INTRODUCTION

SETTING
As the world becomes increasingly digital, the advancement of technological

tools and applications are usually the most preferred ways among many students
to learn new foreign languages such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter,
LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok. With the rise of a media-driven world,
technological development exposes students to a diversity range of applications
and innovations available which also assists them in increasing their proficiency
creatively. While the significance of social media in facilitating communication
is widely recognized in today's society, it is evident that student's proficiency in
effectively communicating in English is insufficient and numerous students
encounter difficulties when enhancing their speaking abilities. Oral
communication is one of the most fundamental language skills necessary for
good English language proficiency (Karaya & Kucuktepe, 2023). Particularly,
speaking, as a complex skill, involves various components, including
pronunciation, fluency, grammar, and vocabulary, as emphasised by Syakur
(1987). Students that lack interest in learning English are a problem. There are
many students who still lack the self-assurance and communication skills
necessary to fully express their thoughts and viewpoint. Some students of
English as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL) report feeling intimidated
by the prospect of having to communicate in English (Asma et al., 2021).
Herlisya and Wiratno (2022) highlight that many students majoring in English
hesitate to communicate in English when they lack proficiency in the language.
Students encounter various challenges when striving to enhance their English-
speaking abilities, one of which is the lack of sufficient learning tools, which
might impede the progress of these talents. According to Sharma (2019), social
media applications are useful tools for improving students' linguistic
competence as well as increasing their learning motivation as students are
already familiar with social media. Moreover, the activities that are integrated
on the internet are often practical and interactive. It provides students more
chances to be active learners instead of sitting in the class and listening to
lectures (Gumenyuk et al., 2021; Popovych et al., 2020). Social media is
classified as a learning medium. There are four basic reasons why people use
social media: entertainment, socialisation, to gain information, and educational
purposes (Yang, 2020). Hence, in order to help many university students
overcome their challenges to master speaking ability, social media applications
should have been integrated into educational contexts to improve English-major
students' language proficiency.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Using online social media in teaching and learning is not a new thing. A wide
range of social media platforms have been used as learning media and numerous
studies have been carried out on this theme. For example, Kreishan and Abbadi
(2022) investigated the frequency of and willingness to use English in social
media contexts among undergraduate English majors. Study results illustrated
that social media had a remarkable impact on improving and developing
English competence and skills in this technological era. Additionally,
Tambunan et al. (2022) investigated the impact of social media as a mobile
phone-based classroom teaching and learning method on students' English
proficiency and motivation to learn. It found that students were already using
social networking sites informally to enhance their learning. Thus, students
were aware of the educational benefits provided by technological tools. Dweikat
(2016) used Facebook as a platform to improve student’s communication skills
and examined students‟ learning outcomes by using pre-test and post-test
results.
With reference to the previously mentioned use of social media applications, it

is inevitable that learning media, which are user-friendly and do not make
students feel uncomfortable, must be integrated into the educational context.
Putri (2022) mentions that a learning medium is a tool that develops along with
learning technology and comes in various forms including audio, visual, and
audio-visual. Putri (2022) also pointed out that learning media plays an
important role in introducing or transferring information as well as simplifying
the abstract into something less complicated. Therefore, the appropriate use of
social media in teaching may influence students‟ learning outcome.
TikTok, a recent social media platform, allows users to share their content as a
short video, produce entertaining movies and communicate with other users
through comments or even direct messages. This application, launched in
September 2016 in China, has been downloaded more than 500 billion times
worldwide as of April 202. According to (Xiuwen & Razali, 2021), TikTok can
be used as a language learning tool to evaluate student learning outcomes.
TikTok can also be used to help students enhance their speaking ability, a
crucial language learning goal. Watching selected TikTok videos can help
students familiarise themselves with this application following which students
can use TikTok to create self-recorded videos in English.
There is previous research related to the use of TikTok to improve students‟
English-speaking skills. Putri (2022) investigated the effectiveness of
employing TikTok on improving the speaking ability of 20 university students
studying in an English Educational Study Program during online learning using
a qualitative approach and a questionnaire to collect the data. Study results
showed that TikTok could be used as a medium to improve students‟ speaking
ability. Besides, students have positive attitudes towards learning by using this
application. Herlisya and Wiratno (2022) revealed through classroom action
research that 20 English Education major students‟ learning activities and their
speaking skill were improved after using TikTok as a medium of instruction.
Novitasari and Addinna (2022) conducted a qualitative study that revealed that
students have a positive opinion toward using TikTok to study English.
Students, who can enhance their English proficiency by using TikTok to study,
find the application enjoyable and stress-free. Also, TikTok is easy to use, has a
variety of engaging and easy-to-understand video material, and allows users to
learn from native speakers, etc. Nasichah (2023) also showed that the majority
of students have a positive attitude toward the TikTok application and believe
that it can help improve their speaking abilities. Zhenet al. (2022) focused on
TikTok Duet, specifically the Duet Challenge, which allows users to develop
conversational skills. The study found that after participating in the Duet
Challenge, students improved their grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and
interactive communication skills. This suggests that TikTok Duet could enhance
ESL learners' conversation skills and serve as an effective interactive learning
tool Zhenet al. (2022) focused on TikTok Duet, specifically the Duet Challenge,
which allows users to develop conversational skills. The study found that after
participating in the Duet Challenge, students improved their grammar,
vocabulary, pronunciation, and interactive communication skills. This suggests
that TikTok Duet could enhance ESL learners' conversation skills and serve as
an effective interactive learning tool. So, TikTok may be a useful tool for
improving student’s speaking abilities.
Using social media platforms has some disadvantages. Novitasari and Addinna
(2022) reported that issues with the internet network and expensive internet
payment hamper utilising TikTok to learn English. Furthermore, numerous
contents on TikTok can divert students' attention away from what they should
be concentrating on. Safitri (2021) claimed that two of the biggest challenges
students face when using social media to learn English are poor internet
connections and inappropriate content.
While the existing literature provides valuable insights into the potential of
TikTok in English practice, there is a need for more focused research on the
perceptions and experiences of Vietnamese university English-major students in
utilising the platform for independent English-speaking practice. Several
previous studies indicated that despite the potential for certain difficulties, using
the TikTok application as a medium of instruction to improve students' speaking
ability was an intriguing topic. Although TikTok is a popular social media
platform, research studies on the use of TikTok as a medium to improve EFL
student’s speaking skill are limited, especially in the Vietnam educational
context.
Therefore, this study investigated the effects of using TikTok application on the
improvement of EFL students‟ speaking skill and student’s perceptions toward
the use of TikTok application as a platform to improve their speaking using
quantitative methods approach. By shedding light on the relationship between
social media application - TikTok and speaking ability among English-major
students in Vietnam, this study can provide valuable insights for learners to
improve their lacking skills of speaking and build stronger the ability to speak
confidently and articulately.
The research questions are as follows:

1. To what extent does using the TikTok application affect student’s
English-speaking skills?
2. What are student’s perceptions toward the use of the TikTok application?

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INTRODUCTION

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SETTING

As the world becomes increasingly digital, the advancement of technological

With reference to the previously mentioned use of social media applications, it

The research questions are as follows:

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