YouTube and TikTok Videos as Emerging Digital Literacies in Online Teaching: A Must Already i n the Wake of COVID 19

Abstract

This quantitative study examines the use of YouTube and TikTok videos as short form digital resources in online foreign language instruction. While the global shift to online education during the COVID 19 pandemic underscored the importance of accessible and engaging digital resources, the specific pedagogical value of social media platforms stil l remains obscure. As a contribution to the gap in the literature, a 27 item Likert type scale, refined from an initial 39 item pool, was administered to 257 undergraduates (162 female, 95 male) enrolled in the Department of English Language and Literature at a state university. The instrument assessed dimensions including motivation, comprehension, intercultural competence, collaborative learning, distraction, anxiety, and practicality. Descript ive and inferential analyses were performed, including frequen cy distributions and reliability testing (Cronbach’s α =.71). The findings indicated that 61.4% of participants valued the platforms for enhancing engagement, while more than half reported improvements in compr ehension and peer interaction. In contrast, r elatively few students identified drawbacks: 26 27% cited distraction or impracticality, and 19% reported anxiety. These results demonstrate that although reservations exist, positive evaluations of YouTube and TikTok outweigh nega tive experiences in the c ontext investigated. The study highlights the dual nature of short form video integration in online education: strong potential for motivation and comprehension, balanced against limited but noteworthy concerns related to focus and sustainabil ity. The dist ribution of responses suggests a consistent pattern, with advantages dominating the data while criticisms remain in the minor ity.