Module PDA676 Spring semester 2023 Why TikTok i s a useful pedagogical tool in higher education Argumentative Paper Module: Literacies in a digital world (PDA 676) Lecturers: Elin Nordenström and Ewa Skantz - Åberg Date: March 20 th , 2023 Sophia Koenig 2 nd Semester Master IT & Learning Table of Contents Abstract ................................ ................................ ................................ ....................... 1 1. Introduction ................................ ................................ ................................ .......... 2 2. Body ................................ ................................ ................................ ..................... 3 2.1 Argument 1 ................................ ................................ ................................ ....... 3 2.2 Argument 2 ................................ ................................ ................................ ....... 4 2.3 Counter Argument ................................ ................................ ............................ 6 3. Conclusion ................................ ................................ ................................ ........... 8 4. References ................................ ................................ ................................ ........... 9 1 Abstract For today’s university students, social media is an essential part of their everyday lives A social media platform that has gained significant growth in recent years is TikTok. The platform consists of an algorithmically curated stream of 15 - 180 second videos. Although encountering the effects of digitalization, higher education has been slow to incorporat e new digital tools in their teaching and learning practices. Therefore, t his paper argues that TikTok is a useful pedagogical tool that can support higher education in implementing more digital tools Firstly, if used for digital media production, TikTok increases the students ’ digital literacy Furthermore, the implementation of TikTok closes the students’ formal and informal learning gap and subsequently creates a motivational learning environment . Lastly, the argumentative paper addresses the concern centering around the distracting nature of the platform. Here, the paper argues for a thoughtful implementation with a pedagogical reason that promotes meaningful and productive engagement w ith the digital tool. In conclusion, the main results indicate that the implementation of TikTok results in positive learning outcomes and offer s a chance for higher education to implement a relevant digital platform . Therefore, this paper recomme nds the use of TikTok as a pedagogical tool in higher education. 2 1. Introduction Nowadays, university students are largely made up of the generation that grew up in a digitalized world. Thus, the past decade has seen the rapid increase of the use of social media (SM) in students ’ everyday environment . Its impact is obvious when it comes to how students communicate and socialize in nearly all areas of their lives. In Mills ’ (2015) view SM is essential in sustaining stude nts’ peer culture. A SM platform that has experienced unmatched growth in recent years in comparison with other SM platforms is TikTok. The video sharing platform TikTok was launched in 2016 by the Chinese company ByteDance (Brake, 2022, p. 7) By the end of 2021, the platform was the most visited website that year (Brooks, 2021) TikTok has registered over a billion active users with its largest user demographic spanning between 10 and 2 9 years old (Doyle, 2023) Upon opening the app, the user is presented with an algorithmically curated stream of videos spanning between 1 5 and 180 seconds Simultaneously , i n the course of the digitalization , higher education has experienced a transformation of everyday teaching and learning with the emergence of new digital tools and interactive learning environments (Reddy et al., 2020, p. 77) Whilst previous research has established that there are many p ositive changes in line with the implementation of digital tools for education, Reddy et al. (2020, p. 7 8 ) state that higher education has demonstrated a slow adoption of new tools. Therefore, this paper aims to show how higher education can benefit by implementing relevant digital tools such as TikTok in their teaching and learning processes In the pages that follow, it will be argued that the SM platform TikTok is a useful pedagogical tool in higher education. The paper will illustrate how the implementation of the SM platform increases the students ’ digital literacy and fosters the students ’ intrinsic learning motivation. The remaining part will address the criticism of in how far the distracting nature of TikTok may pose a hindrance in the students ’ learning if utilized as a pedagogic a l tool 3 2. Body 2.1 Argument 1 One of the strengths of implementing TikTok as a pedagogical tool is that it increases the students’ digital literacy . In the current discussion around digital literacy, it becomes apparent that students need new capabilities and knowledge to be able to participate in digital culture and a globalized society (Mills, 2015, p. 3) Mills (2015) defines one of the most considerable areas in the new knowledge economy to be “technical knowledge” that is made up of “technical content and process knowledge required for innovative digital media production” (p. 3) The implementation of TikTok as a pedagogical tool for digital media production offers an opportunity to practice and acquire such knowledge and subsequently increas e the students’ digital literacy Research conducted by Escamilla - Fajardo et al (2021) and Yélamos - Guerra et al. (2022) conclu de that the students acquired new digital skills when using TikTok as a pedagogical tool. Escamilla - Fajardo et al. ’s (2021) research focused on incorporating TikTok in a corporal sports science course. As part of an assignment students were ask e d to come up with their own dance choreography and produce short videos of their performance on the platform. In the post - intervention qualitative analysis, the students noted that the use of TikTok as a video production tool encou raged creativity and constituted an opportunity to navigate a new SM network (Escamilla - Fajardo et al., 2021, p. 9) . Thus, the researchers point out that the implementation of TikTok supports students in developin g digital skills which are deemed necessary for their professional futures. This view is supported by Yélamos - Guerra et. al.’s (2022) research that examine s students ’ production of a historical TikTok video as a part of the British History class. The study reports that the use of TikTok as a pedagogical tool increased the students’ digital competences and autonomy. 5 6.5 % of the questioned students stated that the editing of the video was the most difficult process in the project (Yélamos - Guerra et al., 2022, p. 90) . At the same time, 54% of students reported how they learnt a lot from the production of the video. The study indicates that the students acquired new digital competences during the project. The authors (2022, p. 95) highlight that the method 4 enhance s the students’ digital competences in an interdisciplinary manner and emphasize the importance of these competences in contemporary society. Buckingham (2015) highlights the key role students’ digital media production plays when developing critical digital literacy. In his publication, Buckingham (2015) argues that the goal of digital media production is to “encourage a more systematic understanding of how the m edia work, and hence to promote more reflective ways of using them” (p. 32) . By empl oying TikTok as a teaching aid, students get the opportunity to uncover new aspects of the production process. The beforementioned research results illustra te that having students produce videos presented a new way for the students to work with the platform. According to Escamilla - Fajardo et al. (2021 , p. 6 ) 86% of questioned students were familiar with the platform ; however , only few were activ e users producing content . By having students produce content with the platform, students were confronted with a new manner to participate in digital culture. Buckingham (2015 , p. 32 ) concludes that digital media production can introduce theoretical aspects of critical digital literacy in a more accessible manner. Mills (2015, p. 34) supports Buckingham’s notion by arguing that digital media production in an educational setting can provide students with a more sophisticated and creative approach to SM otherwise available to them In the same vein, Ilomäki et al. (2016) affirms that methods implementing digital tools to develop digital competences need to offer “complex, challenging and ‘authentic’ ” activities ” (p. 671) . The implementation of TikTok as a pedagogical tool especially in view of digital media production can offer a n activity in an authentic context that motivate s students to participate in digital culture and acquire new digital literacy skills 2.2 Argument 2 Furthermore, the implementation of TikTok as a pedagogical tool fosters the students’ intrinsic learning moti vation. As mentioned before, SM has a great relevance in the student s ’ daily lives. From the students questioned by Escamilla - Fajardo et al. (2021, p. 5f) , 95.4% use SM in their private life daily Thus, when it comes to utilizing TikTok as a pedagogical tool it taps into the student s ’ intrinsic motivation and fosters a motivational learning environment. Intrinsic motivation is de fined by Ryan and Deci (2000, p. 56) as doing an activity for one’s own satisfaction or joy rather than because 5 of external rewards or pressures. Especially in an educational environment, intrinsic motivation amongst students is highly sought after. Ito et al. (2009) investigated how young people learn and live with digital media. Their research results indicate that the most effective examples of digital literacy programs in formal settings were based on learner - rather than teacher - interest that afforded time for unstructured experimentation with new media (Ito et al., 2009, p. 43) In view of th ese results the utilization of TikTok as a pedagogical tool for digital media production close s the gap between formal and informal learning in higher education and subsequently result s in high student motivation Escamilla - Fajardo et al. ’ s (2021) research recognizes the relevance SM has in the students ’ daily lives and highlights the motivati onal elements of utilizing TikTok as a pedagogical tool . The researchers questioned the students regarding their hour s of daily SM use. Most participants use SM 2 - 3 hours a day (Escamilla - Fajardo et al., 2021, p. 6) . For the authors, it was relevant to connect the students’ usage patterns in digital culture with the university environment. The implementation of SM in higher education is appraised by Escamilla - Fajardo et. al. (2021) as an “opportunity to use a popular resource that can capture the students’ attention” (p. 11) that most universities are missing out on. In addition, the research results show that the students embraced the innovative method. When evaluating the method after the intervention, the students rated the statement that “the use of TikTok in the subject i ncreases my motivation toward it” with 3.58 and “ [u] sing TikTok as an educational innovation motivates me more than a traditional task” with 4.2 on a scale of 1 - 5 (Escamilla - Fajardo et al., 2021, p. 6) Subsequently, the authors conclude that TikTok fosters a motivational learning environment that made teaching practic es more social and open. This view is supported by Yélamos - Guerra et. al. (2022) who argues that the use of TikTok as a pedagogical tool had a similar motivating effect on higher education students The questioned students state a high willingness to repeat the project and show a high interest in innovative ways of teaching (Yélamos - Guerra et al., 2022, p. 91f) . Furthermore, the project resulted in positive le arning outcomes such as an increased internalization of the taught contents, higher likeliness to remember what has been learned and improvement of research skills. All in all, the students revealed a highly positive attitude towards the implementation of TikTok as a pedagogical tool. 6 Although the presented research was conducted in two different subjects , they observe a similar effect on the students ’ intrinsic motivation. Hence, it can be concluded that the use of TikTok as a pedagogical tool offers a positive effect on the motivational learning environment across different subjects and contexts. In the current discussion around critical digital lite racy and the development of digital competences, Buckingham (2015, p. 32) emphasizes that the teacher needs to recognize the student s ’ previous knowledge and experience of the medium In the same vein, Mills (2015, p. 38) affirms the importance for teachers to acknowledge connections between the students’ various formal and informal contexts when discussing the implications of socio - cultural literacies for practice. The beforementioned studies demonstrate the relevance S M has in the higher education students’ daily lives . Thus, the implementation of digital tools in education should recognize the students’ experience and, as Buckingham and Mills argue, build upon it. Based on the research results it becomes clear how t he students’ intrinsic motivation towards innovative digital tools in education can be utilized to benefit all aspects of the teaching process I mpleme nting TikTok , one o f the most popular SM platform s today , as a pedagogical tool offers a n opportuni ty to do so 2.3 Counter Argument While there are many voices advocating the use of SM in higher education, there are also concerned voices regarding this topic. The main concern revolves around the distracting nature of SM Primarily, TikTok is not designed for educational use and its main aim is to engage its users to spend as much time as possible on it. Therefore , when students utilize the SM platform for an assignment, they may be intrigued by the different content the platform presents an d get distracted from the original task. In addition, many younger SM users acknowledge their addiction to SM (Escamilla - Fajardo et al., 2021, p. 6) . An increased use of TikTok for an academic assignment may cultivate a SM addiction and cause a Social Me dia Disorder (SMD). Van der Schnuur et al. (2015) i nvestigated the consequences of media multitasking for adolescents The authors (2015, p. 212) conclude that the use of SM during academic activities has a negative impact on the students ’ cognitive control processes 7 such as the ability to sustain attention on a single task. This is traced back to the interruptive nature of the media. The concerns around the implementation of SM as a pedagogical tool need to be taken seriously. Thus, Escamil la - Fajardo et al. (2021 , p. 11 ) strongly advise fellow educators to have a pedagogical reason behind utilizing TikTok for educational purposes to create a learning environment that enhances the teaching - learning process Furthermore, the researchers recomm end a familiarization period with the tool that includes an explanation of its functionalities as well a s the ethics behind using the tool. I argue that this recommendation is highly relevant to ensure that the students engage with the SM platform in a meaningful and productive way. Regarding the distracting and engaging nature of the platform, it is important to consider the navigation of SM platforms in a formal context as a crucial part of d igital literacy. Illomäki (2016, p. 671) and Reddy (2020 , p. 84 ) view one aspect of digital literacy as the ability to engage and use digital technologies in a meaningful and productive way in various contexts By implementing TikTok as a pedagogical tool the student s get the opportunity to learn how to navigate the engaging character of the SM platform for improved learning and productivity. As mentioned before, the SM use amongst higher education students has increased steadily over the l ast years and is not predicted to decline in the future. The implementation of TikTok as a pedagogical tool has produced positive educational outcomes that prove how a thoughtful utilization can promote a novel use of the platform to increase the students ’ digital literacy and intrinsic motivation Based on these results, it becomes apparent that the concerns around the use of SM in higher educ ation should be addressed , yet not hinder its implementation altogether. To conclude , Mill s (2015) argues that “new literacies involve making and remaking media rather than be made by them ” (p. 35) SM and especially TikTok have a high relevance in the students’ daily lives. I argue that it is up to the teachers to promote a sensible and creative use of the platform rather than dismissing the students’ out - of - school context altogether 8 3. Conclusion The purpose of the paper was to illustrate that the SM platform TikTok is a useful pedagogical tool in higher education. Firstly, it argued t hat the use of TikTok in high er education leads to an increase of the students’ digital literacy Current research results show how utilizing TikTok as a tool for digital media production enhance s the students’ digital literacy skills In addition , the paper discussed how its impleme ntation results in a highly motivational learning environment. By recognizing the relevance SM has in the student s ’ lives, im plementing TikTok in an educational context taps into the student s ’ intrinsic motivation. Subsequently, the paper al so addressed the concern of the distracting nature of the SM platform regarding the topic. Whilst the concerning voices regarding the use of SM in higher education need to be taken into consideration, it is essential that these concerns do not prevent teachers from utilizing TikTok in lessons Rather, it is a chance for teachers to make use one of the most relevant SM platform s as a digital tool to promote meaningful engagement with a pedagogical purpose. The findings of this investigation empha size the relevance of the educational use of SM for the development of students’ digital literacy (especially in terms of digital media production ) and closing the gap between the students’ formal and informal learning Furt hermore, this paper provide s insights for how TikTok can be implemented to minimize the possible concerns around the distracting nature of the platform and elevate the positive pedagogical outcomes whils t simultaneously expanding the stud ents ’ digital literacy Overall, this paper strengthens the idea that TikTok is a useful pedagogical tool to enhance teaching and learning of digital literacy that is not yet implement ed to its full po tential by higher education 9 4. References Brake, M. (2022). Der Algorithmus, wo ich mitmuss? Fluter , 6 – 8. Brooks, K. (2021). TikTok tops Google as the most visited website on the internet CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tiktok - google - facebook - social - media - internet/ Buckingham, D. (2015). Defining digital literacy - What do young people need to know about digital media? Nordic Journal of Digital Literacy , 10 (Jubileumsnummer), 21 – 35. https://doi .org/10.18261/ISSN1891 - 943X - 2015 - Jubileumsnummer - 03 Doyle, B. (2023). TikTok Statistics – Updated Feb 2023 . Wallaroo. https://wallaroomedia.com/blog/social - media/tiktok - statistics/ Escamilla - Fajardo, P., Alguacil, M., & López - Carril, S. (2021). Incorporati ng TikTok in higher education: Pedagogical perspectives from a corporal expression sport sciences course. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism Education , 28 , 100302. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhlste.2021.100302 Ilomäki, L., Paavola, S., Lakkala , M., & Kantosalo, A. (2016). Digital competence – an emergent boundary concept for policy and educational research. Education and Information Technologies , 21 (3), 655 – 679. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639 - 014 - 9346 - 4 Ito, M., Horst, H. A., Bittanti, M., boyd , danah, Herr - Stephenson, B., Lange, P. G., Pascoe, C. J., & Robinson, L. (2009). Living and Learning with New Media . The MIT Press. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/8519.001.0001 Mills, K. A. (2015). Literacy Theories for the Digital Age . Multilingual Mat ters. https://doi.org/10.21832/9781783094639 Reddy, P., Sharma, B., & Chaudhary, K. (2020). Digital Literacy. International Journal of Technoethics , 11 (2), 65 – 94. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJT.20200701.oa1 Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self - determinatio n theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well - being. American Psychologist , 55 (1), 68 – 78. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003 - 066X.55.1.68 van der Schuur, W. A., Baumgartner, S. E., Sumter, S. R., & Valkenburg, P. M. (2015). The consequences of media multitasking for youth: A review. Computers in Human Behavior , 53 , 204 – 215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.06.035 Yélamos - Guerra, M. S., García - Gámez, M., & Moreno - Ortiz, A. J. (2022). The use of Tik Tok in higher education as a motivating source for students. Porta Linguarum Revista Interuniversitaria de Didáctica de Las Lenguas Extranjeras , 38 , 83 – 98. https://doi.or g/10.30827/portalin.vi38.21684