (EL) is podcasts. Similar with other learning materials, podcasts are classified into authentic podcast and language course (non-authentic) podcast. Previous studies have examined learners’ attitude towards podcasts; yet, they generally regarded all podcasts as authentic material. In EL, learners’ attitude towards the materials also affects the success of EL. Therefore, this study aimed to examine EFL learners’ attitude towards authentic podcast and language course podcast in EL. The study was conducted in a qualitative within-subject design and involved six English Department students from a private university in Indonesia. The students took part in an EL program using both authentic and language course podcasts, shared their experience in learning journals, and participated in post-activity interviews. The data collected were analyzed qualitatively using Ajzen’s (2005) classification of attitude elements. The findings showed that despite the favorable attitude that the learners mostly displayed towards both types of podcasts, there was a significant difference in the cognitive, affective, and conative aspects of their attitude that influenced their overall attitude. The findings implied that both types of podcasts have potentials to be used for EL by EFL learners with some considerations. Keywords: attitude, Extensive Listening, learning materials, podcasts Introduction An online material considered suitable for L2 learning and is getting more recognition in recent years is podcast. Podcast emerged as an audio version of blogging after the popularity of blogs and vlogs (Kaplan-Leiserson, 2005). With the rising popularity of podcast as a learning material in the past decade, many English learning websites nowadays have started to provide more podcasts to facilitate L2 learning. Likewise, in many formal L2 classrooms, podcasts are considered an effective medium to incorporate technology that supports the delivery of learning materials, especially the oral authentic materials, to enrich the learners’ learning experience (Jain & Hashmi, 2013). Numerous podcasts are available on the Internet for various L2 learning purposes. Those podcasts are categorized into different topics to make it easier to LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 24, No. 1, October 2021 651 be accessed. For L2 learning, the podcasts can be classified into two: authentic podcasts and language course podcast (Rosell-Aguilar, 2007). Both podcast types may be created by native speakers; however, they have different goals. Language course podcast is made or recorded specifically for L2 learning purposes, e.g., to introduce specific language features (Campos, 1992); hence, it is composed of non-authentic materials. In contrast, authentic podcast is chiefly created for communicative purposes or discussion on a certain topic by native speakers; thus, it is made for respective topic listeners and is composed of authentic materials (Thomas, 2014). Even though it is not made intentionally for L2 learning like language course podcast, authentic podcast is still used as a learning material in EFL learning context (Alm, 2013). Moreover, the difference between authentic and non-authentic materials can be very subtle at times that people tend to confuse them (Campos, 1992). This also happens to the contents of podcasts, resulting in the listeners incline to assume that they are always authentic, while it might be non-authentic. Along with the rising popularity of podcasts, Extensive Listening (EL) has also significantly emerged as one of learning methods to support L2 learning (Holden III, 2008). Similar with Extensive Reading (ER), EL is a listening activity that focuses on L2 learners’ pleasure and comprehension (Renandya & Farrell, 2011). Unlike other L2 listening methods that require learners to rely on their teachers for making most of the learning decisions, coercing, and supervising (Boud, 2012), EL provides an opportunity for learners to be autonomous not only by providing the opportunity for the learners to control their own learning pace, but also by enabling them to select the learning materials that suit their learning needs and purposes (Alm, 2013). In EL, it is important for L2 learners to gain extensive exposure to a lot of input in order to acquire the L2 (Krashen, 1982). Since input is mostly obtained through the learning materials selected for the EL activity, the kind of materials used would have significant impact on the available input for learners. For this reason, learners’ attitude and perceptions towards their learning materials become an important aspect in EL. There are several studies conducted previously that report different attitudes of EFL learners towards authentic and non-authentic materials in general (Boulfelfel, 2011; Kılıç & İlter, 2015). Yet, specific studies that explore EFL learners’ attitude towards podcasts as authentic and non-authentic materials are still difficult to find; this is perhaps because many prior studies tend to assume that all podcasts are authentic materials. Considering that authentic and language course podcasts have different purposes, target listeners and characteristics, they may induce different attitude and perceptions from EFL learners when being used for an EL activity. For this reason, this study aimed to investigate EFL learners’ attitude and perceptions towards both types of podcasts respectively. Extensive Listening (EL) EL is characterized by listening to L2 input in a copious amount to improve learners’ fluency, with the focus being the comprehension and pleasure of the listeners (Renandya & Farrell, 2011). Through EL, learners are more equipped to hearing words in English, resulting in a quicker and more accurate recognition of spoken words. Some previous studies have tied the nature between EL and Extensive Reading (ER) despite the scarce number focusing on EL (Chang, 2018). LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 24, No. 1, October 2021 652 Although EL can be conducted inside the classroom with the supervision of a teacher, EL can also be implemented as an out-of-classroom activity. As learners have control over the level and content of the spoken text that they are listening to in EL, they are encouraged to do the activity in their own pace out of normal classroom hours. Hence, EL is viewed as a suitable L2 learning method to be adopted by EFL learners. Despite the fact that EL is an autonomous activity, it can be more effective for EFL learners if they are guided by a supervisor (Vandergrift & Goh, 2012). Learners need to be informed the clear objective of EL, to be exposed to plenty and suitable learning materials which they can autonomously select from, and to be facilitated in maintaining their motivation to achieve a successful EL program (Renandya & Jacobs, 2016). This is mainly because in EL, the availability of abundant L2 comprehensible input is important in order to ensure a successful L2 acquisition (Krashen, 1982); in this case, the listening skills. In fact, learners may obtain L2 productive skills (i.e., speaking and writing) only after they receive a copious amount of comprehensible receptive input (Krashen, 1985), which mainly is provided in the form of learning materials used in the EL activity. Based on the authenticity, L2 learning materials are generally classified into two: authentic and non-authentic materials. Authentic materials are created and designed for communication purposes between native speakers without any modification or simplification (Campos, 1992). On the other hand, non-authentic materials are intentionally created by native speakers to introduce specific L2 features for pedagogical purposes; therefore, the materials are already adapted and simplified to match the learners’ L2 proficiency. There have been some debates on the usability of authentic and non-authentic materials in L2 learning. For instance, some studies argue that authentic materials carry what non-authentic materials do not have, mainly the examples of how L2 is used in real world (Tomlinson, 2013) and L2 cultural awareness introduced in the materials (Kozhevnikova, 2014). On the contrary, other studies contend that authentic materials may demotivate learners with lower level of proficiency (Guariento & Morley, as cited in Zhafarghandi, Barekat, & Homaei, 2014); hence, non- authentic materials tend to be viewed as more suitable for EFL learners as they have been simplified to suit the learners’ learning needs despite the fact that it creates non-authentic L2 use and limits the real L2 exposure for learners (Febrina, 2017). Podcasts As a teaching and learning resource, podcasts are categorized as authentic podcast and language course podcast (Rosell-Aguilar, 2007). Authentic podcast is created by English native speakers primarily for fellow native speakers and can be found in various podcast applications. With various themes and topics discussed in this type of podcast, L2 learners would have more chance to gain more exposure towards the speakers’ culture, while also learning L2 vocabulary and grammar. Different with authentic podcast, language course podcast is made intentionally for L2 learning activities and can be found as a whole separated curriculum or a complimentary package for EFL classroom activities. Language course podcast can be found in teacher’s book packages or English learning websites. As language course podcast consists of non-authentic materials, the LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 24, No. 1, October 2021 653 language used is also simplified and modified to deliver certain language features to learners (Campos, 1992). Podcasts are considered an interesting teaching material, partly because of its mobility and ease of use, which allows learners to download and listen to podcasts in their own designated time with only a few steps to access the websites (Merhi, 2015). In addition, podcast contents may also be mixed with other elements, e.g., popular background music and sound effects in order to make them different from normal lecture recordings and to add the appeal to learners in general. Learners can also use the pause or replay option in their audio player when listening to a podcast in order to catch a part that they miss; thus, it may develop learner’s autonomy (Alm, 2013). Despite the benefits offered by podcasts, there are some challenges of using podcasts as a learning material. First, podcast is a linear type of learning material; hence, the use of it should be combined with other learning tasks (Kaplan- Leiserson, 2005). Second, as podcast can only be accessed using technology, both the teacher and learners need to familiarize themselves with the technology (Abraham & Williams, 2011). When teachers or learners are hindered by technology barrier and overabundance of information on the Internet, it might be difficult to adopt the learning materials (Rosell-Aguilar, 2007). Likewise, it may also be challenging for teachers to find a suitable podcast that has an appropriate level of difficulty for an EFL class with various L2 proficiency. Learners’ Attitude and Perceptions of EL Krashen (1982) defines the affective filter (i.e., motivation, self-confidence, and anxiety) as barriers that prevent learners from processing the comprehensible input that they are receiving during the L2 learning process. In the case of EL, learners with low affective filters would actively seek for more inputs during the activity than learners with high affective filters. Prior studies (e.g., Boulfelfel, 2011; Vaiciuniene & Uzpaliene, 2010) emphasize on teachers’ roles to maintain learners’ affective variables. Yet, learners also believed that not only teachers hold importance in lowering affective filters, but also themselves as students (Urmee, 2011). When learners are aware of the importance of affective factors, they would have a higher self-efficacy regarding their learning needs (Ni, 2012) and would be able to utilize the knowledge to seek solutions to improve their learning strategies. This is particularly important in EL since teachers may not always be around to evaluate their learners’ affective variables or L2 learning performance. Studies that focus on the variables of affective filter in L2 learning are often linked to attitude. In such studies, positive learning attitude is argued to affect learners’ motivational behaviors, e.g., persistence and efforts (Kormos, Kiddle, & Csizér, 2011). As positive attitude may boost an increase of motivation, learning input and interaction in learners’ L2 learning, it may also prompt a successful L2 acquisition (Kormos et al., 2011). Furthermore, the concept of attitude is closely related to affection, beliefs and behaviors. It is not seen simply from a single perspective because it recognizes the complexity of an individual’s mind and acknowledges the inconsistency or conflict between the attitude components (McKenzie, 2010). For instance, a learner may believe that authentic material is more beneficial for L2 learning, but he/she dislikes using the material in his/her own learning. Ajzen (2005) relates three components of attitude, namely LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 24, No. 1, October 2021 654 cognition, affect and conation, with verbal and non-verbal reactions towards the object being evaluated as shown in Table 1. Table 1. Classification of responses to infer attitude (Ajzen, 2005, p.4) In term of verbal responses, cognitive attitude is expressed through mental process related to intellectual activities, e.g., thinking, reasoning or remembering the characteristics or attributes of the attitude object. On the other hand, affective attitude may be verbally expressed through emotion or feeling towards the attitude object during the activity. Furthermore, conative attitude is expressed through intentions, commitments or actions regarding the attitude object. In contrast to verbal responses, it is more difficult to recognize non-verbal responses as it is uncertain whether a change of bodily function is caused by positive or negative attitude (Ajzen, 2005). The study of attitude is also related to perceptions, causing the two components to be simultaneously studied in existing literature, including studies of L2 learning (e.g., Hasan & Hoon, 2012; Zhafarghandi, et al., 2014). As the first stage of developing an attitude, perception is developed in three stages: a) recognizing, where the individual is aware of the stimulus; b) organizing, where the individual stores the information from the stimulus; and c) interpreting, where the individual makes sense of the stimulus based on his or her prior knowledge (Ward, Grinstein, & Keim, 2015). As people are in contact with the stimulus, they would form a perception based on the way they interpret the object or situation, which later would form cognitive judgment based on their perceptions. Once it is combined with affective and conative judgments, the overall attitude of the individual towards the stimulus would be displayed. Therefore, perception is important in the study of attitude as it provides deeper understanding on the individual’s views that lead to the formation of their attitude. Previous studies argue that attitude plays an important role in L2 learning process (Csizér & Lukács, 2010; Papi, 2010). Many of these studies mainly focus on investigating the effects of attitude towards the learning experience or learning results (Kormos et al., 2011). Meanwhile, studies on learners’ attitude towards learning materials, particularly in EFL context, are quite scarce. Attitude is an important element of L2 learning, mainly to maintain motivation throughout the learning process (Schilling, Traxler, & Guerra, 2015). Response Mode Response Category Cognition Affect Conation Verbal Expressions of beliefs about attitude object Expressions of feelings toward attitude object Expressions of behavioral intention Nonverbal Perceptual reactions to attitude object Physiological reactions to attitude object Overt behaviors with respect to attitude object LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 24, No. 1, October 2021 655 Research on EFL Learners’ Attitude towards Podcasts in L2 Learning In the last decades, many studies report that many EFL learners in higher education have positive attitude and perceptions towards authentic materials in L2 listening practices (e.g., Alijani & Maghsoudi, 2014; Sabet & Mahsefat, 2012). On the other hand, a few studies reveal that EFL learners preferred non-authentic materials in their L2 listening practices (e.g., Boulfelfel, 2011; Vaiciuniene & Uzpaliene, 2010) because the learners thought that authentic materials were more complex, more information-loaded and more difficult to understand. In addition, there have been a number of studies that specifically report EFL learners’ attitude towards podcasts as a learning material for L2 learning. Several studies show that the learners display positive attitude towards using podcasts for their L2 learning activities (e.g., Farshi & Mohammadi, 2013; Hasan & Hoon, 2012) because podcasts were interesting, entertaining and helpful in developing their listening skills and L2 vocabulary. Despite the overall positive attitude, some other studies report that the use of podcasts for L2 listening practices may also generate challenges for other learners. For instance, some EFL learners found that it was difficult to follow the rapid speech and comprehend the listening texts from authentic podcasts (Kim, 2013; Yeh, 2013). In addition, some existing studies also claim that they exposed authentic materials into the classroom by using podcasts (e.g., Hasan & Hoon, 2012); yet in the experiments, they were unknowingly using non-authentic podcasts. Considering the previous studies, it can be concluded that in general, EFL learners demonstrated a positive attitude towards the use of podcasts in L2 learning despite some difficulties and challenges that some students encountered. However, studies that specifically examine the attitude of EFL learners towards authentic and language course podcasts are still scarce. This is presumably because podcasts are a newly emerging learning tool in the last decade compared to other learning materials. There is a potential for podcasts to be more popular for L2 learning purposes, particularly in Extensive Listening (EL), in the future; hence, this study aimed to provide deeper insights into EFL learners’ attitude and perceptions towards the different types of podcasts for EL. Method Participants This study was conducted at an English Department of a university in Indonesia. The English Department was selected as the research site for this study because it had several compulsory Listening courses for undergraduate students, in which authentic and non-authentic materials were used; yet, EL had not been implemented as a part of the curriculum yet, and podcasts had not been used as a learning material for the courses when this study was conducted. The participants were selected by using criterion sampling method based on two criteria, which included: a) students who had never had any exposure to podcasts, and b) students with B1 English proficiency level. Since this study aimed to examine the learners’ attitude towards podcasts, it was important that the participants were not familiar with podcasts or EL at the beginning of the study. This criterion was crucial because prior exposure to podcasts or EL might have influenced the learners’ attitude during the study. Moreover, this study selected LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 24, No. 1, October 2021 656 learners with B1 proficiency level because the podcasts prepared for the study were intended for EFL learners in that proficiency level. Based on the most recent in-house English Proficiency Test conducted by the Department in the time of this study, there were 18 learners whose L2 proficiency was in B1 level. Three learners became participants for the piloting phase to test out the interview questions and podcasts, while the rest were approached to participate in the study. Out of the remaining 15 learners, only six learners voluntarily agreed to take part in the study. The study was conducted between December 2018 and March 2019. Research Design The study was conducted in a qualitative within-subject design in order to provide a deeper insight on what the participants think or feel (Sutton & Austin, 2015). In within-subject design, the participants undergo all the treatments in the experiment, which allows them to be both the control and experimental subject (Seltman, 2018). The focus of this design is to study the effects of different treatments applied to a single group in order to measure a specific change (Allen, 2017). In this study, the learners were exposed to both authentic and language course podcasts as different treatments, so the difference in their attitude and perceptions could be compared in the end. The use of within-subject design for this study, other than because of the small sample size available, was also beneficial to remove possible confounding factors that might be caused by the difference of gender, age, or grade. Data Collection The data in this study were collected in three main stages. The first stage was piloting. Before the actual data collection process, a piloting was done to test out the instruments used for the data collection, e.g., the clarity of the authentic and language course podcasts, the instruction for EL activity using both types of podcasts, and the post-activity interview questions. The authentic podcast for this study was taken from Retropod, Little Tiny, Pop Culture Happy Hour, Robot or Not?, 60 Seconds of Science, and The Casket of Fictional Delights, while the language course podcast was taken from Podcast in English, Voice of America, Adept English, and Speak English Pod. In this piloting stage, a demographic interview was also conducted to collect more information of the learners and their initial attitude and perceptions towards EL, podcasts and L2 listening practice in general. The second stage was experimental phase, in which the experiment was conducted two times. In these two experimental phases, the learners were assigned to listen to two types of podcast series, namely the authentic podcast and language course podcast. The experimental phases were conducted as a means for the learners to attempt an EL practice using both types of the podcasts so that their attitude and perceptions towards each type of the podcasts could be reported. The podcasts selected for this study were already piloted to make sure that they had suited the level of B1 learners and the topics were coherent with the learners’ preferences, e.g., history, science, pop-culture and storytelling. The podcasts used in the experiments were free to be accessed on their respective websites or the Spotify application. LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 24, No. 1, October 2021 657 In this study, the six learners were grouped into two different groups where they were given treatments in different sequence. During the first experimental phase, three learners were assigned to listen to a list of authentic podcasts whereas the other three learners were assigned to listen to a list of language course podcasts. Then the order was switched in the second experimental phase. Between the first and second experimental phases, a washout period of a month long was also given. The different sequencing in the treatment phases and the washout period were used in order to minimize the carryover effect that might come with the within-subject research design (Mitchell & Jolley, 2013). Prior to the experimental phases, an email containing the instruction for EL, the list of podcast links and the guideline for learning journals (a follow-up activity after completing the EL) was sent to the learners. For the EL instruction, the learners were asked to spend at least 30 minutes a week to listen to either authentic or language podcast series provided in the email in each of the experimental phase. For example, in the first experimental phase, a learner could listen to an eight-minute podcast from Retropod on Monday, a twelve-minute podcast from Pop Culture Happy Hour on Thursday, and a ten-minute podcast from Little Pony on Saturday in order to reach the total of 30 minutes requirement in using the authentic podcast within a week. After listening to each of the podcast series of their choice, each learner was required to write a learning journal consisted of the summary of the podcast and the description of what they felt and thought about the podcast during the activity. The journals were assigned to be written in Google Docs and submitted online at the end of the week. Each learner was required to write at least three learning journals by the end of each experimental phase. The learning journals functioned as a direct report of the learners’ attitude and a means to provide proof of their EL activity (Schmidt, 2016). The third stage was individual post-activity interviews. This stage was conducted after each of the experimental phases was completed. There were 15 semi-structured questions in the post-experiment interviews; the questions were aimed to clarify the data gained from the learning journals and to provide more data regarding the learners’ attitude towards each type of podcasts that might not be included yet in their learning journals. The interviews lasted for approximately 8 minutes for each learner and were audio recorded. Data Analysis The data collected for this study were qualitative, consisted of learning journals and semi-structured interview transcriptions. These data were analyzed in several steps. Firstly, the learning journals and interview transcriptions were reread several times, and the attitudinal remarks made by the learners towards the podcasts were identified and compiled into favorable or positive attitude or unfavorable or negative attitude. Secondly, the compilation of positive and negative remarks was coded in three coding stages, namely the initial or open coding, axial coding, and selective coding (Benaquisto, 2008). In the initial or open coding stage, the compilation of textual data was summarized into a number of major themes based on the components of attitude: perceptions, emotional evaluations, and behavioral inclinations from the learners’ remarks about the podcasts. In the axial coding stage, those major themes were categorized into LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 24, No. 1, October 2021 658 more specific categories derived from Ajzen’s (2005) attitude components: cognition, affect and conation. In the selective coding, the specific categories were narrowed down again into two main themes: favorable attitude and unfavorable attitude. The categorization resulted from the open coding, axial coding and selective coding stages were displayed in a classification table and was analyzed and interpreted. The classification table of the open coding, axial coding, and selective coding for each type of podcasts is illustrated in Table 2. Table 2. Classification of major themes based on the open coding, axial coding, and selective coding Open Coding Freq. Axial Coding Freq. Selective Coding Freq. Favorable speaker’s delivery Favorable cognition Favorable Attitude Educational values Favorable contents Favorable evaluation Favorable affect Favorable experience Favorable conation Unfavorable speaker’s delivery Unfavorable cognition Unfavorable Attitude Little/no educational values Unfavorable contents Unfavorable evaluation Unfavorable affect Unfavorable experience Unfavorable conation Findings and Discussion Learning Journal Results From six learners, there were in total 36 learning journal entries collected. In those journals, the learners recorded personal thoughts, feelings and reactions towards both authentic and language course podcasts that they listened to during the first and second experimental phases. These personally verbalized thoughts, feelings, and reactions expressed through the written journal entries became the basis for exploring the EFL learners’ attitude towards authentic and language course podcasts for EL. Some examples of the learners’ verbalized thoughts, feelings and reactions were shown as follow: “I think this podcast is very funny and silly (in a good way) and I really enjoy it.” – Learner 1 on authentic podcast “I feel the material for this podcast was quite easy to understand, the speaker was also very clear with good explanation and example.” – Learner 4 on language course podcast LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 24, No. 1, October 2021 659 There were in total 88 written remarks found in those 36 learning journals: 52 remarks were made for authentic podcast, while 36 remarks were made for the language course podcast. For authentic podcast, out of 52 remarks, 73% displayed favorable attitude and 27% displayed unfavorable attitude. In contrast, out of 36 remarks made towards the language course podcast, 78% displayed favorable attitude, while 28% displayed unfavorable attitude. The comparison is shown in Figure 1. Figure 1. Comparison of learners’ favorable and unfavorable attitude towards authentic and language course podcasts from the learning journals More specifically, the cognitive, affective and conative remarks made by the learners towards the authentic and language course podcasts in the learning journals could be classified in the following Table 3. Table 3. Classification of the elements of attitude based on the learners’ remarks from the learning journals Elements of Attitude Major Themes Authentic Podcast Language Course Podcast Favorable Remarks Unfavorable Remarks Favorable Remarks Unfavorable Remarks Cognition Speaker’s delivery 1 2 3 1 Educational values 5 0 9 0 Contents 12 5 6 4 Affect Evaluation 19 6 12 2 Conation Experience 0 1 0 0 Post-Activity Interview Results The total number of attitudinal remarks in the post-activity interviews (186 remarks) was higher than those from the learning journals (88 remarks). This significant difference of numbers presumably occurred because interview is an interactive tool that gives a higher chance for the researcher to probe for a more elaborated answer, which gives deeper understanding of the phenomenon (Kvale, as cited in Alshenqeeti, 2014). Out of 186 attitudinal remarks, 105 remarks were directed towards authentic podcast, while 81 remarks were directed towards language course podcast. Some LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 24, No. 1, October 2021 660 examples of the remarks that reflected the learners’ attitude on both types of the podcasts were shown as follow: “The content is good, and the way the podcasters talk is good, too.” – Learner 5 on authentic podcast “I think it’s great because they can talk about one theme in like one short time.” – Learner 3 on language course podcast Regarding the authentic podcast, from 105 remarks, 72% reflected favorable attitude and 28% reflected unfavorable attitude. On the other hand, regarding the language course podcast, from 81 remarks, 67% showed favorable attitude, while 33% showed unfavorable attitude. The comparison of the attitude towards both types of podcasts is shown in Figure 2. Figure 2. Comparison of learners’ favorable and unfavorable attitude towards authentic and language course podcasts from the post-experiment interviews More specifically, the cognitive, affective and conative remarks made by the learners towards authentic and language course podcasts in the post-experiment interviews could be classified in the following Table 4. Table 4. Classification of the elements of attitude based on the learners’ remarks from the post-experiment interviews Elements of Attitude Major Themes Authentic Podcast Language Course Podcast Favorable Remarks Unfavorable Remarks Favorable Remarks Unfavorable Remarks Cognition Speaker’s delivery 2 9 5 6 Educational values 13 2 14 0 Contents 24 8 12 8 Affect Evaluation 31 6 13 10 Conation Experience 7 4 8 4 Discussion The study gathered in total 274 attitudinal remarks (88 remarks from the learning journals and 186 remarks from the interview transcriptions). All the attitudinal remarks made by the learners were verbal as they were expressed in written form through the learning journals and spoken form through the post- activity interviews. The number of favorable and unfavorable attitudinal remarks LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 24, No. 1, October 2021 661 that the learners displayed towards each type of podcasts were analyzed based on Ajzen’s (2005) three components of attitude: cognition, affect, and conation. Learners’ Cognition In this study, the cognitive responses are measured through the “expression of beliefs” made by the learners (Ajzen, 2005, p.4). There were in total 151 cognitive responses identified from the learning journals and interviews. From the data, there were three major themes occurred frequently when the learners expressed their cognitive attitude towards authentic and language course podcasts. The themes included speaker’s delivery, educational values, and contents. In terms of speaker’s delivery, the learners expressed more unfavorable attitude (11 remarks) than favorable attitude (3 remarks) towards authentic podcast. This unfavorable attitude was primarily influenced by the speaking pace, pronunciation, and accents of the podcasters in authentic podcast. The learners thought that the podcasters in authentic podcast speak too quickly with unclear pronunciation and thick accents, resulting in them having difficulties to catch what the podcasters were saying and having to repeat the parts that they missed. Such problem occurred presumably because authentic podcast consists of unmodified content and in nature is not adjusted to the learners’ proficiency level (Rosell-Aguilar, 2007); this tends to cause some learning difficulties for learners (Kim, 2013; Yeh, 2013). Moreover, as authentic podcast is not specifically made for L2 learning purposes, the speech of the podcasters is not regulated to suit the learners’ learning needs and L2 proficiency level and resulting in the possibility of the podcast to contain more advanced L2 vocabulary or phonological errors (Campos, 1992), fast-paced speech, and heavy accents. As the learners in this study were intermediate learners, their level of proficiency mostly enabled them to understand speech that was clearly articulated in a generally familiar and standard accents. Therefore, when they heard the native podcasters speak in unfamiliar accents, it confused them and hindered their comprehension of the talk. In order to overcome the difficulties, the learners were aware that they could control their learning pace and repeat the audio as many times as needed to enhance their understanding of the spoken text (Mayora, 2016). On the contrary, the learners expressed more favorable attitude (8 remarks) towards language course podcast because the podcasters spoke with clearer pronunciation despite having slowed down speech. Language course podcast contains non-authentic materials that are simplified; thus, the materials are designed to have no phonological errors and some repeated target vocabulary, and the speaking pace for this type of podcast tends to be slowed down to suit the learners’ proficiency level (Campos, 1992). Such features of language course podcast gained favorable attitude from the learners because those features helped them to understand the podcasters’ speech better. In addition, although the learners mostly showed favorable attitude in this aspect, to some extent, they also expressed unfavorable attitude (7 remarks) because some learners found that the speech could be too slow. In EL, slowed down speech is encouraged only for beginners who cannot comprehend most of the listening text (Renandya, 2012). As the learners in this study were B1 learners, to some extent, the slowed-down speech in language course podcast may have the potential to evoke unfavorable attitude from the learners instead. LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 24, No. 1, October 2021 662 In terms of educational values, the learners expressed favorable attitude towards authentic (18 remarks) and language course podcasts (23 remarks) based on their cognitive judgment towards the benefits of podcasts for their studies and L2 learning. The learners thought that authentic podcast helped them practice their L2 listening and speaking skills, mainly because the podcasters spoke in fast pace and native speaker accents. Since authentic podcast is usually thematic, the podcast discusses various topics and issues; thus, learners may gain more input on L2 vocabulary, pronunciation, and structure, while also receiving new information on certain topics from the podcasters (Rossel-Aguilar, 2007). However, to some extent, the learners also expressed unfavorable attitude (2 remarks) towards authentic podcast, mainly due to the overly casual language that the podcasters used. The learners thought that overly casual language in the podcast was not suitable for formal classroom use as it contained non-standard English language. Nonetheless, in EL practice, non-standard language may benefit EFL learners’ listening skill in another way. As learners do EL and listen to authentic materials in the podcast, an exposure to various accents and pronunciation that may not fit with the standardized language could be a practice for them to handle listening difficulties in real-life communicative situations. In this study, however, the learners were not aware of this possible benefit; thus, they viewed the overly casual language use in authentic podcast negatively, which influenced them to form unfavorable attitude for this particular aspect as well. In the case of language course podcast, the learners’ attitude towards the educational values of this type of podcast was collectively favorable. In fact, it gathered more positive remarks (23 remarks) compared to authentic podcast (18 remarks), with no unfavorable remarks at all. This was due to their perceptions on the features of language course podcast, which has standard L2 use and more educational topics that they thought were more relevant to their L2 learning needs as English Department students. Language course podcast generally includes carefully-planned L2 vocabulary as a non-authentic material to suit a formal classroom situation (Campos, 1992). In EL practice, this type of podcast is viewed suitable for intermediate learners as it is seen as a bridge between course book listening materials and authentic materials (Sze, 2006). This way, learners can have some exposure to native speakers’ speech while also learning the L2 features that are relevant to their learning needs. In terms of contents, the learners showed favorable attitude towards both authentic (36 remarks) and language course (18 remarks) podcasts. This was mainly influenced by their perceptions on the topics that the two podcast types offered to the listeners. The learners thought that authentic podcast had numerous interesting topics that evoked their favorable cognitive attitude. Despite the overly casual language at times, they found that authentic podcast offered fascinating and exciting contents. Such factor appeared to be appealing to the learners while doing EL practice as the contents covered various real-life issues, which gave them a sense of involvement and reliability (Holden III, 2008). In addition, such feature of authentic podcast also evoked unfavorable attitude (13 remarks) from the learners to some extent, mainly since some learners thought that some contents in this type of podcast were too specific and deeply discussed by the podcasters, resulting in them having difficulties at times since they did not have enough background information about the topics (Vaiciuniene & Uzpaliene, 2010). In EL, LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 24, No. 1, October 2021 663 learners’ comprehension of the materials can potentially be hindered due to their lack of familiarity towards the topic and new L2 vocabulary (Holden III, 2008). In the case of language course podcast, the learners expressed generally favorable attitude (18 remarks) towards the contents of this type of podcast. This was primarily due to the fact that the podcasters used simpler language and explanation. Language course podcast provides more controlled and repeated L2 vocabulary and grammatical structure to help learners understand the materials more easily (Campos, 1992). As a result, this influenced the learners to prefer materials that they could easily comprehend (Renandya & Farrell, 2011), along with simple delivery in lexical or syntactic level (Holden III, 2008). Moreover, to some extent, the learners expressed unfavorable attitude (12 remarks) towards language course podcast due to its contents that tended to be quite boring and not challenging enough for them. Since language course podcast is designed for L2 learning, the topics may be more restrictive and less various than authentic podcast; thus, it has a potential to demotivate or disengage intermediate learners who are already considered proficient enough to use authentic materials coherently for EL (Holden III, 2008). Learners’ Affect The learners’ affective responses were evaluated through the expressions of feelings towards both types of podcasts and the emotions felt when the learners were listening to the podcasts. There were in total 99 affective remarks identified from the data of this study. The learners displayed mainly favorable attitude towards authentic and language course podcasts. However, the favorable affective responses towards authentic podcast (50 remarks) were twice as many as shown towards language course podcast (25 remarks). In the case of authentic podcast, most favorable affective remarks described about how the podcast was interesting, enjoyable, and motivating to the learners. In EL, topic familiarity may increase the ability of learners to comprehend the materials, and the contents of authentic materials tend to elicit favorable emotions and motivation from learners (Field, 2010). Furthermore, to some extent, the authentic podcast also invoked unfavorable affective attitude (12 remarks) from the learners in this study, mainly due to content-related difficulties and the podcast duration, resulting in frustration and boredom felt by the learners. Since one of the main focuses of EL is for learners to experience pleasure while learning, experiencing frustration and boredom may become an obstacle that would hinder learners to stop seeking for more comprehensible input during the activity. In the case of language course podcast, the learners expressed generally favorable affective attitude (25 remarks). The learners explained that this was mostly due to the fact that a) the materials were relevant to what they were learning in classes; and b) the podcasters in this type of podcast had the ability to deliver the materials clearly; thus, making it easier for them to receive the input comprehensively and comfortably. This finding was in line with previous studies (e.g., Boulfelfel, 2011) that reported that learners favored a simplified or non- authentic material since they could understand it better. In EL, this factor becomes even more essential for EFL learners as they tend to have difficulties in following the rapid speech of the speakers while also applying L2 listening strategies LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 24, No. 1, October 2021 664 simultaneously (Renandya & Farrell, 2011). In addition, the learners in this study also displayed unfavorable affective attitude (12 remarks) to some extent towards language course podcast. This was mostly due to the limited contents (Alm, 2013) and artificial speaking pace of the podcasters, which caused boredom during the EL practice. Learners’ Conation The conative or behavioral attitude of the learners towards authentic and language course podcasts were measured from their verbal expressions on whether they were planning to listen to the podcasts again and which podcast they were more inclined to use for their future EL practice. There were in total 24 conative remarks identified from the data of this study. In the study, the learners generally expressed favorable conative attitude towards both podcast types, which implied that they were willing to listen to both authentic and language course podcasts in the future. In the case of authentic podcast, the number of favorable remarks (7 remarks) was slightly higher than unfavorable ones (5 remarks). This showed that there was not much difference between the learners’ favorable and unfavorable attitude towards authentic podcast series. In contrast, the number of favorable remarks (8 remarks) that the learners made towards language course podcast were twice higher than the unfavorable remarks (4 remarks) made towards the podcast. This showed a significant difference of the learners’ favorable and unfavorable attitude towards the language course podcast. Since the favorable remarks towards both types of podcasts were overall higher than the unfavorable remarks, it can be concluded that the learners had a generally favorable conative attitude towards both authentic and language course podcasts. Such favorable attitude towards either of the podcasts was presumably due to the positive cognitive and affective attitude that the learners had displayed earlier, which resulted in an equally favorable conative attitude as well. As the learners made their own personal judgment of authentic and language course podcasts, they could express either favorable or unfavorable responses towards both types of podcasts, or favorable responses towards one type of podcasts and unfavorable response towards the other. Despite the overall favorable conative attitude displayed by the learners, there was unfavorable attitude expressed to some extent as well, mostly due to an unfavorable experience that the learners had towards their previous listening practice or their new experience with EL. For instance, some learners expressed difficulties that they encountered during the EL practice in the experimental phases, e.g., the difficulties to multitask, to accommodate enough time to do the EL properly, and to deal with distractions that potentially could destruct their focus in the listening practice. As these learners practiced EL on their available time at home, such external factors may hinder the conduct of EL practice and may result in difficulties to comprehend the listening materials. Conclusion The findings showed that the learners generally displayed favorable attitude towards both types of podcast; the only difference was in the extent of favorable and unfavorable responses that the EFL learners directed towards the podcasts LLT Journal, e-ISSN 2579-9533, p-ISSN 1410-7201, Vol. 24, No. 1, October 2021 665 based on the three components of attitude: cognition, affect, and connation. In cognitive aspect, the learners thought that language course podcast potentially had more educational values than authentic podcast. This gained favorable attitude from the learners as such characteristic of language course podcast was helpful to help them improve their L2 skills. In affective aspect, they felt that authentic podcast had more interesting topics than language course podcast. This was viewed positively by the learners because such characteristic of authentic podcast could raise their excitement and motivation to practice EL. Lastly, in conative aspect, the learners showed generally favorable attitude towards authentic and language course podcasts although their conative or behavioral attitude towards each type of podcasts might differ due to their willingness to listen and the influence from their cognitive and affective judgment towards each podcast type. The findings implied that in this study, the EFL learners’ attitude towards both authentic and language course podcasts for EL was greatly influenced by their personal impressions on the features of each podcast type. Teachers may need to carefully consider the learners’ L2 level, familiarity of the podcast topics, and the use of pre- and post-activities to sustain their interest on the podcast contents. 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