English Majors’ Perceived Effects of the Use of TikTok on Self-Regulated Learning

Abstract

The use of social media platforms has been popular among EFL learners and has become a topic of interest to researchers around the world in various academic contexts. This study, therefore, investigated the perceived effects of TikTok on self-regulated language learning strategies of English majors at a private university in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The study employed a mixed-methods approach, for comprehensive insights. The study involved 103 English-majored freshmen, who participated in the completion of the questionnaire; concurrently, 10 of them were recruited for the semi-structured interviews via convenience sampling. Subsequently, quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics in SPSS 27, and qualitative data were examined through thematic analysis. There were 64 females (62.1%) and 39 males ( 37.9%), whose responses were considered valid for the analysis procedures. The findings of the numerical data and interview responses indicated that the use of TikTok for SRL activities was frequent and regular, with general positive perceptions towards its effects on autonomous learning, which were illustrated through 4 dimensions: Metacognition, Cognition, Motivation, and Behavioural/Emotional aspects. Moreover, the results of Skewness and Kurtosis fell within the recommended thresholds of ±1, suggesting acceptable normality of the data distribution. By acknowledging the favourable results, this study demonstrates TikTok’s potential as a valuable tool for self-regulated English learning, fostering learners’ autonomous behaviour and motivation. However, limited generalizability due to small sample size, reliance on self-reported data, cross-sectional design, and the focus on one group of participants remained the limitations of the current study, leaving room for future suggestions on longitudinal and multi-context studies.