Podcast-based speaking tasks are increasingly used in English for Specific Purposes (ESP), but evidence on how they relate to communicative competence and metacognitive awareness in teacher education remains limited. This study examined pretest-to-posttest changes in these outcomes and explored participants’ experiences. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was used with 42 second-semester pre-service primary teachers at a private university in East Java, Indonesia. All participants completed a speaking assessment and an adapted Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI) before and after six weeks of podcast-based tasks. Ten participants then joined semi-structured interviews. Paired-samples t tests showed higher posttest scores for communicative competence, t(41) = -13.34, p < .001, and metacognitive awareness, t(41) = -10.39, p < .001. Interviewees described how planning, recording, playback, and revision supported confidence, fluency, audience awareness, and reflection; they also reported vocabulary, pronunciation, and technical challenges. Because the study used a one-group pretest–posttest design, the score changes cannot be attributed to podcasting alone. The findings suggest that structured podcast tasks may connect speaking practice with reflection when teachers provide clear goals, feedback, and self-evaluation.
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