University Studentsa Perceptions of YouTube Usage
University Studentsa Perceptions of YouTube Usage
University Studentsa Perceptions of YouTube Usage
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Article in International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences · February 2018
DOI: 10.6007/IJARBSS/v8-i1/3826
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Abstract
Persistent use of internet specifically social networking has provided vast opportunities to
enhance the quality of teaching and learning of university students. The usage of YouTube videos
in the classroom is imperative to meet the educational needs of the younger generation. While
text-based resources have remained the standard for centuries, currently, with the fast pace of
the development of technology, the usage of YouTube videos in teaching and learning has
become a trend. There are a few studies conducted on students’ perceptions of using YouTube
to learn the English language. Research suggests that this generation of individuals have different
styles of learning due to their familiarity with technology. How students learn and gain
information from watching YouTube videos in learning the English language is very important in
teaching setting. Other studies that were conducted also explored students’ perceptions of
YouTube as an effective tool to learn English among ESL learners. Hence, the purpose of this
study was to investigate (RQ1) the students’ interests and (RQ2) the students’ perceptions on the
use of YouTube in learning English. The results of this study revealed that students are highly
interested to use YouTube in learning English. It was also discovered that the students have used
YouTube to help them completed their course assignments and study tasks. Hence, it can be
concluded that the students preferred to use English YouTube videos to help them enhance their
English language proficiency.
Keywords: YouTube, perceptions, interest, learning style, ESL learners.
Introduction
The arrival of digital technologies such as the internet has resulted in a new generation of
individually literate called the Net Generation (Prensky, 2001). Due to the emergence of this
technical literacy people, their learning styles is differ from the previous generations. Thus, this
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lead to an integrated approach and a paradigm shift in teaching which have witnessed an
adoption of a new method of teaching using YouTube videos in the classroom. This approach has
brought new insights to pedagogy in higher institution and it is believed that the use of YouTube
as a teaching tool could have an effect on the level of student engagement. The use of YouTube
and other Web 2.0 technologies in education has been proposed as a tool to engage new
generation students (Duffy, 2008, Roodt & De (Duffy, 2008, Roodt & De Villiers, 2011 in Roodt &
Peier, 2013) Villiers, 2011 in Roodt & Peier, 2013). YouTube has become an important tool in
many universities and colleges around the world. According to Web Analytics Association (2006),
MySpace, Facebook and YouTube are the top three favorable websites for university students.
Therefore, the emergence of digital technologies such as internet and the worldwide web has
made the use of YouTube in classroom a possibility. Today, the new technology has provided a
lot of opportunities to enhance the quality of teaching and learning such as the use of internet
and YouTube videos. Many Malaysian university students use these technologies to help them
do their assignments and other language learning tasks. This technology also helped them to
learn the English language as well as enhance their proficiency level. YouTube is featured as
something very authentic and able to help the students because it has been reported that the
lack of English language proficiency has often been mentioned as one of the major factors
contributing to graduate unemployment (Sharif, 2005). How students learn and gain information
from YouTube in learning the English language is very important because it will help the
educators to identify the students’ preference, interest and types of material that they use to
enhance learning. Therefore, by using a variety of instructional methods and learning activities
in the classroom or via online education can help enrich the learning environment of the students
(Fill & Ottewill, 2006).
Since the use of YouTube videos to learn English language is still a new idea, how it can
be used in facilitating language learning in class effectively is still unclear. Snelson (2011) state
that a study on the perception of the usage of YouTube in ESL classroom for undergraduate
students is a relatively new field of study and not much literature has been published regarding
the subject especially in the Malaysian context. Despite the importance of using YouTube in
engaging students in the classroom, little research has been conducted to investigate the
perceptions of Malaysia undergraduate in using YouTube in ESL classroom. This study therefore,
is intended to fill in the gap. The purpose of the study is to explore the use of YouTube in the ESL
classroom by surveying students’ perceptions towards using YouTube to learn English. In
particular, it seeks to look at the students’ perceptions of using YouTube as a supplement to other
learning materials with regard to making classes more interesting and motivating for students to
use materials to learn English outside of the class (Kelsen 2009). The study also aims to investigate
their interest in using YouTube in ESL classroom. In short, the research questions were as follows:
1. What are the interests of the students in the usage of YouTube in learning English?
2. What are the students’ perceptions of using YouTube in the ESL classroom?
Literature Review
YouTube with its official address www.youtube.com, is a well-known video sharing
website where users can upload, view and share video clips (Duffy, 2008 in Roodt & Peier, 2013).
Based on the statistical report on its official website, it has more than one billion visitors every
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month and thousands of videos on thousands of topics in many languages are available on
YouTube. Generally, with these videos, creative teachers can choose from and expose students
to meaningful activities involving the four English language skills namely speaking, listening,
writing and reading. Examples of activities may range from conversational activities, ‘movie
trailer’, ‘voiceover’ to ‘famous movie screen re-enactments’ which can be used for listening and
speaking activities (Watkins and Wilkins, 2011). In addition, Kreisen (2009) viewed that YouTube
has helped all students to learn more about other cultures since the videos is uploaded by people
all around the world. It also allowed students to do video sharing which can give positive output
for learning (Snelson, 2009). Stempleski et. al, (2001) agreed that YouTube videos can attract the
students’ interest to pay attention better due to the audio and visual aids provided.
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the representational systems (VAKOG) in neurolinguistic programming. The four sensory modals
in Fleming’s model are;1) Visual learning, 2) Auditory learning, 3) Read/write learning and 4)
Kinesthetic learning.
Fleming and Mills (1992) claimed that visual learners have a preference of seeing visual
aids that represented ideas using methods other than words, such as graphs, chart, diagrams,
symbols and others. Auditory learners learn better through lectures, discussions and using tapes
whereas tactile or kinesthetic learners prefer to learn via experience such as moving, touching
example through science projects and experiments. The selection of YouTube among students is
very much influenced by their learning styles preferences and interest. Duffy (2008) suggested
several specific examples on how YouTube could be integrated and embedded into teaching and
learning in ESL classroom. Some of the activities suggested are asking the students to create a
video as a part of an assessment, record a video of a guest presenter and upload it on YouTube
and use the comments functionality as a platform for discussion. Besides that, he also suggested
that the students can search for videos that are related to questions posted at the end of lectures
and educators can show students the real-world examples of material and theory covered in class
as well as ask students to post video vignettes (Duffy, 2008). Another research was conducted by
Roodt and De Villiers (2011) which was a study on using YouTube as a tool to support
collaborative learning. The study was conducted on a first year of IS course at the University of
Pretoria. The course included a group project in which students used YouTube to create a video
on how businesses can use Web 2.0 technologies amongst other tasks. It was reported that from
a sample of 185 students, it was found that YouTube was perceived as an innovative learning
technology by the majority of the students (Roodt and De Villiers, 2011). Tan and Pearce (2012)
agreed that the use of YouTube videos helped students to explain key ideas in a sociology course.
They used these videos in an introductory sociology course at the Foundation Centre at Durham
University. Tan and Pearce (2012) used these videos to illustrate important topics by giving
explanation and discussion in the class and in smaller group environments. Tan and Pearce (2012)
further explained that the use of YouTube videos helped students and was seen as an effective
way to support their learning. In conclusion, as educators consider the use of YouTube video as
important, thus, they must strongly consider what students’ think and feel about these tools in
their courses. Frey and Birnbaum (2002) discovered that the students considered their teacher
as a proficient and organized person if they use the technology in their teaching. Therefore, using
YouTube videos as one and readily available source of authentic material will encourage the
students to interact actively in class and further develop their language skills as they are eager to
gain deeper understanding of the subject matter.
To the researcher’s knowledge, there is one study on students’ perceptions of YouTube
usage in the English oral communication classroom by Gunadevi, Fathimah Pathma and Raja Nor
Safinas (2013) and to date research were carried out in relation to students’ interest and
perception of using YouTube in ESL classroom in Malaysia. The research can provide information
on the levels of exposure of undergraduate students’ perceptions and attitudes towards the use
of YouTube in the classroom as a teaching tool. Furthermore, this study would be beneficial for
educators to find out their students’ preferences in using YouTube to engage learners in reading,
writing, speaking and listening skills. Besides that, this study can also help educators to adopt
new technology by using YouTube in the classroom to enhance students’ proficiency and
students’ engagement in the class. Moreover, it sheds light on a new method of integrating
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technology on teaching English. The researcher noticed that there is a scarcity in studies, which
studied the effect of YouTube in English language and little empirical research existed that
demonstrated how web-based applications can be integrated into language learning in Malaysia.
METHODOLOGY
Instrument and Sampling
This study is descriptive and use a quantitative method consisted of a questionnaire-
based survey which is administered to undergraduate students. The questionnaire was adopted
and adapted from Kelsen (2009). The questionnaire consisted of three parts. The first part of the
questionnaire included demographic information of the respondent including gender, age, levels
of language proficiency and year of study. The second part consisted of ten questions using Likert-
scale which related to the students’ interest on their usage of YouTube. The final ten questions
focus on their perceptions of using YouTube in ESL class. Questionnaire was constructed to
answer the two research questions which are the perceptions of YouTube and the interest of
using YouTube in the classroom. The sample of the study (n = 159) is diploma students from
Faculty of Accountancy, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Perak. The questionnaires made use of the
Likert scale ranging from 1 = Strongly Disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Undecided, 4 = Agree and 5 =
Strongly Agree. The questionnaire was piloted and the data was analyzed using SPSS 20.0 and
resulted in a Cronbach Alpha coefficient of 0.915, which is a satisfactory score for reliability.
These students are registered ELC 150 (Integrated Language Skills: Reading) and ELC 230
(Integrated Language Skills: Writing) course. These courses are the university’s requirement for
all diploma level students in semester two and three respectively.
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22.60% Advanced
Intermediate
72.30%
Beginners
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Over 58% respondents agreed that using YouTube videos motivated them to study English
outside of the class. However, only 15% of the samples claimed that they strongly agreed that
YouTube did motivate them to study English outside of the class. Whereas another 23% of the
respondents were still undecided whether watching YouTube in the class motivated them to
study English when being outside of the classroom. There were only 4% of the remaining
respondents who thought that using YouTube in class motivated them to study English when they
were outside of the class setting. Furthermore, Question 11 disclosed that slightly more than 44%
of the students agreed to some extent that they often looked for English YouTube to watch
YouTube in English. However, slightly more than 33% of the students were unable to decide
whether they preferred to look for English YouTube to learn English. Approximately 9% of the
students disagreed that they will look for English YouTube to learn English.
Table 3: Students’ perceptions in using YouTube videos
Q16.YouTube Q18.YouTube is Q19. Helps to accomplish
captures my convenient, study tasks quicker
attention better affordable and
accessible
Resp. % Resp. % Resp. %
Strongly 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00%
Disagree
Disagree 6 3.77% 14 8.80% 46 28.93%
Undecided 0 0.00% 0 0.00% 0 0.00%
Agree 88 55.35% 106 66.76% 97 61.00%
Strongly Agree 65 40.88% 39 24.52% 16 10.07%
Total 159 100.00% 159 100.00% 159 100.00%
Students found that YouTube did helped them captured their attention better with
approximately 55% of the respondents agreeing and over 40% of the students were strongly
agreed while just fewer than 4% were disagreed that YouTube captured their attention better in
learning. Almost 67% of the sample agreed that using YouTube was convenient, affordable and
accessible and 25% strongly agreed. Whereas only 8.8% of the students think that YouTube is not
very convenient, less affordable and difficult to access. It was also found that about 61% of the
respondents occasionally agreed that YouTube helped them to accomplish their study task faster
whereas 29% of the respondents thought YouTube did not helped them to complete their study
tasks.
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DISCUSSION
The literature that was reviewed helped highlight the importance of YouTube as a tool to
engage web generation students (Duffy, 2008, Roodt & De Villiers, 2011 in Roodt & Peier, 2013).
Thus, looking at the findings, it showed that all respondents were using YouTube to help them
learn English and other subjects. With regards to being digitally literate, all the respondents are
connected to technological network and have used YouTube for learning and leisure.
To answer the first research question which was to find the level of interest of students
in using YouTube videos in ESL classroom learning English, the research has found that the
students were interested to look for English YouTube videos to learn English. Nearly 57% said
they often look for English YouTube videos to learn English and only 9.4% did not search for
English YouTube. The students were visual learners and this new generation of students
developed their learning style through watching YouTube videos. This proved a claimed made by
Fleming and Mills (1992) that visual learners have a preference of seeing visual aids that
represented ideas using methods other than words, such as graphs, chart, diagrams, symbols and
others Furthermore, from the analysis, 58% agreed and 15% strongly agreed that watching
YouTube videos did motivate them to study English when they were outside of the classroom.
This proved that the use of YouTube videos has a strong effect on the students’ mind and senses
as supported by Berk (2009) who claimed that using YouTube videos can grab students’ attention,
improve concentration, generate interests in the lessons and improve attitudes towards content
(Berk 2009).
Respondents were asked whether they were able to understand English lessons easier
after engaging with YouTube videos and it can have been seen that 61% of the students agreed
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and 22% strongly agreed that watching YouTube videos did help them to understand English
better. Thus, watching YouTube that use English as a medium of instruction, could enhance or
support the students understanding of the lesson (Green & Tanner 2005).
The second research question of this research paper was to examine the students’
perceptions in using YouTube and whether the use of YouTube had an effect on their English
learning process especially in the classroom. Based on the results, 56% of the respondents’
agreed and 39% strongly agreed that YouTube exposed them to what happened in the outside
world. This was proven by Kreisen (2009) who claimed that YouTube helped all students to learn
more about other cultures since the videos are uploaded by people all around the world. Besides
that, almost 57% of the respondents agreed that watching YouTube videos helped them to
improve the quality of their assignments produced. This proved a claimed by Tan and Pearce
(2012) that the use of YouTube videos helped students and was an effective way to support their
learning.
According to the results, the findings also showed that 66% of the students agreed and
24% strongly agreed that surfing the YouTube was very convenient, affordable and easy to
access. It was relatively easy to gain access to YouTube because it is a well-known video sharing
website where users can upload, view and share video clips (Duffy, 2008 in Roodt & Peier, 2013).
According to Duffy (2008) in Roodt & Peier (2013) this was also due to the statistical reports on
official website that more than one billion visitors every month and thousands of videos and
topics in many languages are shared and are available on YouTube.
The students were asked if YouTube improved the quality of the assignments they
produced and the finding showed that 57% of the respondents agreed and 10% strongly agreed
whereas 32% disagreed with the statement. Even though YouTube is seen as a purposeful media
in the classroom and could enhance and support students’ understanding as well as assist
students’ tasks, how far YouTube content can help students produce quality assignments still
require further research.
Conclusion
This study looked at the students’ interests and preferences of using YouTube in learning
English in the ESL classroom. This initial study showed that YouTube may be a viable, innovative
and authentic teaching resource. The results of this study revealed that students were using
YouTube at a high rate. They found that YouTube was easy and convenient to use and they used
it to assist them in their studies and learning English. The research found that the students often
used YouTube to help them learn English. As a result, it is suggested that both teachers and
students can incorporate YouTube in a variety of classroom activities to enhance the learning
outcome and provide an interesting and authentic learning. However, using YouTube in class to
enhance their pronunciation and motivate them to study English outside of class as well as
develop some degree of learner autonomy remains unclear. Lastly, the researcher found that as
a result of the use of YouTube has helped the students to enhance their English lesson and tasks
assigned to them.
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to make gender comparisons. Finally, the fact that all the participants came from the same faculty
means the results cannot be extrapolated to the general student population. Furthermore, the
self-reported nature of the survey may have led to students overstating their answers as the
course teacher administered the questionnaires. To counter this, the questionnaires were
anonymous and the students’ result did not affect their final grades. Regarding future research,
it is recommended that studies using larger sample size and students from various faculties will
be invited to participate in this study. For future studies, the study intends to make comparisons
between lesson in classroom with and without YouTube used as supplementary material and
student’s engagement in the classroom. Thus, this will help the teacher to examine the impact of
such technology on students’ proficiency and assist educators in developing ESL teaching
strategies.
Acknowledgement
I would like to express my appreciation to my mentor Mrs. Nora Harun for her guidance and
encouragement. A special note of thanks to my colleagues of the Academy of Language Studies,
especially Mr. Muhd Syahir Abdul Rani for his valuable assistance during the process of
conducting the research. I am also indebted to the students of University Technology MARA for
their support and cooperation.
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