Teachers as TikTokers: A multiple-case study exploring practice and perspectives of Vietnamese English teachers on TikTok

Abstract

Influenced by the participatory culture of social media and supported by the advancement of tools allowing quick and easy digital content creation, language teachers have gradually made some attempts to craft and publish their teaching videos on social online platforms. However, there is still limited research thoroughly investigating this change in practice. Therefore, this multiple-case study aimed to fill in the gap by examining the practice and perspectives of six Vietnamese English teachers who have their own TikTok accounts and dedicate a majority of their posts to content related to English learning. To achieve the purpose of the study, an initial content analysis was employed to qualitatively analyze 180 videos on the teachers’ accounts, and follow-up interviews were adopted to delve further into these teachers’ practice and perspectives. Results showcased (1) how the teachers ended up making English learning videos on TikTok, (2) how different strategies are employed in their videos to serve specific purposes, and (3) how they perceive the advantages and disadvantages of sharing educational content on TikTok. Findings are expected to highlight the teachers’ agency in teaching and its implications for language teaching with technology.