Integrating TikTok in Higher Education: A Case of English as a Foreign Language Teacher Education Program

Background/purpose. Limited studies have explored TikTok's potential in higher education, but scarce research has been conducted about the impact of this tool on developing research and linguistic competencies in Latin-American TEFL students. This research addresses this gap by analyzing the effectiveness of TikTok in supporting these competencies while also exploring students' perceptions of its use in this context. Consequently, this study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of TikTok videos in enhancing research and linguistic competencies among higher-education students in an EFL teacher education program. Additionally, it aims to explore students' perceptions of TikTok as an educational tool.

Materials/methods. Using a mixed-method approach, this study combines a quasi-experimental design, surveys, and structured interviews to assess changes in academic competencies and collect student perceptions. Eighty-seven participants from a private university in Ecuador were divided into control and experimental groups across two courses: Research Methods in ELT and Contrastive Grammar. The intervention involved integrating TikTok videos into the curriculum over four months, with students in the experimental group engaging with and creating TikTok content related to course material.

Results. Results indicated improvements in the experimental group, demonstrating the positive impact of TikTok on student performance. Additionally, data revealed that students found TikTok to be an engaging and effective supplementary learning tool that supports effective learning by reducing cognitive load and fostering active, self-paced learning. However, the participants noted challenges such as technological limitations and potential distractions.

Conclusion. TikTok videos demonstrate a positive impact on student performance, which supports effective learning experiences and enhances academic competencies through improved retention and comprehension. Additionally, students generally perceive TikTok as an engaging and effective tool for classroom learning.

Keywords: Academic competencies, Educational technology, EFL learning, TikTok in education

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