YouTube video approaches to the rescue of learning English language in higher education in selected African countries
Abstract
The use of YouTube videos in learning English language has produced disruptive or alternative innovations for students learning anywhere in the world. YouTube English language learning videos have been dominated by content-driven and outcomes-driven curriculum approaches at the expense of a self-driven approach. The purpose of this study was to explore the YouTube video approaches used by students in the learning of English language in higher education in selected African countries. The study also sought to establish why students use YouTube approaches in learning English language in particular ways. Undergirded by the pragmatic paradigm and the mixed method approach, the study employed the use of the natural identity framework (NIF). A participatory action research with one-on-one semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, document reviews and YouTube reviews/observations were applied in collecting data from 20 purposively and snowball sampled participants (English language students) to be thematically analysed for this study. The findings indicate that the dominance of these two approaches has produced tension between them that needs to be addressed by a self-driven approach which is capable of creating a space for self-reflection before learning processes take place. It is for this tension that this study explores YouTube video approaches used in the learning of English language in higher education in Africa post the COVID-19 pandemic. A self-driven approach concentrates on actions, beliefs behind the actions, and their outcomes of using YouTube videos. This study therefore recommends the application of a self-driven approach and awareness of natural forces/laws that promote natural actions, thus addressing personal, and natural needs.
Downloads
References
Almurashi, W. A. 2016. “The effective use of YouTube videos for teaching English language in classrooms as supplementary material at Taibah University in Alula.” International Journal of English Language and Linguistics Research 4(3): 32‒47.
Anggrarini, N. and I. Faturokhman. 2021. “Students’ perception on the use of YouTube in English language learning during pandemic in Wiralodra University.” JELLT (Journal of English Language and Language Teaching) 5(1): 86‒99.
Ataboyev, I. and R. I. Tursunovich. 2023. “Develop the use of YouTube videos and websites in the classroom.” Журнал иностранных языков и лингвистики 5(5): 1‒16.
Atmojo, A. E. P. 2022. “Teacher-made YouTube videos in online EFL classes: Non-English department Students’ perceptions and practices.” Acuity: Journal of English Language Pedagogy, Literature and Culture 7(1): 51‒64.
Ayu, L. P. 2016. “YouTube videos in teaching listening: The benefits in experts’ views.” Research in English and Education Journal 1(2): 152‒160.
Binmahboob, T. 2020. “YouTube as a learning tool to improve students’ speaking skills as perceived by EFL teachers in secondary school.” International Journal of Applied Linguistics and English Literature 9(6): 13‒22.
Branch, R. M. 2020. Reducing Sepsis Prevalence in Acute-Care Hospitals: System Design and Usability Barriers It Professionals Need to Overcome. Colorado Technical University.
Buehl, M. M. and P. A. Alexander. 2001. “Beliefs about academic knowledge.” Educational Psychology Review 13(1): 385‒418.
Chien, C., Y. Huang, and P. Huang. 2020. “YouTube Videos on EFL College Students’ Listening Comprehension.” English Language Teaching 13(6): 96‒103.
Cohen, L., C. Manion, and K. Morrison. 2018. Research Methods in Education. London: Routledge.
Creswell, J. W. 2014. Qualitative inquiry and Research Design: Choosing among five approaches. 3rd Edition. California: SAGE Publications, inc.
Creswell, J. W. and J. D. Creswell. 2018. Research Design: Qulitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. London: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Dlamini, B. B. 2023. “Currere on the rescue: Exploring teachers voices that shape teachers’ actions and identities.” International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science 12(7): 492‒503.
Fennell, J. and T. L. Simpson. 2021. “A Polanyian rationale for a liberal arts core curriculum.” Theory and Research in Education 19(1): 19‒39.
Fields, C., D. D. Hoffman, C. Prakash, and M. Singh. 2018. “Conscious agent networks: Formal analysis and application to cognition.” Cognitive Systems Research 2018(47): 186–213.
Freire, P. 1993. Pedagogy of the oppressed. 20th Edition. New York: Continuum.
Galane, C. M. M. and S. B. Khoza. 2023. “Grade 3 teachers’ understanding of the implemented mathematics curriculum content.” International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science 12(7): 469‒481. https://doi.org/10.20525/ijrbs.v12i7.2807.
Gegenfurtner, A., N. Schwab, and C. Ebner. 2018. “‘There’s No Need to Drive from A to B’: Exploring the Lived Experience of Students and Lecturers with Digital Learning in Higher Education.” Bavarian Journal of Applied Sciences (archvied) 4(1): 310‒322.
Govender, R. G. and S. B. Khoza. 2022. “First-hand user experience: Can Kaltura video come to the rescue of Moodle during/post COVID-19?” African Identities 21(2): 1‒20. https://doi.org/10.1080/14725843.2022.2082376.
Hasan, M. M., F. Ibrahim, S. M. Mustapha, M. M. Islam, and M. A. Al Younus. 2018. “The use of YouTube videos in learning English language skills at tertiary level in Bangladesh.” IUKL Research Journal 6(1): 27‒36.
Jervis, R. 2006. “Understanding beliefs.” Political Psychology 27(5): 641‒663.
Kaushik, V. and C. A. Walsh. 2019. “Pragmatism as a Research Paradigm and Its Implications for SocialWork Research.” Social Sciences 8(255): 1‒17.
Khoza, S. B. 2017. “Master of Education Students’ Reflections: Which Curriculum Reasons Are Promoted or Limited by Skype Resources?” Progressio: South African Journal for Open and Distance Learning Practice 39(2): 1‒19.
Khoza, S. B. 2021. “Exploring the Migration to a Digitalised Curriculum at UKZN.” Education Sciences 11(282/11): 1‒17. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11110682.
Khoza, S. B. 2023. “Can Teachers’ Identities Come to the Rescue in the Fourth Industrial Revolution?” Technology, Knowledge and Learning 28(2): 843–864. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-021-09560-z.
Khoza, S. B. and A. T. Biyela. 2020. “Decolonising Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge of First Year Mathematics Students.” Education and Information Technologies 25(4): 2665‒2679.
Khoza, S. B. and C. B. Mpungose. 2022. “Digitalised Curriculum to the rescue of a Higher Education Institution.” African Identities 20(4): 310‒330. https://doi.org/10.1080/14725843.2020.1815517.
Khumalo, S. M., M. E. Shoba, and S. B. Khoza. 2023. “Individual Dynamics for Effective Implementation of Mainstream English Curriculum at a School for the Deaf.” International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science 12(2): 128‒140. https://doi.org/10.20525/ijrbs.v12i2.2337.
Kim, S. and H. C. Kim. 2021. “The benefits of YouTube in learning English as a second language: A qualitative investigation of Korean freshman students’ experiences and perspectives in the us.” Sustainability 13(13): 7365.
Kristiani, P. E. and D. A. M. Pradnyadewi. 2021. “The effectiveness of YouTube as learning media in improving learners’ speaking skills.” The Art of Teaching English as a Foreign Language 2(1): 7‒11.
Listiani, N. K. M., N. K. A. Suwastini, G. R. Dantes, N. L. P. S. Adnyani, and I. G. A. S. R. Jayantin. 2021. “YouTube as digital learning resources for teaching bilingual young learners.” 2nd International Conference on Technology and Educational Science (ICTES 2020).
Mabuza, D. H. and S. B. Khoza. 2021. “The ‘What’, ‘How’, and ‘Why’ of Classroom Groupings: Educators’ Reflections.” Journal of Educational Studies 20(1): 151‒170.
Makafane, D. T. and J. Chere-Masopha. 2021. “COVID-19 Crisis: Challenges of Online Learning in One University in Lesotho.” African Perspectives of Research in Teaching & Learning 5(1): 126–138.
Makumane, M. A. 2021. “Students’ perceptions on the use of LMS at a Lesotho university amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.” African Identities 21(3): 1‒18.
Mashinini, V. 2020. “COVID-19 and National University of Lesotho: Experiences and Challenges.” International Journal of Education and Research 8(9): 157‒180.
Morgan, D. L. 2014a. Integrating Qualitative and QuantitativeMethods: A Pragmatic Approach. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Morgan, D. L. 2014b. “Pragmatism as a Paradigm for Social Research.” Qualitative Inquiry 2914(20): 1045‒1053. https://doi.org/http://qix.sagepub.com/content/20/8/1045
Mpungose, C. B. and S. B. Khoza. 2022. “Postgraduate Students’ Experiences on the Use of Moodle and Canvas Learning Management System.” Technology, Knowledge and Learning 27(1): 1‒16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-020-09475-1.
Ndlovu, V. P. 2023. “Secondary teachers’ experiences of enacting financial literacy/accounting in a technology-rich environment.” African Identities 21(2): 1‒17. https://doi.org/10.1080/14725843.2022.2098088.
Novawan, Adriadi, S. M. Alvarez-Tosalem, T. Ismailia, J. A. Wicaksono, and R. B. Setiarini. 2021. “Students’ experiences of online English language learning by using YouTube.” The First International Conference on Social Science, Humanity, and Public Health (ICOSHIP 2020).
Prakash, C., K. D. Stephens, D. D. Hoffman, M. Singh, and C. Fields. 2021. “Fitness beats truth in the evolution of perception.” Acta Biotheoretica 69(3): 319‒341.
Putri, E. and F. M. Sari. 2020. “Indonesian EFL Students’ Perspectives Towards Learning Management System Software.” Journal of English Language Teaching and Learning 1(1): 20–24.
Qomariyah, S. S., D. Permana, and H. Hidayatullah. 2021. “The Effect of YouTube Video on Students’ Listening Comprehension Performance.” Jo-ELT (Journal of English Language Teaching) Fakultas Pendidikan Bahasa & Seni Prodi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris IKIP 8(1): 67‒73.
Rachmawati, R. and F. Cahyani. 2020. “The use of YouTube videos in improving non-English Department students’ pronunciation skills.” Alsuna: Journal of Arabic and English Language 3(2): 83‒95.
Ryan, M. P. 1984. “Monitoring text comprehension: Individual differences in epistemological standards.” Journal of Educational Psychology 76(1): 248–258.
Saiful, J. A. 2019. “EFL teachers’ cognition in the use of Youtube Vlog in English language teaching.” Journal of Foreign Language Education and Technology 4(1): 72‒91.
Sakkir, G., S. Dollah, and J. Ahmad. 2020. “Students‟ perceptions toward using youTube in EFL classrooms.” Journal of Applied Science, Engineering, Technology, and Education 2(1): 1‒17.
Shoba, M. E. and S. B. Khoza. 2022. “Professionalising Socialisation for Pragmatic e-Curriculum to the Rescue of South African Universities.” In Multimodal Learning Environments in Southern Africa: Embracing Digital Pedagogies, edited by J. Olivier, A. Oojorah, and W. Udhin, 119‒140. Palgrave Macmillan.
Sirait, D., Y. S. Harahap, and A. T. Handayani. 2021. “The use of Youtube-based interactive learning media in learning English in the new normal era.” European Journal of English Language Teaching 6(4).
Sokhulu, L. H. 2023. “Postgraduate Student Experiences of Using YouTube as a Research Tool for Learning: A Case Study.” In Advancing Self-Directed Learning in Higher Education, edited by D. W. Mncube and M. C. Maphalala, 120‒133. IGI Global.
Syafiq, A. N., A. Rahmawati, A. Anwari, and T. Oktaviana. 2021. “Increasing speaking skill through YouTube video as English learning material during online learning in pandemic covid-19.” Elsya: Journal of English Language Studies 3(1): 50‒55.
Tahmina, T. 2023. “Students’ Perception of the Use of Youtube in English Language Learning.” Journal of Languages and Language Teaching 11(1): 151‒159.
Waghid, Y. 2019. “Qualty, Dissonance and Rhythm within Higher Education.” South African Journal of Higher Education 33(3): 1‒7.
Wahyuni, A., A. R. Utami, and E. Education. 2021. “The Use of YouTube Video in Encouraging Speaking Skill.” Pustakailmu. Id 7(3): 1‒9.
Wang, H. and C. W. Chen. 2020. “Learning English from YouTubers: English L2 learners’ self-regulated language learning on YouTube.” Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching 14(4): 333‒346.
Watkins, J. and M. Wilkins. 2011. “Using YouTube in the EFL classroom.” Language Education in Asia 2(1): 113‒119.
Zuma, S., S. B. Khoza, and L. H. Sokhulu. 2022. “Representation of e-Learning Ideological-ware Resources in COVID-19 Articles.” Alternation 39(2022): 79‒115. https://doi.org/10.29086/2519-5476/2022/sp39a5.
Zuma, S. and B. Mthembu. 2023. “Exploring ideological-ware as a resource in the use of Moodle in higher education-analysing Covid-19 publications.” South African Computer Journal 35(1): 164‒183.
Copyright (c) 2024 Bheki Mthembu, Simon Bhekumuzi Khoza
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
This journal is an open access journal, and the authors and journal should be properly acknowledged, when works are cited.
Authors, copyright holders, may use the publishers version for teaching purposes, in books, theses, dissertations, conferences and conference papers.
A copy of the authors' publishers version may also be hosted on the following websites:
- Non-commercial personal homepage or blog.
- Institutional webpage.
- Authors Institutional Repository.
The following notice should accompany such a posting on the website: This is an electronic version of an article published in SAJHE, Volume XXX, number XXX, pages XXX “XXX", DOI. Authors should also supply a hyperlink to the original paper or indicate where the original paper (http://www.journals.ac.za/index.php/SAJHE) may be found.
Authors publishers version, affiliated with the Stellenbosch University will be automatically deposited in the University Institutional Repository SUNScholar.
Articles as a whole, may not be re-published with another journal.
The following license applies:
Attribution CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
