Kurdish EFL Students’ Perspectives on the Use of TikTok for Enhancing English Fluency
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21271/mj.1.1.11Keywords:
TikTok, English fluency development, students’ perceptions, language learning technologyAbstract
Social media platforms have become increasingly popular in daily life and are now used for purposes beyond entertainment, including language teaching and learning. In particular, TikTok has experienced rapid growth, exceeding one billion users in the past two years. The main aim of this study is to understand Kurdish EFL students’ perceptions of TikTok as a tool for enhancing spoken English fluency. Data were collected through a 33-item questionnaire completed by 214 third- and fourth-year students from the Colleges of Languages, Education, and Basic Education at Salahaddin University. Participants were non-randomly selected based on relevance to the study focus; that is, eligibility to complete the questionnaire was restricted to students who confirmed that they used TikTok. The gathered responses were analyzed using SPSS software (version 27).
Findings indicate that students generally view TikTok as an engaging, flexible, and motivating platform that supports language fluency development. It was particularly effective in improving listening and oral fluency. However, its impact on speaking confidence and writing skills was limited, mainly due to short video formats and limited interaction opportunities. These limitations are significant, as confidence and writing are essential for comprehensive language proficiency and academic achievement. Overall, TikTok appears most beneficial when used as a supplementary resource alongside structured, output-driven learning activities.
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