The Effectiveness of Podcasts in Improving Primary School Pupils’ Critical Listening and Interpretation Skills

Abstract

This study examines the potential of podcasts based on coastal folklore from Batang Regency to support pupils’ critical listening and meaning interpretation skills. A critical literature review was conducted to synthesize findings from 30 sources published between 2015 and 2024 and retrieved from national and international databases. The literature was selected based on relevance to podcasts, local wisdom, critical listening, and meaning interpretation, then analyzed through coding, thematic development, and critical synthesis. The findings identify three contributions. First, podcasts provide flexible and repeatable audio exposure that can support attentive, analytical, and reflective listening. Second, integrating coastal folklore creates culturally meaningful learning contexts that strengthen pupils’ cultural literacy and connection with local identity. Third, audio narratives can encourage pupils to interpret implicit messages, narrative elements, and cultural values beyond literal comprehension. The study concludes that locally grounded podcasts have strong pedagogical potential for integrating digital literacy, cultural literacy, and critical listening in primary Indonesian language learning.