1. What is your proposed study about?
Our study is about exploring how TikTok can be used as a learning tool to
improve English vocabulary acquisition among freshman pre-service
teachers at Isabela State University – Ilagan Campus. We aim to find out
whether watching educational TikTok videos helps students learn and use
new English words effectively.
2. Why would you like to conduct the study?
The researchers want to conduct this study because many students use
TikTok for entertainment, but it also has potential as an educational platform.
By researching this, we can see if TikTok can support vocabulary learning and
make English learning more engaging and accessible.
3. Who will benefit from it? How? (Significant of the study)
Students – They can learn new vocabulary in a fun and interactive way using
a platform they already enjoy.
Teachers – They can use TikTok as an additional tool to motivate students
and improve their language lessons.
Future researchers – They can use our findings as a basis for further studies
on social media and education.
4. How will you conduct the study?
The researchers will use a quantitative research design using a pre-
experimental one-group pretest-posttest approach to examine the
effectiveness of TikTok as a learning tool. A pretest and posttest were
administered to assess performance changes, while a follow-up survey
gathered data on students’ attitudes toward learning English through the
application.
5. What previous studies were there which you used as the basis for your
proposed study?
We based our study on several local studies:
Cagas (2022) – Found that TikTok improved speaking and grammar skills
among criminology students by using micro-videos for storytelling and
grammar exercises. The study emphasized TikTok’s creative features, such
as music and editing tools, increased student engagement and confidence in
using English.
Revesencio et al. (2022)– Showed that TikTok helps English major students
learn new vocabulary, improve speaking skills, and understand sentence
construction. The study also pointed out that while TikTok is helpful, it should
be supported with reliable learning materials to avoid confusion with certain
grammar rules.
Jamisolamin et al. (2025) – Revealed a strong positive correlation between
TikTok engagement and students’ vocabulary acquisition, particularly in
synonyms and antonyms. Even if students mainly used TikTok for
entertainment, its interactive features encouraged imitation and learning of
new words, supporting Skinner’s Imitation Theory.
Guillermo & Agbayani (2022) – Highlighted students’ positive perceptions of
TikTok’s vocabulary-rich content. They found that students appreciated
learning new words in context and applying them in real-life situations. The
researchers stressed the value of combining entertainment and education to
enhance vocabulary learning.
These studies collectively support the idea that TikTok is not only an
entertainment platform but also an effective and engaging tool in English
language learning, especially for vocabulary development.
Research gap: The research gap lies in the limited studies that specifically focus on
how TikTok affects English vocabulary acquisition among freshman pre-service
teachers in the Philippines. While previous studies have explored TikTok’s impact on
speaking, grammar, and general language skills in various student groups, few have
concentrated on vocabulary learning in the context of teacher education. Most
existing research involved high school or college students from other fields and
often used small samples, leaving a lack of data on how pre-service teachers, who
will eventually teach English, benefit from TikTok as a learning tool. Our study
addresses this gap by examining the relationship between TikTok engagement and
vocabulary acquisition in this specific population.