Culturally Responsive Listening Pedagogy: Using Pakistani Folk Tales to Enhance ESL Vocabulary

Abstract

This study examined whether culturally familiar Pakistani folk tales improve vocabulary acquisition and listening comprehension among ESL learners. A quantitative quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test design was used with 60 FSc- and BS-level learners at Government Graduate College Jhang. Thirty learners formed the experimental group and received listening instruction through the folk tales Heer Ranjha and Saif-ul-Malook, while 30 learners in the control group used traditional listening materials. Each group completed pre-tests and post-tests containing multiple-choice, vocabulary, and short-answer items. The experimental group's composite listening score increased from M = 16.05 (SD = 1.97) to M = 20.97 (SD = 1.60), t(29) = 21.85, p < .001. Its vocabulary score increased from M = 5.17 (SD = 0.95) to M = 7.37 (SD = 0.83), t(29) = 11.60, p < .001. The control group showed no statistically significant improvement in either outcome. The findings indicate that culturally familiar narratives can provide meaningful context for vocabulary and support listening comprehension. Because the supplied dataset did not contain coded questionnaire or observation results, classroom engagement could not be tested statistically.

Keywords: culturally responsive pedagogy, Pakistani folk tales, ESL listening, vocabulary acquisition, schema theory

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22068450