The Relationship Between TikTok Usage Intensity and Students’ English Vocabulary Mastery

Abstract

TikTok is a widely used platform among university students, providing extensive English-language content that may facilitate informal vocabulary exposure. Grounded in Krashen’s Input Hypothesis, this study examined the relationship between TikTok usage intensity and English vocabulary mastery among students in the English Language Education Program at Hamzanwadi University. A quantitative correlational design was employed, involving 52 students selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using a Likert-scale questionnaire measuring TikTok usage intensity and a multiple-choice vocabulary test. The results showed that TikTok usage intensity had a mean score of 29.58 (SD = 3.80), while English vocabulary mastery had a mean score of 2.96 (SD = 1.64) out of 6. Spearman rank correlation analysis revealed no statistically significant relationship between TikTok usage intensity and vocabulary mastery (rs = −.049, p = .732). A supplementary Kruskal-Wallis test also indicated no significant differences in vocabulary mastery among low-, moderate-, and high-usage groups (H = .796, p = .672), consistent with the results of a one-way ANOVA (F = .286, p = .753). These findings suggest that the frequency or intensity of TikTok use alone does not predict students’ English vocabulary mastery. However, the findings should be interpreted cautiously because both instruments demonstrated low internal consistency reliability, and the vocabulary test was limited to a narrow six-point scale, potentially restricting score variability. Thus, the results constrain rather than definitively refute the theoretical expectation that exposure to comprehensible input may support vocabulary development. Future research should distinguish attentive and purposeful engagement from mere frequency of access, employ more reliable and comprehensive instruments, and involve larger, more evenly distributed samples.