Exploring the Efficacy of TikTok and Edlink in Enhancing ESP Students' Speaking Skill:  A Mixed-Method Study on Mechanical Engineering Students

Abstract

Digital platforms are increasingly transforming how vocational students practise English speaking beyond conventional classroom interaction. However, limited empirical attention has been given to how social media-based learning and learning management systems jointly support English for Specific Purposes (ESP) speaking practice in technical education, particularly among Mechanical Engineering students. Addressing this gap, this study examined students’ perceptions of TikTok and Edlink as complementary platforms for ESP speaking practice and investigated whether satisfaction with speaking progress predicted their intention to continue using digital speaking platforms. A descriptive quantitative design, supported by students’ reflective responses, was employed with 60 Mechanical Engineering students at Banjarmasin State Polytechnic. Data were collected through a 34-item Likert-scale questionnaire and analysed using descriptive percentage analysis, simple linear regression, and ANOVA. The findings showed that students’ overall perceptions were predominantly neutral, with only one item, motivation to complete speaking tasks through TikTok compared with traditional classroom activities, reaching a high category. TikTok was perceived as useful for increasing motivation, confidence, and willingness to practise speaking, while Edlink was valued for its structured learning pathway, task organization, feedback, and academic alignment. Regression analysis revealed that satisfaction with ESP speaking progress significantly predicted continuance intention, explaining 58.4% of the variance in students’ intention to keep using digital platforms. This study offers an original contribution by positioning TikTok and Edlink not as competing tools but as complementary components of a blended ESP learning ecosystem, with implications for designing more engaging, structured, and sustainable speaking instruction in vocational higher education.