Analysis of Vocabulary Learning Process from Instagram and TikTok

Authors and Affiliation

  • Nita Fauziah, Nor Angga Pebriano, Tenny Murtiningsih
    Universitas Muhammadiyah Banjarmasin, Jl. S. Parman Kompleks RS Islam, Banjarmasin Tengah, Kalimantan Selatan, 70114, Indonesia
    Corresponding author’s email: tenny28@umbjm.ac.id

Abstract

  • This research explores the effectiveness of Instagram and TikTok as aids for enhancing students' English vocabulary acquisition.

    • Instagram

    • Instructional accounts publish English learning videos and introduce new vocabulary.

    • TikTok

    • Offers engaging content that aids vocabulary acquisition but may consume significant data due to its video-centric design.

  • The research employed a qualitative methodology with a case study design, focusing on six English majors from a private university in South Borneo who mastered vocabulary through autonomous use of Instagram and TikTok.

  • Participants saved vocabulary-related photos for later review and used the language in daily activities to improve recall, utilizing mobile phone notes for practice.

  • Motivation stems from the desire to keep up with popular slang on the platforms, which assists speaking skills and comprehension in listening, reading, and writing.

  • The study underscores the importance of Instagram and TikTok for enhancing students' English vocabulary and suggests significant implications for educators and students in the digital age.

Keywords

  • vocabulary, learning English, TikTok, Instagram

Abstrak (Indonesian Abstract)

  • Efektivitas Instagram dan TikTok untuk meningkatkan penguasaan kosa kata siswa.

  • Metodologi kualitatif dalam penelitian ini menggunakan desain studi kasus dan melibatkan enam mahasiswa jurusan bahasa Inggris.

  • Strategi digunakan oleh peserta antara lain menyimpan foto kosa kata dan menerapkan kosakata baru dalam aktivitas sehari-hari.

  • Temuan menunjukkan bahwa media sosial ini dapat meningkatkan kompetensi bahasa siswa di era digital.

Introduction

  • Vocabulary is essential in English language learning, serving as a foundation for creating sentences.

  • Importance of Vocabulary Mastery

    • Sometimes overlooked in English education despite its necessity.

  • Many individuals (students/workers) require proficiency in English for daily activities (Aini & Nohantiya, 2020).

  • Motivations for Learning English

    • Vary according to personal roles, with some driven by intrinsic curiosity sans external pressure.

  • Types of Vocabulary

    • Active Vocabulary: Words comprehended, pronounced, and utilized in speaking or writing (Haycraft, 1978).

    • Passive Vocabulary: Words understood in context but not effectively expressed.

  • Learning Components

    • Both receptive (recognizing meaning) and productive (applying words effectively) learning are necessary (Laufer & Nation, 1999).

  • Efficient Vocabulary Acquisition

    • Emphasis on learning frequently used words (800-1000) can enable comprehension of 75% of daily spoken language (Gyllstad et al., 2021).

    • Communication efficacy requires a robust vocabulary due to the extensive nature of English vocabulary.

Strategies for Vocabulary Learning

  • Cognitive Strategies

    • Selective attention is critical in vocabulary learning (Bai, 2018).

  • Varied techniques facilitate learning in different environments, and social/affective methods often yield high focus in vocabulary studies.

  • Challenges

    • Lack of vocabulary and limited media resources can impede learning (Octaviana et al., 2023).

  • Recommendations

    • Strategies should extend beyond mere explanation to incorporate description and illustration (Kusumaningrum et al., 2020).

  • Technological Impact

    • Technology allows learning flexibility; educators should leverage it for engaging content (Liando et al., 2022).

Social Media as Learning Tools

  • Social media platforms can enhance learning by facilitating student activity, creativity, independence, and motivation while presenting challenges (e.g., limited timely responses, potential misalignment with learning objectives).

  • Instagram

    • Popular app providing English study opportunities through educational accounts that share daily vocabulary.

    • Continually updated features to remain competitive.

  • TikTok

    • Engaging due to short, entertaining videos, and offers content that is both educational and enjoyable (Bahri et al., 2022).

    • Potential data consumption issues.

Data Collection and Research Methodology

  • The study employed qualitative methodology focusing on case studies to investigate vocabulary learning processes through Instagram and TikTok.

  • Data gathered via interviews and documentation with six English major students from South Borneo.

  • Participants chosen for their successful mastery of vocabulary through self-directed learning via social media.

Results and Discussion

  • Students express Instagram and TikTok as appealing learning tools,

    • Engaging due to short, fun, and less monotonous content compared to platforms like YouTube.

  • Retention Strategies

    • Students typically screenshot and store vocabulary images for review.

    • Integrating new vocabulary into daily conversations (face to face or via messaging apps).

  • Challenges Encountered

    • Data limitations due to high-quality video consumption.

    • Fast-paced content requiring repeated viewing.

  • Frequency of Use

    • Students access these platforms for approximately one hour daily.

Continuous Vocabulary Engagement

  • Students continue their vocabulary expansion despite it not being a daily occurrence,

  • Engagement is driven by the recognition that language evolves regularly, keeping them engaged.

  • All participants noted that informal vocabulary, especially slang, is key for staying relevant among peers.

Conclusion

  • Students engage in systematic vocabulary acquisition processes through Instagram and TikTok.

  • Procedures involve following educational accounts, saving vocabulary images for reference, and incorporating them into everyday chat.

  • Motivation is largely linked to the desire to avoid feeling outdated and to refine speaking skills.

  • Overall, the indirect pursuit of slang enhances language proficiency across reading, writing, and listening skills.

_____________________________________________________

Authors and Affiliation

This research was conducted by Nita Fauziah, Nor Angga Pebriano, and Tenny Murtiningsih, affiliated with Universitas Muhammadiyah Banjarmasin, located at Jl. S. Parman Kompleks RS Islam, Banjarmasin Tengah, Kalimantan Selatan, 70114, Indonesia. The corresponding author's email is tenny28@umbjm.ac.id.

Abstract

This research investigates the effectiveness of Instagram and TikTok as tools to enhance students' English vocabulary acquisition. Instagram, through its instructional accounts, facilitates English learning by publishing videos that introduce new vocabulary. TikTok also offers engaging content beneficial for vocabulary acquisition, though its video-centric design can lead to significant data consumption. The study employed a qualitative methodology with a case study design, focusing on six English majors from a private university in South Borneo who had autonomously mastered vocabulary using these platforms. Participants enhanced recall by saving vocabulary-related photos for later review, utilizing mobile phone notes for practice, and integrating the language into their daily activities. Motivation for learning stems from a desire to keep up with popular slang on these platforms, which in turn aids speaking skills and improves comprehension in listening, reading, and writing. Overall, the study highlights the importance of Instagram and TikTok in boosting students' English vocabulary and suggests significant implications for both educators and students in the digital age.

Keywords

Keywords central to this study include vocabulary, learning English, TikTok, and Instagram.

Abstrak (Indonesian Abstract)

Penelitian ini mengkaji efektivitas Instagram dan TikTok dalam meningkatkan penguasaan kosakata siswa. Metodologi kualitatif dengan desain studi kasus digunakan dalam penelitian ini, melibatkan enam mahasiswa jurusan bahasa Inggris. Strategi yang diterapkan oleh peserta meliputi penyimpanan foto kosakata dan penerapan kosakata baru dalam aktivitas sehari-hari. Temuan penelitian menunjukkan bahwa media sosial ini berpotensi meningkatkan kompetensi bahasa siswa di era digital.

Introduction

Vocabulary is a fundamental component of English language learning, serving as the basis for sentence construction. Despite its critical necessity, vocabulary mastery is sometimes overlooked within English education. Many individuals, including students and workers, require English proficiency for their daily activities, as noted by Aini & Nohantiya (2020). Motivations for learning English vary by personal roles, with some individuals driven by intrinsic curiosity rather than external pressures.

Vocabulary is generally categorized into two types: active vocabulary and passive vocabulary. Active vocabulary refers to words that are不仅understood and pronounced but also effectively utilized in speaking or writing, as defined by Haycraft (1978). Passive vocabulary, conversely, includes words that are understood in context but not actively expressed. For efficient vocabulary acquisition, both receptive learning, which involves recognizing meaning, and productive learning, which focuses on applying words effectively, are essential, according to Laufer & Nation (1999). Emphasizing the learning of frequently used words (approximately 800−1000800-1000) can enable comprehension of about 75%75\% of daily spoken language, as suggested by Gyllstad et al. (2021). However, achieving effective communication requires a robust vocabulary due to the extensive nature of the English lexicon.

Strategies for Vocabulary Learning

Effective vocabulary learning relies heavily on cognitive strategies, with selective attention being particularly critical, as highlighted by Bai (2018). Various techniques facilitate learning in different environments, and social and affective methods often lead to high focus in vocabulary studies. However, challenges such as a lack of vocabulary and limited media resources can hinder the learning process, as observed by Octaviana et al. (2023). Therefore, recommendations suggest that strategies should extend beyond mere explanation to incorporate description and illustration, as noted by Kusumaningrum et al. (2020). The impact of technology on learning is significant, offering flexibility; educators should leverage technological tools to create engaging content, as advised by Liando et al. (2022).

Social Media as Learning Tools

Social media platforms have the potential to enhance learning by fostering student activity, creativity, independence, and motivation. However, they also present challenges such as limited timely responses and potential misalignment with learning objectives. Instagram, a popular application, offers numerous opportunities for English study through educational accounts that share daily vocabulary. The platform also continually updates its features to remain competitive. TikTok is another engaging platform, known for its short, entertaining videos that offer content which is both educational and enjoyable, as indicated by Bahri et al. (2022). Nevertheless, similar to other video-centric platforms, TikTok usage can lead to significant data consumption issues.

Data Collection and Research Methodology

The study utilized a qualitative methodology, specifically focusing on case studies, to thoroughly investigate vocabulary learning processes via Instagram and TikTok. Data collection was primarily conducted through interviews and documentation involving six English major students from South Borneo. These participants were carefully selected due to their demonstrated successful mastery of vocabulary through self-directed learning using social media platforms.

Results and Discussion

Students expressed that Instagram and TikTok are highly appealing learning tools, primarily because their content is short, fun, and less monotonous compared to platforms like YouTube. Regarding retention strategies, students commonly screenshot and store vocabulary images for later review. They also actively integrate new vocabulary into their daily conversations, both face-to-face and through messaging applications. Despite these benefits, challenges were encountered, notably data limitations due to the high-quality video consumption characteristic of these platforms, and the fast-paced nature of the content often requiring repeated viewing. On average, students reported accessing these platforms for approximately one hour daily.

Continuous Vocabulary Engagement

Students maintain their vocabulary expansion efforts, although it may not occur daily. Their engagement is driven by the understanding that language continually evolves, which keeps them motivated. All participants acknowledged that informal vocabulary, particularly slang, is crucial for staying relevant and connected among their peers.

Conclusion

The research concludes that students systematically acquire vocabulary through their engagement with Instagram and TikTok. Their acquisition procedures involve following educational accounts, saving vocabulary images for future reference, and integrating these new words into everyday conversations. The primary motivation for this learning is largely linked to the desire to avoid feeling outdated and to continuously refine their speaking skills. Ultimately, the indirect pursuit of slang on these platforms significantly enhances students' overall language proficiency across reading, writing, and listening skills.