Social Media as a Tool for Vocabulary Learning: Reflecting on Students’ Experiences

Salsabila Faruq, Fitriah Fitriah

Abstract


Social media today has become hand in hand with young people. It not only connects to the world but also provides learning materials including English.  This study aims to explore the use of social media as a tool to learn vocabulary by interviewing five high school students who frequently used social media as a tool for learning English vocabulary and who spent more than eight hours a week in their study.  This research found that there are seven platforms of social media that students use in learning vocabulary, such as Instagram,  TikTok, Facebook, twitter, whatsapp, discord, and YouTube. They believed that these platforms play a crucial role in their vocabulary mastery. Students gained exposure to new vocabularies and opportunities to practice them through multimodal content, varied features, and peer interaction. Another important point that the students reflect on the use of social media as a learning tool is that they have freedom to choose the content and the features which enhances their enthusiasm in learning vocabulary.

Keywords


Student's perspective, Social media, English Vocabulary

Full Text:

PDF

References


Alghameeti, A. A. (2022). Is TikTok an effective technology tool in English vocabulary expansion? English Language Teaching, 15(12), 14.

Ali, Z., Abu Bakar, N., Ahmad, W., & Saputra, J. (2022). Evaluating the use of web-based games on students’ vocabulary retention. International Journal of Data and Network Science, 6(3), 711–720.

Alharthy, F. (2025). Exploring the impact of TikTok on second-language vocabulary acquisition: Benefits, challenges, and learner perceptions. Journal of Humanities, Social and Management Sciences (JHSSS), 7(3), 2. https://doi.org/10.32996/jhsss.2025.7.3.2

Arsyad, A. (2014). Media pembelajaran. Rajawali Pers.

Audrey, A. V. B. (2021). Expanding ESL students’ vocabulary through TikTok videos. Lensa: Kajian Kebahasaan, Kesusastraan, dan Budaya, 11(2), 171.

Bernard, A. V. (2021). Expanding ESL students’ vocabulary through TikTok videos. Lensa: Kajian Kebahasaan, Kesusastraan, dan Budaya, 11(2), 171–182.

Betit, H. (2023–2024). Students’ perceptions about the use of TikTok educational videos for learning English vocabulary: The case of first-year students of English at AbdElhafid Boussouf. Institute of Letters and Languages, Department of Foreign Languages, Section: English.

Brown, H. D. (2001). Teaching by principles: An interactive approach to language pedagogy (2nd ed.). Addison Wesley Longman.

Bunmak, N. (n.d.). University students’ multimedia use in learning English vocabulary: A case study of university students in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Journal of Language and Communication, 34(2).

Ceylan, Y. E. (2023). The effect of using augmented reality with storytelling on young learners’ vocabulary learning and retention. Novitas-ROYAL (Research on Youth and Language), 17(1), 62–72.

Chen, R., & Wang, M. (2021). A study of the effect of contrasting colors on improving the memorization of English vocabulary. International Journal of English Linguistics, 10(1), 1–9.

Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2023). E-learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning. John Wiley & Sons.

Cope, B., & Kalantzis, M. (2000). Multiliteracies: Literacy learning and the design of social futures. Psychology Press.

Costuchen, A. L., & Dimitrova, D. D. (2022). Roman Palace: A videogame for foreign-language vocabulary retention. Polytechnic University of Valencia, 17, 87–102.

Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Dale, E. (1969). Audiovisual methods in teaching. Dryden Press.

Fauziah, N., Pebriano, N. A., & Murtiningsih, T. (2023). Analysis of vocabulary learning process from Instagram and TikTok. Jurnal Penelitian Ilmu-Ilmu Sosial, 4(1). https://journals2.ums.ac.id/sosial/article/view/2367

Ghorbani, M. R., & Riabi, N. K. (2011). The impact of memory strategy instruction on learners’ EFL vocabulary retention. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 1(9), 1222–1226.

Gunel, E., & Top, E. (2022). Effects of educational video games on English vocabulary learning and retention. International Journal of Technology in Education, 5(2), 333–350.

Hiebert, E. H., & Kamil, M. L. (2005). Teaching and learning vocabulary: Bringing research to practice. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Hill, A. C. (2022). The effectiveness of mnemonic devices for ESL vocabulary retention. English Language Teaching, 15(4), 6–12.

Hinkel, E. (2004). Teaching academic ESL writing: Practical techniques in vocabulary and grammar. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of social media. Business Horizons, 53(1), 59–68.

Kencana, W. H., Situmeang, I. V. O., Meisyanti, M., Rahmawati, K. J., Nugroho, H. S., Valiant, V., & Budilaksono, S. (2024). TikTok as digital literacy media for the 2024 election in Indonesia. Proceeding of the International Conference on Multidisciplinary Research for Sustainable Innovation, 1(1), 114–122.

Khairun Nisa, N., & Irmayani, I. (2023). TikTok meets TBLT: Student perspectives on social media-integrated task-based speaking challenges in advanced EFL learning. JR-ELT. https://jrelt.ftk.uinjambi.ac.id/index.php/jrelt/article/view/101

Khoshsima, H., & Khosravi, M. (2021). Vocabulary retention of EFL learners through the application of Anki, WhatsApp, and traditional methods. Journal of Foreign Language Teaching and Translation Studies, 6(4), 77–98.

Kuss, D. J., & Griffiths, M. D. (2017). Social networking sites and addiction: Ten lessons learned. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(3), 311. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14030311

Mackiewicz, J. (2018). A mixed-method approach. In Writing Center Talk Over Time. Routledge.

Manca, S., & Ranieri, M. (2015). Implications of social network sites for teaching and learning: Where we are and where we want to go. Education and Information Technologies, 22, 605–622. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-015-9429-x

Manihuruk, D. H. (2020). The correlation between EFL students’ vocabulary knowledge and reading comprehension. JET (Journal of English Teaching), 6(1), 86–95.

Milton, J. (2013). Dimensions of vocabulary knowledge. Palgrave Macmillan Higher Education.

Mota, L., et al. (2005). Editorial board. FEMS Microbiology Letters, 252(1), 1–6.

Nation, I. S. P. (2001). Learning vocabulary in another language. Cambridge University Press.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139524759

Nation, P. (Ed.). (1994). New ways in teaching vocabulary. TESOL.

Nurfadhillah, S. (2021). Media pembelajaran: Pengertian, landasan, fungsi, manfaat, jenis-jenis media pembelajaran, dan cara penggunaan. CV Jejak (Jejak Publisher).

Pandia, B. S., & Sibarani, B. (2024). Techniques used in the content of TikTok videos as English learning media. Edu Cendikia: Jurnal Ilmiah Kependidikan, 4(3), 940–951. https://jurnal.itscience.org/index.php/educendikia/article/view/4959

Pereira, A. D. S., & Hitotuzi, N. (2023). Enhancing speaking skills and vocabulary in the EAL classroom through TikTok: A literature review. International Journal of English Linguistics, 13(5), 22–35.

Schmitt, N. (2000). Vocabulary in language teaching. Cambridge University Press.

Schmitt, N. (2010). Researching vocabulary: A vocabulary research manual. Springer.

Sidgi, L. F. (2024). The impact of social media on learning English vocabularies. Journal of Humanities and Education Development, 3(4), 90–96.

Smaldino, S. E., Lowther, D. L., & Mims, C. (2015). Instructional technology and media for learning (11th ed.). Pearson.

Tirtayasa, I. I. D. A., Mahardika, I. G. N. A. W., & Adnyani, N. W. S. (2024). The effectiveness of TikTok as an instructional media on students’ English vocabulary mastery. New Language Dimensions, 5(1), 31–39.

Tran, N., Hoang, D. T. N., Gillespie, R., Yen, T. T. H., & Phung, H. (2024). Enhancing EFL learners’ speaking and listening skills through authentic online conversations with video conferencing tools. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2024.2334809

Vocabulary, E., & Doley, S. K. (2024). Blocking versus interleaving. Journal of English and Education Research, 21(1), 115–145.

Wijaya, L. A., Fitrah, Y., & Karim, M. (2024). Exploring language trends on TikTok: Impacts on Indonesian communication. IDEAS: Journal on English Language Teaching and Learning, Linguistics and Literature, 13(2). https://ejournal.iainpalopo.ac.id/index.php/ideas/article/view/6271

Wilkins, D. A. (1972). Linguistics in language teaching. Edward Arnold.

Willis, J. (2008). Teaching the brain to read: Strategies for improving fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. ASCD.

Yudha, H. T., & Mandasari, B. (2021). The analysis of game usage for senior high school. Journal of English Language Teaching and Learning (JELTL), 2(2), 74–79.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.31004/jele.v10i6.1701

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2025 Salsabila Faruq, Fitriah Fitriah

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.