Beatriz Chaves-Yuste

Abstract

This study examined whether a podcast-based instructional intervention was associated with changes in selected English for Specific Purposes outcomes in university learners. Ninety-one undergraduates completed four student-produced podcasts with PRE and POST assessments. Eye movements were recorded during standardized reading tasks after seven-point calibration, including fixation and visit counts, first fixation duration, and total fixation duration. Wilcoxon signed-rank tests examined PRE-POST changes in ESP performance and reading-related measures, while Friedman tests compared performance across the four podcast tasks. Effect sizes were reported using the CLES and Kendall’s W. POST scores significantly exceeded PRE in language use, vocabulary, listening, grammar, and reading comprehension, whereas speaking and writing showed nonsignificant gains. Podcast performance generally increased across tasks. Exploratory eye-tracking results showed fewer fixations, shorter first fixation duration, higher visit counts, and stable total fixation duration at POST. Together with improved reading-comprehension, this mixed pattern suggests changes in visual-attention allocation rather than direct evidence of greater processing efficiency. The findings provide qualified support for student-generated podcasting as an active, technology-integrated approach to selected ESP-related language outcomes.

Key words: ESP, eye tracking, podcasting, online reading processing.