TIKTOK’S ROLE IN LEARNING ENGLISH VOCABULARY FOR ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE (EFL) LEARNERS

Vocabulary is one of the basic competencies for English students in their field. In able to be successful in the four skills of English, listening, speaking, reading, and writing, students need to have vocabulary mastery (Rahman, 2021). Richard and Renandya (2002), as cited in Asyiah (2017), also noted that learning vocabulary as a foreign language learner is a crucial part of the process of learners enhancing their language proficiency. Without learning vocabulary, students will experience difficulty improving their English skills, directly impacting their English language achievement. A lack of vocabulary will lead to communication difficulty, and it will interfere with students’ learning other skills in the English language. 

Students’ vocabulary level and understanding could be affected by various factors in the learning process, such as the learning strategies used, learning media, and students’ internal factors. Lutfiyah et al. (2022) noted in their research on students’ perception of the obstacles in learning vocabulary that those factors can be solved by some strategies, one of them is learning vocabulary through listening to music and watching videos.  However, in some situations, the existing strategies of watching videos lead students to boredom due to the lack of engaging content provided by the educators. Using the same platform continuously causes its attractiveness to decrease, impacting students’ learning interests. According to (Rahman, 2021), it also noted that the issue is that the learning media or process itself is a bit dull. When students are presented with lengthy text or videos, they tend to lose interest and get bored with the lesson. The students showed a lack of motivation to learn new vocabulary when presented with unfamiliar words from the texts.

Technology has significantly improved and created new discoveries with useful functions in this modern era. Technology has been significantly impacted by the ongoing process of modernization. One of the fields experiencing the most rapid growth is social media. In this era, social media is used in almost every activity, including long-distance communication, exchange of information, school learning, and so on. Many social media platforms are now expanding rapidly and being used extensively in various contexts, with the TikTok platform being a recent example. Released in 2016, the TikTok application by ByteDance enables users to create and share short videos, which are currently becoming increasingly popular in the digital age (Bernard, 2021; Nguyen & Tran, 2024). Indonesia has become the second-most TikTok user since 202, which has reached 109.9 million people based on the World Population Review ranking. It is possible that in 2024, more people will use the platform to get wider (worldpopulationreview.com, 2024). 

TikTok’s educational potential has been highlighted in various studies. Bernard (2021) found that many teachers have used TikTok platforms to establish their own videos to explain complicated material, explain rules, and share students’ task instructions.  Teachers will have no difficulty downloading and sharing the video with their students, thus facilitating the learning process. This approach has the beneficial effect of improving students' ability to learn in an accessible manner. The variety of engaging content on TikTok contributes to an enhanced learning experience using unique features that facilitate students' access to information (Choo and Khalid, 2024). In Indonesia, many users, including EFL students, have used TikTok for many purposes, especially to learn a language, focusing on vocabulary learning (Usman, 2024). The use of technology, such as TikTok, facilitates English Vocabulary learning mastery through a natural learning process. The (Alghameeti, 2022) research confirmed that using TikTok helps learners remember new vocabulary and understand how to use it. In learning vocabulary, TikTok is a great tool for students to help them understand the meaning of vocabulary and become enthusiastic about the process of learning new words. The illustrations and voice-overs in TikTok learning videos are effective in helping students’ ability to convey the meaning of vocabulary with greater ease (Usman, 2024). Moreover, learners have the option of reopening saved videos to assist in recalling words. They may choose to pause or mute the sound when necessary. Some TikTok videos feature English songs with lyrics or movie scenes with original and translated subtitles, facilitating the acquisition of new vocabulary through listening, reading, or even mimicking the videos. This facilitates the effective memorization of new words and the discovery of new vocabulary (Alghameeti, 2022; Choo and Khalid, 2024; Bernard, 2021). According to Usman (2024), it can be reasonably concluded that students who utilize TikTok videos may experience a greater level of enthusiasm for the learning process, particularly when it comes to understanding and using English vocabulary. This is due to the fact that the English-language content available on TikTok can be accessed at the user's own convenience, in a flexible way that suits their needs, and at a pace that's comfortable for them.

In the context of the technological era, TikTok has been identified as a valuable tool for advancing educational initiatives when employed as a social media platform, as an avenue for online learning, and as a means of enhancing communication and technological abilities (Nor Eleyana Abdullah et al., 2023).  It is anticipated that educators will be able to utilize technology platforms, such as TikTok, in a constructive manner to enhance students' English proficiency, particularly in vocabulary. Vocabulary is an essential aspect of the English language that enables effective communication in practical settings (Usman, 2024).  

According to the positive impact of TikTok as an educational tool from the existing research, it can be concluded that TikTok has good potential as a new learning medium to be the solution for students who lack interest in long-duration videos and the same platform. Students can access social media platforms like TikTok to exchange information and entertainment. Additionally, TikTok spends a significant portion of its time entertaining itself. 

Vocabulary is one of the most essential components before learning other English skills, as it forms the basis for language development (Mutaat & Darmawan, 2022; Anumanthan & Hashim, 2022). According to Lutfiyah et al. (2022) and Khan et al. (2018), vocabulary is one of the most important elements of language. Similarly, Novianti (2016) highlights that learning vocabulary is a major concern in foreign language learning. Furthermore, Alqahtani (2015) emphasizes that teaching vocabulary, one of the most discussed aspects of teaching English as a foreign language, plays an important role in mastering the four language skills and should be considered a necessary language component. Additionally, Aisyah (2017) states that students believe vocabulary teaching and learning are essential because they enhance their enjoyment of learning and using English. According to Roger (2005), vocabulary is important for students and is even more essential than grammar for communication, especially in the early stages of learning. At this stage, students are motivated to learn basic words that they need to use in the language (as cited in Lutfiyah et al., 2022).

Hatch and Brown (1995) divide vocabulary into two types: receptive vocabulary and productive vocabulary. Receptive vocabulary refers to words that learners recognize and understand in context, such as in reading, but cannot use in speaking or writing. Productive vocabulary includes words that learners understand, pronounce correctly, and use effectively in speaking and writing. It builds on receptive vocabulary with the ability to appropriately use words (as cited in Lutfiyah et al., 2022).

Alqahtani (2015) concluded that vocabulary is the total number of words required to communicate ideas and express the speaker's meaning, which is why learning vocabulary is important. Teaching vocabulary is also one of the most discussed aspects of teaching English as a foreign language.

Nation (1990) explains the importance of vocabulary language as, "Vocabulary is not an end itself. A rich vocabulary makes the skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing easier to perform." Thus, mastering vocabulary allows learners to focus more effectively on higher levels and other aspects of foreign language development (as cited in Khan et al., 2018).

Asyiah (2017) highlights the importance of vocabulary learning, emphasizing that it helps students solve problems when encountering unfamiliar words, boosts their motivation to learn and use English, and encourages them to test their vocabulary mastery. Students acknowledged that vocabulary learning should take place in the classroom as it aids in developing their cognitive skills (e.g., understanding English texts and monologues), affective skills (e.g., increasing motivation to learn and use English), and behavioral skills (e.g., making conversations and constructing sentences). Additionally, students preferred using metacognitive strategies, where they could choose the media they liked to store vocabulary. This approach, often linked to increased motivation, created a positive learning atmosphere, with media such as songs and movies particularly helping them retain vocabulary in long-term memory.

Based on these findings, it is suggested that English teachers pay more attention to vocabulary instruction and teach students various strategies to enhance their vocabulary mastery. This would allow students to choose the strategy or learning method that gives the most effective impact on their vocabulary development. Furthermore, allowing students to make their own choices will make them familiar with the various vocabulary learning strategies, both for knowing and understanding word meanings and for gaining more vocabulary knowledge for students’ long-term memory.

Effective teaching or learning methods are the most needed in the English learning process. As Khan et al. (2016) state, it has been noted that to ensure effective teaching, an approach that is systematic and logical is required to create a various learning environment for the students. The research concludes that social media is a basic media used through smart electronic devices that have various types to help people regularly share information. Similarly, according to Arumugam et al. (2020) and Khan et al. (2016), social media is an important tool that provides opportunities for learners to learn the English language. Teachers are able to use social media as a tool to create language learning media for students. In his research on “The role of social media in development of English language vocabulary at university level”, he concludes that social media facilitates English learners in learning for a longer time in terms of their ability to use English without unsureness compared to when students use textbook for their learning media (Khan et al., 2016).

The research findings by Arumugam et al. (2020) indicate that undergraduate students view social media as a suitable tool for instructors to interact with students about course and learning content. They also perceive social media as an effective tool for lecturers to engage with undergraduate students. Furthermore, the research highlights the reliability of social media as an educational tool for sharing educational materials that can benefit student learning. Students would suggest their teachers apply social media for teaching English and would recommend their fellow students use social media for learning English, particularly for sharing course material, teaching aids and exams. All respondents felt that social media enabled them to learn some new words in English. Social media give more experiences and easy way in learning words, making it more effective for long-term retention. Social media functions allow users to exchange educational information, and many agree that using social media is a way of discovering new words daily.

Onn et al. (2024) conducted a study that indicated university students are engaged with active social media users on some platforms ranging from 5-6 hours daily. The most commonly used social media shows TikTok as the platform. Therefore, it is evident that those with a comprehensive understanding of the features of the social media application, particularly TikTok, will be better placed to engage with the learning process.