THE IMPACT OF ENGLISH AUDIO MATERIALS ON ENGLISH LEARNING

Abstract. Enhancing English through listening to audio materials such as podcasts and songs can become an alternative way to traditional learning methods. These materials contain diverse themes and provide learners with a wide range of vocabulary, speech structures and others. In addition, this form of learning not only improves language skills, but also broadens the horizons of world-viewing. Listening to podcasts and songs can make a person more self-confident in real life conversation, as they demonstrate how people communicate in common circumstances. This approach makes learning much more funny and interesting for teenagers, so motivation becomes natural-not forced.

Keywords: English, podcast, skills, song, method, improve.

English is the most spoken language in the world, it has more than 1 billion speakers today. It has even become an inseparable part of our daily life. Imagine enhancing your English skills while just listening to your favorite podcast or music. This unique method provides you with knowledge and enjoyment at the same time. For example, instead of reading big textbooks, students just can immerse in lively speech and captivating stories. Listening to English audio materials, like songs and podcasts can be a potential way to improve not only your listening skills, but also to enrich your lexicon, enhance pronunciation and booster critical thinking. Due to the availability of this method, it has become a widespread way of learning a language. But how exactly it affects the way we learn English?

Audio materials are not just recordings to listen to every day, they are essential tools for learning a new language online by yourself. The most effective audio resources are podcasts and songs. They cover an enormous range of topics, including personal development, educational themes and global politics. This variety of themes provides an opportunity to extend vocabulary in different spheres of life and improve understanding of words’ meanings. Additionally, it shows how to use new vocabulary correctly in both speech and writing. Many people still cope with understanding real-life conversations, and one of the key advantages of audio materials is that they reflect how people communicate in real environment. They include different accents, speaking speeds, dialects and phrases. It accustoms learners to know how expressions are used naturally in everyday speeches. “This helps learners understand how conversations are structured, which phrases and expressions are used in everyday speech, and how to keep a conversation going.” [3] The different paces of talking provides a learner with an adaptation skill to fast talks of native speakers. Furthermore, it helps with recognizing sarcasm, humor and lifestyle expressions. And the most beneficial advantage of using podcasts and songs in learning foreign language is that it makes it more enjoyable to a person, because you choose topics on your own and a learner improves their skills while relaxing. Moreover, since a learner already listens to it every day, their brain starts to recognize correct sentences, verb forms and prepositions, so, he learns unconsciously. “In  an  era  where  time  constraints  and  financial  limitations  often  hinder  access  to traditional language courses, podcasts offer a viable alternative. They are typically free or low-cost, easily accessible via smartphones or computers, and can be integrated into daily routines, such as commuting or exercising.” [6, p. 565] Also, we conducted a survey to find out how podcasts really affect the way students learn language, 38 students of the Year 10 were the participants of it. They had the same level of English and listened to podcasts during the academic term from September 1 to October 24, 2025.At the end of the term, a survey was conducted, and the results showed that in fact, 84.2% (32 respondents) claimed that podcast assignments helped improve their language skills, while 86.8% (33 respondents) considered podcasting a useful tool for introducing and practicing new vocabulary.

In conclusion, listening to the audio materials, like songs and podcasts plays a crucial role in English acquisition. Learners can easily integrate such method in their daily routines, for instance, they can listen to podcasts while cleaning up or exercising. However, if a person doesn’t use it appropriately, it wouldn’t immerse his knowledge in language. So, it is important to listen attentively and with the mind. Audio materials can be an effective way to improve English skills and wider the outlook simultaneously. The significance of this method lies in the fact that it provides free access to language education and can be used by everyone on a daily basis.